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.
- O*NET-SOC code
29-1122.00 - Preparation Job Zone Five: Extensive Preparation Needed
Wages
Median annual wage, U.S.$100,330
Employment, U.S.162,450
Median hourly wage$48.24
| 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $71,690 | $82,510 | $100,330 | $116,670 | $131,950 |
By state (51)
| State | Employment | Median annual | Location quotient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | 1,500 | $94,050 | 0.68 |
| Alaska | 410 | $103,680 | 1.20 |
| Arizona | 2,680 | $103,660 | 0.79 |
| Arkansas | 2,160 | $106,360 | 1.59 |
| California | 13,810 | $124,510 | 0.73 |
| Colorado | 3,390 | $106,720 | 1.13 |
| Connecticut | 3,150 | $102,440 | 1.77 |
| Delaware | 490 | $102,130 | 0.96 |
| District of Columbia | 540 | $109,170 | 0.74 |
| Florida | 10,650 | $99,360 | 1.03 |
| Georgia | 3,650 | $104,010 | 0.72 |
| Hawaii | 390 | $102,870 | 0.60 |
| Idaho | 840 | $97,760 | 0.93 |
| Illinois | 7,710 | $99,700 | 1.21 |
| Indiana | 3,830 | $97,020 | 1.14 |
| Iowa | 1,290 | $89,910 | 0.79 |
| Kansas | 1,560 | $99,170 | 1.04 |
| Kentucky | 2,190 | $97,650 | 1.05 |
| Louisiana | 2,060 | $98,490 | 1.02 |
| Maine | 1,120 | $84,310 | 1.68 |
| Maryland | 2,390 | $106,980 | 0.83 |
| Massachusetts | 6,510 | $100,930 | 1.71 |
| Michigan | 5,120 | $89,910 | 1.11 |
| Minnesota | 3,670 | $93,050 | 1.19 |
| Mississippi | 1,340 | $94,930 | 1.10 |
| Missouri | 3,400 | $97,290 | 1.11 |
| Montana | 420 | $88,990 | 0.79 |
| Nebraska | 1,500 | $93,740 | 1.40 |
| Nevada | 1,080 | $110,520 | 0.67 |
| New Hampshire | 1,240 | $83,900 | 1.74 |
| New Jersey | 6,290 | $103,410 | 1.41 |
| New Mexico | 1,030 | $99,170 | 1.14 |
| New York | 11,690 | $96,390 | 1.15 |
| North Carolina | 4,490 | $92,940 | 0.87 |
| North Dakota | 570 | $83,200 | 1.26 |
| Ohio | 6,760 | $99,390 | 1.17 |
| Oklahoma | 1,180 | $104,300 | 0.66 |
| Oregon | 1,170 | $112,310 | 0.57 |
| Pennsylvania | 6,560 | $98,440 | 1.04 |
| Rhode Island | 770 | $100,040 | 1.47 |
| South Carolina | 1,840 | $101,130 | 0.76 |
| South Dakota | 490 | $85,050 | 1.02 |
| Tennessee | 2,490 | $97,700 | 0.73 |
| Texas | 13,400 | $106,140 | 0.91 |
| Utah | 1,030 | $97,150 | 0.57 |
| Vermont | 320 | $93,340 | 1.02 |
| Virginia | 4,150 | $100,710 | 0.97 |
| Washington | 3,340 | $107,670 | 0.90 |
| West Virginia | 700 | $96,190 | 0.96 |
| Wisconsin | 3,710 | $92,390 | 1.21 |
| Wyoming | 350 | $86,170 | 1.20 |
Similar occupations
Similarity is our measure: the cosine of importance x level over all 120 O*NET skills, knowledge areas and abilities. It is not an O*NET finding. More.
Circles are the 20 most similar occupations, coloured by Job Zone. Lines join pairs where one is among the other's 10 most similar; darker lines are pairs O*NET also lists as related. Drag a circle to move it out of the way; select one to open it.
| # | Occupation | Job Zone | Similarity |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Physical Therapists | 5 | 0.981 |
| 2 | Athletic Trainers | 5 | 0.976 |
| 3 | Recreational Therapists | 4 | 0.976 |
| 4 | Clinical Nurse Specialists | 5 | 0.972 |
| 5 | Midwives | 5 | 0.971 |
| 6 | Nurse Midwives | 5 | 0.971 |
| 7 | Nurse Practitioners | 5 | 0.970 |
| 8 | Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Physicians | 5 | 0.968 |
| 9 | Sports Medicine Physicians | 5 | 0.968 |
| 10 | Occupational Therapy Assistants | 3 | 0.967 |
One skill away
Among the 50 occupations most similar to Occupational Therapists, those at the same Job Zone or lower, where exactly one skill rated at least 3 in importance needs a level more than 0.75 points higher (on O*NET's 0-7 level scale). Our definition. Change the thresholds.
| Occupation | Skill to build | Level gap | Similarity |
|---|---|---|---|
| Midwives | Social Perceptiveness | 0.88 | 0.971 |
| Critical Care Nurses | Operations Monitoring | 1.00 | 0.962 |
| Registered Nurses | Operations Monitoring | 0.76 | 0.959 |
| Healthcare Social Workers | Social Perceptiveness | 1.12 | 0.957 |
| Naturopathic Physicians | Reading Comprehension | 1.00 | 0.953 |
| Speech-Language Pathologists | Reading Comprehension | 1.00 | 0.952 |
| Rehabilitation Counselors | Social Perceptiveness | 1.00 | 0.949 |
| Special Education Teachers, Secondary School | Learning Strategies | 0.87 | 0.945 |
Software to learn next
Software used by at least 3 of the 20 occupations most similar to Occupational Therapists, excluding software Occupational Therapists already lists and any you named. Ranked by how many of them use it, weighted by how much more common it is among them than across all occupations (lift). Our ranking.
| Software | Similar jobs using it | Lift |
|---|---|---|
| Amkai AmkaiCharts | 5 of 20 | 33.0x |
| Medscribbler Enterprise | 5 of 20 | 33.0x |
| StatCom Patient Flow Logistics Enterprise Suite | 5 of 20 | 33.0x |
| MicroFour PracticeStudio.NET EMR | 5 of 20 | 28.8x |
| Texas Medical Software SpringCharts EMR | 5 of 20 | 28.8x |
| Cerner Millennium | 5 of 20 | 25.6x |
| SynaMed EMR | 5 of 20 | 25.6x |
| NextGen Healthcare Information Systems EMR | 5 of 20 | 23.1x |
| ChartWare EMR | 5 of 20 | 21.0x |
| GE Healthcare Centricity EMR | 6 of 20 | 12.6x |
Skills
From O*NET data. Importance is rated 1 to 5 and level 0 to 7.
| Skill | Type | Importance | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| Active Listening | Essential skill | 4.12 | 4.00 |
| Monitoring | Essential skill | 4.12 | 4.00 |
| Service Orientation | Transferable skill | 4.12 | 4.00 |
| Critical Thinking | Essential skill | 4.00 | 4.00 |
| Instructing | Transferable skill | 4.00 | 4.00 |
| Reading Comprehension | Essential skill | 4.00 | 4.00 |
| Social Perceptiveness | Transferable skill | 4.00 | 4.00 |
| Speaking | Essential skill | 4.00 | 4.00 |
| Writing | Essential skill | 4.00 | 4.00 |
| Judgment and Decision Making | Transferable skill | 4.00 | 3.88 |
| Active Learning | Essential skill | 3.88 | 3.88 |
| Learning Strategies | Essential skill | 3.88 | 3.88 |
| Coordination | Transferable skill | 3.75 | 3.88 |
| Time Management | Transferable skill | 3.75 | 3.88 |
| Complex Problem Solving | Transferable skill | 3.25 | 3.75 |
| Systems Analysis | Transferable skill | 3.12 | 3.12 |
| Systems Evaluation | Transferable skill | 3.12 | 3.12 |
| Operations Analysis | Transferable skill | 3.12 | 3.00 |
| Persuasion | Transferable skill | 3.00 | 3.12 |
| Management of Personnel Resources | Transferable skill | 3.00 | 3.00 |
| Negotiation | Transferable skill | 3.00 | 2.88 |
| Science | Essential skill | 2.75 | 2.75 |
| Management of Financial Resources | Transferable skill | 2.25 | 1.62 |
| Operations Monitoring | Transferable skill | 2.12 | 2.12 |
| Management of Material Resources | Transferable skill | 2.12 | 2.00 |
| Quality Control Analysis | Transferable skill | 2.12 | 1.75 |
| Mathematics | Essential skill | 2.00 | 2.00 |
| Technology Design | Transferable skill | 1.88 | 1.38 |
| Troubleshooting | Transferable skill | 1.88 | 1.00 |
| Programming | Transferable skill | 1.75 | 1.00 |
| Operation and Control | Transferable skill | 1.62 | 1.00 |
| Equipment Selection | Transferable skill | 1.25 | not rated |
| Equipment Maintenance | Transferable skill | 1.00 | not rated |
| Installation | Transferable skill | 1.00 | not rated |
| Repairing | Transferable skill | 1.00 | not rated |
Knowledge (33) and abilities (52)
| Name | Importance | Level |
|---|---|---|
| Therapy and Counseling | 4.68 | 5.95 |
| Psychology | 4.55 | 5.95 |
| Customer and Personal Service | 4.27 | 5.55 |
| Medicine and Dentistry | 4.23 | 4.45 |
| English Language | 4.10 | 4.36 |
| Education and Training | 3.86 | 4.77 |
| Biology | 3.45 | 3.55 |
| Sociology and Anthropology | 3.24 | 3.77 |
| Administrative | 2.82 | 4.14 |
| Administration and Management | 2.82 | 3.64 |
| Philosophy and Theology | 2.82 | 3.27 |
| Communications and Media | 2.50 | 3.05 |
| Mathematics | 2.41 | 2.50 |
| Public Safety and Security | 2.36 | 2.27 |
| Computers and Electronics | 2.27 | 2.50 |
| Law and Government | 2.24 | 2.23 |
| Physics | 2.18 | 1.91 |
| Personnel and Human Resources | 2.14 | 2.36 |
| Sales and Marketing | 2.14 | 2.23 |
| Foreign Language | 2.09 | 2.23 |
| Transportation | 1.91 | 1.55 |
| Mechanical | 1.82 | 1.82 |
| Engineering and Technology | 1.77 | 1.77 |
| Design | 1.73 | 1.68 |
| Chemistry | 1.68 | 1.59 |
| Economics and Accounting | 1.68 | 1.36 |
| Telecommunications | 1.64 | 0.73 |
| Fine Arts | 1.59 | 1.18 |
| Production and Processing | 1.38 | 0.90 |
| History and Archeology | 1.32 | 0.73 |
| Building and Construction | 1.32 | 0.55 |
| Food Production | 1.27 | 0.82 |
| Geography | 1.18 | not rated |
| Name | Importance | Level |
|---|---|---|
| Oral Expression | 4.12 | 4.12 |
| Deductive Reasoning | 4.00 | 4.00 |
| Inductive Reasoning | 4.00 | 4.00 |
| Problem Sensitivity | 4.00 | 4.00 |
| Written Expression | 4.00 | 4.00 |
| Oral Comprehension | 3.88 | 4.12 |
| Information Ordering | 3.88 | 4.00 |
| Speech Clarity | 3.88 | 4.00 |
| Speech Recognition | 3.88 | 4.00 |
| Written Comprehension | 3.88 | 4.00 |
| Fluency of Ideas | 3.75 | 3.88 |
| Originality | 3.75 | 3.88 |
| Near Vision | 3.38 | 3.38 |
| Category Flexibility | 3.25 | 3.38 |
| Selective Attention | 3.25 | 3.12 |
| Finger Dexterity | 3.00 | 3.00 |
| Far Vision | 3.00 | 2.88 |
| Flexibility of Closure | 2.88 | 3.00 |
| Visualization | 2.88 | 2.88 |
| Time Sharing | 2.88 | 2.75 |
| Arm-Hand Steadiness | 2.75 | 2.88 |
| Perceptual Speed | 2.75 | 2.88 |
| Trunk Strength | 2.75 | 2.62 |
| Auditory Attention | 2.75 | 2.50 |
| Static Strength | 2.75 | 2.38 |
| Hearing Sensitivity | 2.75 | 2.12 |
| Multilimb Coordination | 2.62 | 2.62 |
| Speed of Closure | 2.62 | 2.62 |
| Number Facility | 2.50 | 2.12 |
| Visual Color Discrimination | 2.50 | 2.12 |
| Manual Dexterity | 2.38 | 2.75 |
| Memorization | 2.38 | 2.38 |
| Extent Flexibility | 2.12 | 2.12 |
| Stamina | 2.12 | 2.12 |
| Gross Body Coordination | 2.12 | 2.00 |
| Gross Body Equilibrium | 2.12 | 2.00 |
| Mathematical Reasoning | 2.00 | 2.50 |
| Control Precision | 2.00 | 2.12 |
| Depth Perception | 2.00 | 2.00 |
| Dynamic Strength | 2.00 | 1.88 |
| Response Orientation | 1.62 | 0.50 |
| Explosive Strength | 1.50 | 0.62 |
| Speed of Limb Movement | 1.38 | 0.62 |
| Wrist-Finger Speed | 1.25 | not rated |
| Spatial Orientation | 1.12 | not rated |
| Dynamic Flexibility | 1.00 | not rated |
| Glare Sensitivity | 1.00 | not rated |
| Night Vision | 1.00 | not rated |
| Peripheral Vision | 1.00 | not rated |
| Rate Control | 1.00 | not rated |
| Reaction Time | 1.00 | not rated |
| Sound Localization | 1.00 | not rated |
Software used
Examples from O*NET data. "Hot" and "in demand" are O*NET flags for technologies often listed in job postings.
- Facebook hot
- Microsoft Excel hot
- Microsoft Office software hot
- Microsoft Word hot
- eClinicalWorks EHR software hot
- Bizmatics PrognoCIS EMR
- Casamba Smart
- Computer drawing software
- Crick Software Clicker 4
- Duxbury Braille Translator
- Email software
- Fifth Walk BillingTracker
- FileMaker Pro
- HMS
- Language arts educational software
- Lexrotech LxPediatric
- Math educational software
- Mayer-Johnson Boardmaker
- Music software
- OpenOffice WRITER
- Physical education educational software
- Rehab Documentation Company ReDoc Suite
- Science educational software
- Screen magnification software
- Screen reader software
- Social studies educational software
- Special education educational software
- Speech recognition software
- Synapse Adaptive Connect Outloud
- Tactile graphic production kits software
All 33
- Text reader software
- Text scanning software
- Text to speech software
Where it concentrates
Metro areas ranked by BLS location quotient: the occupation's share of the area's jobs divided by its share of all US jobs. Above 1 means more concentrated than the nation. Metros employing fewer than 100 are left out.
| Metro area | Employment | Location quotient | Median annual |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homosassa Springs, FL | 100 | 2.56 | $103,680 |
| Victoria, TX | 100 | 2.53 | $103,800 |
| Hot Springs, AR | 100 | 2.36 | $82,410 |
| Rochester, MN | 300 | 2.31 | $85,000 |
| Waterbury-Shelton, CT | 380 | 2.25 | $99,460 |
| Worcester, MA | 790 | 2.17 | $98,300 |
| Jonesboro, AR | 140 | 2.15 | $106,360 |
| Gainesville, FL | 340 | 2.11 | $97,130 |
| North Port-Bradenton-Sarasota, FL | 730 | 2.06 | $104,030 |
| Port St. Lucie, FL | 370 | 2.05 | $99,940 |