# Occupational Therapists

> Assess, plan, and organize rehabilitative programs that help build or restore vocational, homemaking, and daily living skills, as well as general independence, to persons with disabilities or developmental delays. Use therapeutic techniques, adapt the individual's environment, teach skills, and modify specific tasks that present barriers to the individual.

- Edition: Data verified Nov 2026 · CollegesRef 2026–27 edition
- Page: https://www.collegesref.com/careers/occupational-therapists
- SOC code: 29-1122.00
- Career family: Healthcare practitioners
- Median annual pay: $100,330 (10th percentile $71,690, 90th percentile $131,950)
- Projected growth: Much faster than average, +14.8%
- Openings a year: 10,000
- Typical entry education: Master's degree
- Bright outlook: yes
- Data years: BLS 2025 wages · 2025–35 projections

## Interest profile (code SIR)

| Interest area | Score (0–100) |
| --- | ---: |
| Realistic (R) | 43 |
| Investigative (I) | 54 |
| Artistic (A) | 35 |
| Social (S) | 85 |
| Enterprising (E) | 14 |
| Conventional (C) | 35 |

## What you'd do

- Documenting/Recording Information (importance 93/100)
- Assisting and Caring for Others (importance 91/100)
- Getting Information (importance 86/100)
- Making Decisions and Solving Problems (importance 85/100)
- Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates (importance 82/100)
- Developing Objectives and Strategies (importance 82/100)
- Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships (importance 82/100)
- Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events (importance 81/100)
- Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge (importance 81/100)
- Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work (importance 79/100)

## Skills

Active Listening, Monitoring, Service Orientation, Critical Thinking, Instructing, Judgment and Decision Making, Reading Comprehension, Social Perceptiveness, Speaking, Writing

## Knowledge

Therapy and Counseling, Psychology, Customer and Personal Service, Medicine and Dentistry, English Language, Education and Training, Biology, Sociology and Anthropology, Administration and Management, Administrative

## Also called

Acute Care OT (Acute Care Occupational Therapist), Assistive Technology Trainer, Certified Hand Therapist (CHT), Early Intervention Occupational Therapist, Home Care Occupational Therapist (Home Care OT), Home Health Occupational Therapist, Independent Living Specialist, Industrial Rehabilitation Consultant, Industrial Therapist, Inpatient Occupational Therapist (Inpatient OT)

## Majors that lead here (NCES CIP–SOC crosswalk, 4-digit CIP)

- [Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions](https://www.collegesref.com/programs/5123) (CIP 5123, 591 colleges)

## Colleges with strong outcomes (College Scorecard, 2025)

| College | Program | Earnings 1 yr | Earnings 4 yrs | Median debt |
| --- | --- | ---: | ---: | ---: |
| [Ithaca College](https://www.collegesref.com/college/ithaca-college-1313) | Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions | not reported | $76,766 | $25,000 |
| [University of Pittsburgh-Pittsburgh Campus](https://www.collegesref.com/college/university-of-pittsburgh-pittsburgh-campus-3019) | Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions | $43,925 | $75,950 | $23,307 |
| [Worcester State University](https://www.collegesref.com/college/worcester-state-university-3304) | Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions | not reported | $74,386 | $25,500 |
| [Saint Francis University](https://www.collegesref.com/college/saint-francis-university-2301) | Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions | not reported | $72,821 | $27,000 |
| [University of New Hampshire-Main Campus](https://www.collegesref.com/college/university-of-new-hampshire-main-campus-2980) | Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions | not reported | $72,625 | $27,000 |
| [Boston University](https://www.collegesref.com/college/boston-university-286) | Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions | $44,945 | $72,566 | $17,110 |
| [Duquesne University](https://www.collegesref.com/college/duquesne-university-839) | Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions | not reported | $72,059 | $26,000 |
| [Saint Louis University](https://www.collegesref.com/college/saint-louis-university-2312) | Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions | not reported | $70,351 | $23,244 |

## Related careers

- [Occupational Therapy Assistants](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/occupational-therapy-assistants): $72,300 median pay
- [Occupational Therapy Aides](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/occupational-therapy-aides): $39,160 median pay
- [Physical Therapists](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/physical-therapists): $102,760 median pay
- [Physical Therapist Assistants](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/physical-therapist-assistants): $68,380 median pay
- [Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Physicians](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/physical-medicine-and-rehabilitation-physicians): $265,930 median pay
- [Recreational Therapists](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/recreational-therapists): $61,960 median pay

## Sources

- [O*NET Database](https://www.onetcenter.org/database.html), version 31.0 (CC BY 4.0)
- [BLS Employment Projections](https://www.bls.gov/emp/tables.htm), version 2025-35, data year 2025 (Public domain (U.S. government work))
- [BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics](https://www.bls.gov/oes/tables.htm), version 2025, data year 2025 (Public domain (U.S. government work))
- [NCES CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk](https://nces.ed.gov/ipeds/cipcode/resources.aspx?y=56), version 2020, data year 2020 (Public domain (U.S. government work))

O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. CollegesRef has modified all or some of this information.