Careers / Occupational Therapy Assistants
Occupational Therapy Assistants — Career Decision Dashboard
United States
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Report generated from official BLS OEWS and O*NET data — United States.
Median annual wage
$72,300
United States, 2025
Employment
51,290
United States, 2025
Typical education
Associate's Degree or other 2-year degree
Job Zone 3
Skills identified
35
10 related careers
Career overview
Assist occupational therapists in providing occupational therapy treatments and procedures. May, in accordance with state laws, assist in development of treatment plans, carry out routine functions, direct activity programs, and document the progress of treatments. Generally requires formal training.
- O*NET code
- 31-2011.00
- Job zone
- 3
- Experience required
- Over 6 months, up to and including 1 year
Typical tasks
- Order any needed educational or treatment supplies.
- Instruct, or assist in instructing, patients and families in home programs, basic living skills, or the care and use of adaptive equipment.
- Maintain and promote a positive attitude toward clients and their treatment programs.
- Report to supervisors, verbally or in writing, on patients' progress, attitudes, and behavior.
- Implement, or assist occupational therapists with implementing, treatment plans designed to help clients function independently.
- Monitor patients' performance in therapy activities, providing encouragement.
- Observe and record patients' progress, attitudes, and behavior and maintain this information in client records.
- Select therapy activities to fit patients' needs and capabilities.
Choose a location
Salary analysis — United States
10th percentile
$51,490
25th percentile
$61,710
75th percentile
$79,160
90th percentile
$89,780
Most important skills
- Service Orientation3.9
- Speaking3.9
- Social Perceptiveness3.9
- Active Listening3.9
- Reading Comprehension3.6
- Time Management3.5
- Monitoring3.4
- Critical Thinking3.4
- Learning Strategies3.3
- Instructing3.3
- Writing3.3
- Active Learning3.3
What skills do you need?
Select the skills you already have
Skills listed are those O*NET rates at importance 3.0 or above for this occupation. Set your own level on the same 0–7 O*NET scale.
Skill coverage
0%
0 of 16 identified skills
Matched
0
Missing
16
Your selected skills cover approximately 0% of the skills identified for this occupation in O*NET. This is a coverage measure of listed skills only — it is not a qualification, hiring or interview outcome.
Skills to develop
| Skill | Importance | Required level | Your level | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Social Perceptiveness | 3.9 | 3.9 | Not selected | 3.9 |
| Active Listening | 3.9 | 3.9 | Not selected | 3.9 |
| Reading Comprehension | 3.6 | 3.9 | Not selected | 3.9 |
| Speaking | 3.9 | 3.5 | Not selected | 3.5 |
| Service Orientation | 3.9 | 3.3 | Not selected | 3.3 |
| Critical Thinking | 3.4 | 3.4 | Not selected | 3.4 |
| Writing | 3.3 | 3.4 | Not selected | 3.4 |
| Learning Strategies | 3.3 | 3.3 | Not selected | 3.3 |
| Instructing | 3.3 | 3.3 | Not selected | 3.3 |
| Active Learning | 3.3 | 3.3 | Not selected | 3.3 |
| Monitoring | 3.4 | 3.1 | Not selected | 3.1 |
| Time Management | 3.5 | 2.9 | Not selected | 2.9 |
| Coordination | 3.1 | 3.1 | Not selected | 3.1 |
| Judgment and Decision Making | 3.1 | 3.0 | Not selected | 3.0 |
| Complex Problem Solving | 3.0 | 3.0 | Not selected | 3.0 |
| Systems Analysis | 3.0 | 2.9 | Not selected | 2.9 |
Ordered by required level gap multiplied by O*NET importance. No prediction or recommendation is implied.
Related careers
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Compare with Occupational Therapy AssistantsHow salary varies by location
| Location | Median | Employment | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| San Francisco, CA | $97,860 | 290 | 2025 |
| Modesto, CA | $96,210 | 30 | 2025 |
| San Jose, CA | $95,370 | 160 | 2025 |
| Bakersfield, CA | $95,190 | 40 | 2025 |
| Sacramento, CA | $95,180 | 170 | 2025 |
| Washington, DC | $88,250 | 420 | 2025 |
| Santa Maria, CA | $86,440 | 40 | 2025 |
| Spartanburg, SC | $86,040 | 80 | 2025 |
| Boulder, CO | $84,860 | 50 | 2025 |
| Stockton, CA | $84,400 | 60 | 2025 |
| San Diego, CA | $82,680 | 360 | 2025 |
| Baltimore, MD | $82,620 | 310 | 2025 |
| Beaumont, TX | $82,610 | 70 | 2025 |
| Oxnard, CA | $82,060 | 80 | 2025 |
| MD | $82,010 | 710 | 2025 |
| CA | $81,770 | 3,840 | 2025 |
| TX | $81,500 | 5,610 | 2025 |
| Austin, TX | $81,500 | 1,190 | 2025 |
| Houston, TX | $81,340 | 900 | 2025 |
| Visalia, CA | $81,200 | 50 | 2025 |
Career transition paths
Compare the skills of a career you hold today with Occupational Therapy Assistants to see shared skills, target-only skills and skill overlap.
Build a transition comparisonCareer and skills data: O*NET 31.0.
Salary and employment data: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS, 2025 (May 2025 release).
Figures are periodic published survey snapshots, not real-time market rates.