Healthcare Support

Occupational Therapy Assistants

SOC 31-2011

Help patients do the activities occupational therapists prescribe.

The job

Median pay

$72k

$62k to $79k typical range

Outlook, 2025 to 2035

Growing fast

+22% projected

Openings a year

8.1k

BLS projection

Typical education

Associate's

Our model

AI displacement risk

Very low

How much of this job AI may do instead of the person

Works with AI

24/100

AI alongside the person rather than instead of them

AI exposure

20th pct

More exposed than 20% of occupations · modeled estimate · 28th pct in Microsoft's data

Future-proof

76/100

At a glance

BLS's 2035 projection for Occupational Therapy Assistants is +22%, 18 points above the typical occupation we cover. Hiring volume is roughly 8,100 openings a year. The usual way in is an associate's degree. Median pay is $72,300, $5,110 above the typical occupation we cover, and 59% above the median across Healthcare Support. The AI read on Occupational Therapy Assistants: 20th percentile exposure, very low displacement risk, 24/100 working with AI, tilting toward AI as a helper. Compared with Massage Therapists at +15%, projected growth here is +22%.

Take the next step

Weigh it against Patient Care TechniciansPay, outlook, entry and AI exposure side by side See where it pays mostMaryland leads at $82k; all states are listed below Find careers like itOpen the map at Occupational Therapy Assistants and explore its neighbours See open jobsOccupational Therapy Assistants roles hiring now Learn the skillsCourses for Occupational Therapy Assistants, who lean most on active listening Real pay & reviewsSelf-reported pay and reviews on Glassdoor

Similar pay in Healthcare Support

Key skills

Active Listening
Speaking
Reading Comprehension
Critical Thinking
Monitoring
Writing

Pay and jobs by state

BLS OEWS May 2025, 50 states and DC. Sorted by jobs; per 1,000 is jobs per thousand workers in the state; vs national compares that rate with the country's. A tilde marks a figure estimated from the parent occupation group where BLS publishes none.

State	Jobs	Per 1,000	vs national	Median pay
Texas	5,610	0.4	1.2×	$82k
Florida	3,910	0.4	1.2×	$72k
Ohio	3,890	0.7	2.1×	$63k
California	3,840	0.2	0.6×	$82k
Pennsylvania	2,560	0.4	1.3×	$72k
Illinois	2,470	0.4	1.2×	$64k
New York	2,230	0.2	0.7×	$69k
North Carolina	1,590	0.3	1.0×	$69k
Indiana	1,490	0.5	1.4×	$67k
Missouri	1,470	0.5	1.5×	$66k

All 50 states and DC

State	Jobs	Per 1,000	vs national	Median pay
Massachusetts	1,410	0.4	1.2×	$75k
Tennessee	1,300	0.4	1.2×	$62k
Michigan	1,250	0.3	0.9×	$63k
Virginia	1,130	0.3	0.8×	$75k
Arizona	1,120	0.3	1.1×	$73k
New Jersey	1,080	0.3	0.8×	$75k
Georgia	1,060	0.2	0.7×	$76k
Wisconsin	1,050	0.4	1.1×	$60k
Oklahoma	1,000	0.6	1.8×	$67k
South Carolina	830	0.4	1.1×	$74k
Connecticut	820	0.5	1.5×	$73k
Louisiana	760	0.4	1.2×	$66k
Alabama	750	0.4	1.1×	$62k
Arkansas	730	0.6	1.7×	$79k
Washington	720	0.2	0.6×	$78k
Colorado	710	0.2	0.8×	$75k
Maryland	710	0.3	0.8×	$82k
Kansas	660	0.5	1.4×	$65k
Minnesota	540	0.2	0.6×	$65k
Kentucky	500	0.2	0.8×	$65k
Mississippi	420	0.4	1.1×	$62k
Iowa	400	0.3	0.8×	$64k
West Virginia	340	0.5	1.5×	$60k
New Mexico	300	0.3	1.0×	$77k
Rhode Island	300	0.6	1.8×	$67k
Utah	280	0.2	0.5×	$66k
Maine	250	0.4	1.2×	$64k
Oregon	250	0.1	0.4×	$77k
Delaware	220	0.5	1.4×	$79k
Nevada	220	0.1	0.4×	$80k
Idaho	210	0.2	0.7×	$65k
Nebraska	210	0.2	0.6×	$63k
New Hampshire	150	0.2	0.7×	$68k
North Dakota	130	0.3	0.9×	$61k
South Dakota	100	0.2	0.7×	$56k
Vermont	93 (estimated)	0.3 (estimated)	0.9× (estimated)	$86k (estimated)
Wyoming	80	0.3	0.9×	$63k
Alaska	60	0.2	0.6×	$54k
Washington DC	60	0.1	0.3×	$66k
Hawaii	60	0.1	0.3×	$73k
Montana	60	0.1	0.4×	$73k

Top metro areas

New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ2,200 jobs · $75k median
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA1,720 jobs · $78k median
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN1,710 jobs · $68k median
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX1,220 jobs · $81k median
Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX1,190 jobs · $82k median
Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL1,090 jobs · $71k median
Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD940 jobs · $76k median
Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX900 jobs · $81k median

Where this ranks

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Pay and outlook from BLS (OEWS 2025, Employment Projections 2025-2035). Skills and work activities from O*NET 30.3. AI exposure and future-proof scores are modeled estimates. How these numbers are made.