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Occupational Therapy Assistant Salary | How Much Money Does an Occupational Therapist Make?

How much money does an occupational therapist assistant make on the job? What are the education requirements to become an occupational therapist assistant? What does an occupational therapist assistant actually do? Those are all great questions!

Occupational therapy assistants help patients develop, recover, and improve the skills needed for daily living and working. They are directly involved in providing therapy to patients, and they typically work under the direction of occupational therapists.

There is a positive job outlook for this profession. Employment of occupational therapy assistants is projected to grow 43 percent from 2012 to 2022, much faster than the average for all occupations.

What Does an Occupational Therapy Assistant Do?

Occupational therapy assistants help patients in many ways. Here are some of the tasks they perform:

  • Help patients do therapeutic activities, such as stretches and other exercises
  • Lead children who have developmental disabilities in play activities that promote coordination and socialization
  • Teach patients how to use special equipment; for example, showing a patient with Parkinson’s disease how to use devices that make eating easier
  • Record patients’ progress, report to occupational therapists, and do other administrative tasks

Education Requirements to become an Occupational Therapy Assistant

Occupational therapy assistants typically need an associate’s degree from an accredited program. Occupational therapy assistant programs are commonly found in community colleges and technical schools. In March 2013, there were 162 occupational therapy assistant programs accredited by the Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education, a branch of the American Occupational Therapy Association. These programs generally require 2 years of full-time study.

They include classroom instruction in subjects such as psychology, biology, and pediatric health. Occupational therapy assistants also must complete at least 16 weeks of fieldwork as part of their education to gain hands-on work experience.

People interested in becoming an occupational therapy assistant should take high school courses in biology and health. They can also increase their chances of getting into a community college or technical school program by doing volunteer work in a healthcare setting, such as a nursing care facility, an occupational therapist’s office, or a physical therapist’s office.

Occupational Therapy Assistant Salary Statistics

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the average hourly wage for an occupational therapy assistant (as of 2014) was $27.53, and the average salary was $57,260. More salary information can be found below.

Percentile wage estimates for this occupation:

Percentile 10% 25% 50% (Median) 75% 90%
Hourly Wage $17.51 $22.20 $27.38 $32.91 $36.92
Annual Wage $36,420 $46,170 $56,950 $68,450 $76,790

Industries with the highest levels of employment in this occupation:

Industry Employment Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage
Offices of Other Health Practitioners 13,340 1.72 $28.36 $59,000
Nursing Care Facilities (Skilled Nursing Facilities) 5,970 0.36 $29.23 $60,790
General Medical and Surgical Hospitals 4,070 0.08 $24.50 $50,970
Home Health Care Services 1,930 0.15 $32.30 $67,180
Elementary and Secondary Schools 1,610 0.02 $22.50 $46,800

Top paying industries for this occupation:

Industry Employment Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage
Home Health Care Services 1,930 0.15 $32.30 $67,180
Other Ambulatory Health Care Services 110 0.04 $30.65 $63,760
Nursing Care Facilities (Skilled Nursing Facilities) 5,970 0.36 $29.23 $60,790
Continuing Care Retirement Communities and Assisted Living Facilities for the Elderly 570 0.07 $28.52 $59,330
Offices of Other Health Practitioners 13,340 1.72 $28.36 $59,000

Top paying states for this occupation:

State Employment Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage
Nevada 210 0.18 0.74 $48.20 $100,260
Texas 3,230 0.29 1.21 $33.95 $70,610
California 1,810 0.12 0.50 $32.01 $66,580
Maryland 540 0.21 0.88 $31.42 $65,350
New Jersey 320 0.08 0.35 $30.79 $64,040

Lowest paying states include the following:

South Dakota 17.63 36,670 36,070
Arizona 21.09 43,860 41,330
Michigan 21.05 43,790 43,570

Occupational Therapy Assistant Salary by State

Area name Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage Annual median wage
Alabama 26.89 55,930 56,900
Arizona 21.09 43,860 41,330
Arkansas 29.90 62,190 63,660
California 32.01 66,580 68,950
Colorado 24.12 50,170 50,260
Connecticut 28.75 59,800 60,950
Delaware 26.44 54,990 53,360
District of Columbia 28.06 58,370 57,070
Florida 29.61 61,580 62,120
Georgia 27.64 57,490 57,800
Hawaii 23.26 48,370 47,130
Idaho 28.27 58,800 56,470
Illinois 27.45 57,100 58,780
Indiana 26.75 55,640 54,750
Iowa 25.25 52,510 53,020
Kansas 28.77 59,850 59,090
Kentucky 27.23 56,640 56,690
Louisiana 25.06 52,130 53,190
Maine 22.84 47,510 46,550
Maryland 31.42 65,350 65,610
Massachusetts 26.53 55,190 56,080
Michigan 21.05 43,790 43,570
Minnesota 22.45 46,710 45,930
Mississippi 25.92 53,920 55,070
Missouri 26.78 55,710 56,560
Montana 23.52 48,920 48,980
Nebraska 24.16 50,260 52,720
Nevada 48.20 100,260 72,450
New Hampshire 25.00 52,010 51,510
New Jersey 30.79 64,040 65,440
New Mexico 27.16 56,480 58,270
New York 25.55 53,150 53,970
North Carolina 26.70 55,530 57,520
North Dakota 21.41 44,520 43,210
Ohio 27.52 57,240 56,420
Oklahoma 27.72 57,660 57,960
Oregon 25.51 53,050 53,910
Pennsylvania 23.38 48,640 47,500
Rhode Island 24.25 50,430 50,120
South Carolina 27.48 57,150 56,200
South Dakota 17.63 36,670 36,070
Tennessee 28.12 58,490 58,790
Texas 33.95 70,610 70,950
Utah 26.26 54,620 55,180
Vermont 23.64 49,170 53,180
Virginia 28.99 60,300 63,730
Washington 29.29 60,920 60,880
West Virginia 27.38 56,940 56,830
Wisconsin 22.45 46,700 45,710
Wyoming 23.85 49,610 47,620

References:

Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2014-15 Edition, Occupational Therapy Assistants, on the Internet at bls.gov.

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