Pay by state · 52 states
Occupational Therapist Salary by State (2026)
Occupational Therapists earn the most in California at $124,510 a year and the least in Puerto Rico at $51,850 (BLS OEWS, May 2025). The national median is $100,330. All 52 states and territories with reported data are ranked below, with a cost-of-living adjusted column.
- Highest median
- $124,510California
- National median
- $100,330BLS OEWS, May 2025
- Lowest median
- $51,850Puerto Rico
- States reporting
- 52of 54 OEWS areas
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?
Puerto Rico reports the lowest median for Occupational Therapists at $51,850 a year, $72,660 below the highest-paying state (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
Where do Occupational Therapists earn the most after cost of living?
Dividing each state median by that state's BEA Regional Price Parity puts Arkansas first at $122,341 in national-average dollars, from a raw median of $106,360. BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024.