Occupational Therapist Information

The occupational therapist salary range mainly depends in which setting he works, but also fluctuates on a state and area wide basis. The job mainly involves engaging the patient in activities which will help them regain and maintain their performance of daily activities. The therapist plans the program as per the needs of the patient and also makes progress evaluations.

Occupational therapists work in settings such as hospitals, nursing homes, clinics, schools, daycare centers and also in certain establishments run by the government. As per the employment data of US Department of Labor there are more than 97,000 occupational therapists working in the country and drawing a salary. The majority of them, amounting to about 46,000, work in hospitals and health care establishments. Around 16,000 are employed in nursing facilities and health care at home, and the remaining work in schools and day care centers.

On average, the hourly occupational therapist salary is $33.98. Based on this average, 10% of the lowest earning therapists earn about $21.80 per hour, and the top 10% earn above $48.28. If we look at the salary on an annual basis, the median works out to about $70,680. The therapists who are drawing the lowest would be earning around $45,340, whereas these professionals in the top bracket would be earning upwards of $100,430 annually.

Now let’s see how the areas affect the Occupational Therapist Salary. According to US Government Bureau of Labor Statistics there are five states which offer the highest salaries for these professionals. The average salary in California is $82,610, Nevada offers $81,310, and New Jersey has an average of $80,030, whereas professionals in Maryland and Texas draw $78,990 and $78,470 respectively.

The salaries are much more if we narrow down to certain metropolitan areas in these states. In California, the San Francisco, Redwood City and San Mateo areas have salaries of $94,580, whereas areas like Thousand Oaks, Oxnard and Ventura stand at about $89,080. In Texas, the El Paso area has the highest mean at $96,470, whereas Laredo in the same state has $90,130. In Nevada, Paradise and Las Vegas offer salaries at $89,770.

Although certain states offer more salaries than others, we see that the concentration of occupational therapists do not follow suit. As per the survey, Massachusetts State has the highest number of occupational therapists followed by places like Maine, New Hampshire, Pennsylvania and Connecticut.

In conclusion, it seems that the area has a bigger impact than other factors on the salaries earned by occupational therapists. Within each area, the type of establishment will also affect the salary. According to statistics, the hospitals and health care establishments offer the best salaries whereas school institutions have the lowest salaries.

The occupational therapist salary ranges for those based in schools will draw an average pay of $61,590 per year, the hourly rate working out to about $29.61. This includes the primary and elementary schools. Here too, if you narrow down to certain specialty schools, the hourly rate increases to $36.18 or $75,260 per year, which sets them at par with the therapists working in hospitals and health centers.