Pay by state · 52 areas
Occupational Therapist Salary by State (2026)
Occupational Therapists earn the most in California at $124,510 a year and the least in North Dakota at $83,200 (BLS OEWS, May 2025). The national median is $100,330. The table below covers all 50 states, DC and Puerto Rico, with a cost-of-living adjusted column.
- Highest median
- $124,510California
- National median
- $100,330BLS OEWS, May 2025
- Lowest median
- $83,200North Dakota
- Areas reporting
- 52of 54 OEWS areas
Top and bottom
Highest- and lowest-paying states for occupational therapists
Ranked on the state median among the 50 states and DC. After cost of living, Arkansas comes out ahead instead. Territories are in the full table but not ranked here.
Highest median pay
- 1California$124,510
- 2Oregon$112,310
- 3Nevada$110,520
- 4District of Columbia$109,170
- 5Washington$107,670
Lowest median pay
- 1North Dakota$83,200
- 2New Hampshire$83,900
- 3Maine$84,310
- 4South Dakota$85,050
- 5Wyoming$86,170
All states
Occupational Therapist salary in every state
Sort by any column. Employment is the number of occupational therapists OEWS estimates in that state; blank cells are estimates BLS suppressed because the sample was too small.
| # | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | CACalifornia | $124,510 | $103,950 | $136,380 | 13,810 | $112,455 |
| 2 | OROregon | $112,310 | $99,800 | $127,540 | 1,170 | $108,658 |
| 3 | NVNevada | $110,520 | $100,510 | $127,960 | 1,080 | $110,543 |
| 4 | DCDistrict of Columbia | $109,170 | $96,800 | $125,130 | 540 | $99,335 |
| 5 | WAWashington | $107,670 | $95,650 | $127,390 | 3,340 | $100,614 |
| 6 | MDMaryland | $106,980 | $87,650 | $123,700 | 2,390 | $101,926 |
| 7 | COColorado | $106,720 | $94,210 | $128,250 | 3,390 | $103,559 |
| 8 | ARArkansas | $106,360 | $81,810 | $128,220 | 2,160 | $122,341 |
| 9 | TXTexas | $106,140 | $85,810 | $127,830 | 13,400 | $109,358 |
| 10 | OKOklahoma | $104,300 | $88,150 | $121,120 | 1,180 | $118,735 |
| 11 | GAGeorgia | $104,010 | $82,320 | $118,560 | 3,650 | $108,014 |
| 12 | AKAlaska | $103,680 | $100,470 | $124,160 | 410 | $101,291 |
| 13 | AZArizona | $103,660 | $85,980 | $122,900 | 2,680 | $102,963 |
| 14 | NJNew Jersey | $103,410 | $91,770 | $128,390 | 6,290 | $95,042 |
| 15 | HIHawaii | $102,870 | $85,910 | $112,310 | 390 | $93,560 |
| 16 | CTConnecticut | $102,440 | $84,890 | $111,660 | 3,150 | $98,871 |
| 17 | DEDelaware | $102,130 | $90,860 | $121,140 | 490 | $102,326 |
| 18 | SCSouth Carolina | $101,130 | $82,000 | $109,720 | 1,840 | $107,873 |
| 19 | MAMassachusetts | $100,930 | $83,960 | $110,180 | 6,510 | $95,436 |
| 20 | VAVirginia | $100,710 | $83,740 | $118,740 | 4,150 | $99,610 |
| 21 | RIRhode Island | $100,040 | $84,710 | $107,160 | 770 | $97,810 |
| 22 | ILIllinois | $99,700 | $82,070 | $109,780 | 7,710 | $99,742 |
| 23 | OHOhio | $99,390 | $81,840 | $107,880 | 6,760 | $107,131 |
| 24 | FLFlorida | $99,360 | $81,360 | $104,830 | 10,650 | $96,080 |
| 25 | KSKansas | $99,170 | $82,000 | $107,630 | 1,560 | $110,106 |
| 26 | NMNew Mexico | $99,170 | $83,770 | $120,960 | 1,030 | $107,546 |
| 27 | LALouisiana | $98,490 | $72,350 | $107,880 | 2,060 | $111,658 |
| 28 | PAPennsylvania | $98,440 | $81,880 | $112,320 | 6,560 | $100,890 |
| 29 | IDIdaho | $97,760 | $85,380 | $108,730 | 840 | $102,373 |
| 30 | TNTennessee | $97,700 | $81,750 | $107,250 | 2,490 | $106,346 |
| 31 | KYKentucky | $97,650 | $80,120 | $105,220 | 2,190 | $108,309 |
| 32 | MOMissouri | $97,290 | $81,230 | $106,190 | 3,400 | $107,128 |
| 33 | UTUtah | $97,150 | $85,380 | $104,040 | 1,030 | $98,266 |
| 34 | INIndiana | $97,020 | $81,940 | $104,680 | 3,830 | $103,955 |
| 35 | NYNew York | $96,390 | $76,980 | $114,400 | 11,690 | $89,315 |
| 36 | WVWest Virginia | $96,190 | $74,890 | $107,650 | 700 | $107,478 |
| 37 | MSMississippi | $94,930 | $79,430 | $104,460 | 1,340 | $109,174 |
| 38 | ALAlabama | $94,050 | $82,500 | $107,650 | 1,500 | $105,885 |
| 39 | NENebraska | $93,740 | $80,350 | $102,560 | 1,500 | $104,036 |
| 40 | VTVermont | $93,340 | $80,450 | $102,500 | 320 | $95,286 |
| 41 | MNMinnesota | $93,050 | $81,510 | $100,150 | 3,670 | $94,351 |
| 42 | NCNorth Carolina | $92,940 | $77,510 | $104,820 | 4,490 | $98,531 |
| 43 | WIWisconsin | $92,390 | $78,430 | $102,240 | 3,710 | $98,188 |
| 44 | IAIowa | $89,910 | $75,810 | $103,100 | 1,290 | $102,448 |
| 45 | MIMichigan | $89,910 | $79,390 | $100,070 | 5,120 | $93,445 |
| 46 | MTMontana | $88,990 | $79,860 | $102,130 | 420 | $94,025 |
| 47 | WYWyoming | $86,170 | $77,580 | $103,350 | 350 | $92,965 |
| 48 | SDSouth Dakota | $85,050 | $80,720 | $99,940 | 490 | $96,008 |
| 49 | MEMaine | $84,310 | $77,770 | $99,010 | 1,120 | $86,873 |
| 50 | NHNew Hampshire | $83,900 | $78,790 | $102,250 | 1,240 | $80,545 |
| 51 | NDNorth Dakota | $83,200 | $77,210 | $99,280 | 570 | $93,526 |
| 52 | PRPuerto Rico | $51,850 | $46,990 | $62,360 | 170 | N/A |
Method
How the cost-of-living adjustment works
The adjusted column divides each state median by that state's BEA Regional Price Parity (RPP) and multiplies by 100. RPPs measure how much a fixed basket of goods, services and rents costs in one state relative to the national average, so the result restates local pay in national-average dollars.
For occupational therapists, that changes the ranking: California leads on raw pay at $124,510, while Arkansas leads once prices are taken into account at $122,341.
Source: BEA Regional Price Parities by State, 2024 (public domain). The adjustment is NueCareer's calculation, not a BLS or BEA published statistic.
Questions
Occupational Therapist pay by state: FAQ
Which state pays occupational therapists the most?
California reports the highest median wage for occupational therapists at $124,510 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025), followed by Oregon ($112,310) and Nevada ($110,520).
Which state pays occupational therapists the least?
Among the 50 states and DC, North Dakota reports the lowest median for occupational therapists at $83,200 a year, $41,310 below the highest-paying state (BLS OEWS, May 2025). Among the territories, Puerto Rico reports $51,850.
In which states do occupational therapists earn over $100,000?
21 of the 50 states and DC have a median of $100,000 or more (BLS OEWS, May 2025). The highest is California; the lowest of them is Rhode Island at $100,040. The rest report less, down to $83,200 in North Dakota.
Is the highest-paying state the best for occupational therapists after cost of living?
Not on this data. California pays the most on paper ($124,510) but ranks 3rd of 51 once each median is divided by the state's BEA Regional Price Parity ($112,455). Arkansas leads after that adjustment at $122,341, from a raw median of $106,360. BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024; the adjustment is NueCareer's calculation.