Occupational Therapists
Also called: Certified Hand Therapist (CHT), Occupational Therapist (OT), Pediatric Occupational Therapist (Pediatric OT), Registered Occupational Therapist (OTR)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.
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What the data says: AI could halve the time on 11 of its 17 tasks, yet jobs are projected to grow 14.8% by 2035. How to think about this →
About this projection
BLS builds AI into its projections where the research supports it: “BLS generally applies adjustments based on this research conservatively, where there is convincing evidence for a change.”
It also notes a limit: “BLS projection methods are not designed to capture extremely rapid technological change.”
On its AI exposure groups, BLS says exposure “does not imply job loss.”
BLS figures cover the broader occupation “Occupational therapists”, which includes this one and others.
Recent conditions
- In 2024, 1.3% of people in this work were unemployed, against 3.8% across all occupations Census ACS 2024
- From Sep 2025 to Aug 2026, 5.0 hires for every 10 job openings in health care and social assistance, which employs about 82% of people in this work, against 7.3 across all industries BLS JOLTS
One box per opening, filled for each hire; hires beyond the openings are added in a lighter shade. Higher can mean openings get filled, or that people leave often; lower, that jobs go unfilled, or hiring is slow.5.0 this industry7.3 all industries
Median pay by state BLS OEWS May 2025, state estimates
Tap a state for its figures.
Median pay in every state
| State | Median | Middle half earn | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | $94,050 | $82,500 to $107,650 | 1,500 |
| Alaska | $103,680 | $100,470 to $124,160 | 410 |
| Arizona | $103,660 | $85,980 to $122,900 | 2,680 |
| Arkansas | $106,360 | $81,810 to $128,220 | 2,160 |
| California | $124,510 | $103,950 to $136,380 | 13,810 |
| Colorado | $106,720 | $94,210 to $128,250 | 3,390 |
| Connecticut | $102,440 | $84,890 to $111,660 | 3,150 |
| Delaware | $102,130 | $90,860 to $121,140 | 490 |
| District of Columbia | $109,170 | $96,800 to $125,130 | 540 |
| Florida | $99,360 | $81,360 to $104,830 | 10,650 |
| Georgia | $104,010 | $82,320 to $118,560 | 3,650 |
| Hawaii | $102,870 | $85,910 to $112,310 | 390 |
| Idaho | $97,760 | $85,380 to $108,730 | 840 |
| Illinois | $99,700 | $82,070 to $109,780 | 7,710 |
| Indiana | $97,020 | $81,940 to $104,680 | 3,830 |
| Iowa | $89,910 | $75,810 to $103,100 | 1,290 |
| Kansas | $99,170 | $82,000 to $107,630 | 1,560 |
| Kentucky | $97,650 | $80,120 to $105,220 | 2,190 |
| Louisiana | $98,490 | $72,350 to $107,880 | 2,060 |
| Maine | $84,310 | $77,770 to $99,010 | 1,120 |
| Maryland | $106,980 | $87,650 to $123,700 | 2,390 |
| Massachusetts | $100,930 | $83,960 to $110,180 | 6,510 |
| Michigan | $89,910 | $79,390 to $100,070 | 5,120 |
| Minnesota | $93,050 | $81,510 to $100,150 | 3,670 |
| Mississippi | $94,930 | $79,430 to $104,460 | 1,340 |
| Missouri | $97,290 | $81,230 to $106,190 | 3,400 |
| Montana | $88,990 | $79,860 to $102,130 | 420 |
| Nebraska | $93,740 | $80,350 to $102,560 | 1,500 |
| Nevada | $110,520 | $100,510 to $127,960 | 1,080 |
| New Hampshire | $83,900 | $78,790 to $102,250 | 1,240 |
| New Jersey | $103,410 | $91,770 to $128,390 | 6,290 |
| New Mexico | $99,170 | $83,770 to $120,960 | 1,030 |
| New York | $96,390 | $76,980 to $114,400 | 11,690 |
| North Carolina | $92,940 | $77,510 to $104,820 | 4,490 |
| North Dakota | $83,200 | $77,210 to $99,280 | 570 |
| Ohio | $99,390 | $81,840 to $107,880 | 6,760 |
| Oklahoma | $104,300 | $88,150 to $121,120 | 1,180 |
| Oregon | $112,310 | $99,800 to $127,540 | 1,170 |
| Pennsylvania | $98,440 | $81,880 to $112,320 | 6,560 |
| Puerto Rico | $51,850 | $46,990 to $62,360 | 170 |
| Rhode Island | $100,040 | $84,710 to $107,160 | 770 |
| South Carolina | $101,130 | $82,000 to $109,720 | 1,840 |
| South Dakota | $85,050 | $80,720 to $99,940 | 490 |
| Tennessee | $97,700 | $81,750 to $107,250 | 2,490 |
| Texas | $106,140 | $85,810 to $127,830 | 13,400 |
| Utah | $97,150 | $85,380 to $104,040 | 1,030 |
| Vermont | $93,340 | $80,450 to $102,500 | 320 |
| Virginia | $100,710 | $83,740 to $118,740 | 4,150 |
| Washington | $107,670 | $95,650 to $127,390 | 3,340 |
| West Virginia | $96,190 | $74,890 to $107,650 | 700 |
| Wisconsin | $92,390 | $78,430 to $102,240 | 3,710 |
| Wyoming | $86,170 | $77,580 to $103,350 | 350 |
Nationally: $100,330. Shades run from the lowest state median to the highest; a territory below that range takes the lightest. How to read this
How AI touches the work
What AI could speed up, task by task, and where people already use it.
AI could halve the time on 11 of its 17 tasks
| AI rating | Its main tasks | Share of Claude conversations May 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| AI alone | Test and evaluate patients' physical and mental abilities and analyze medical data to determine realistic rehabilitation goals for patients. | Not published |
| AI + software | Complete and maintain necessary records. | Not published |
| AI + software | Plan, organize, and conduct occupational therapy programs in hospital, institutional, or community settings to help rehabilitate persons with disabilities because of illness, injury or psychological or developmental problems. | Not published |
| AI + software | Select activities that will help individuals learn work and life-management skills within limits of their mental or physical capabilities. | Not published |
| AI + software | Evaluate patients' progress and prepare reports that detail progress. | under 0.01% |
| Not much | Train caregivers in providing for the needs of a patient during and after therapy. | Not published |
See all 17 tasks
| AI + software | Plan and implement programs and social activities to help patients learn work or school skills and adjust to handicaps. | Not published |
| Not much | Lay out materials such as puzzles, scissors and eating utensils for use in therapy, and clean and repair these tools after therapy sessions. | Not published |
| AI + software | Consult with rehabilitation team to select activity programs or coordinate occupational therapy with other therapeutic activities. | Not published |
| AI + software | Design and create, or requisition, special supplies and equipment, such as splints, braces, and computer-aided adaptive equipment. | Not published |
| Not much | Recommend changes in patients' work or living environments, consistent with their needs and capabilities. | under 0.01% |
| Not much | Develop and participate in health promotion programs, group activities, or discussions to promote client health, facilitate social adjustment, alleviate stress, and prevent physical or mental disability. | Not published |
| Not much | Provide training and supervision in therapy techniques and objectives for students or nurses and other medical staff. | Not published |
| AI + software | Help clients improve decision making, abstract reasoning, memory, sequencing, coordination, and perceptual skills, using computer programs. | Not published |
| AI + software | Conduct research in occupational therapy. | Not published |
| AI alone | Advise on health risks in the workplace or on health-related transition to retirement. | Not published |
| Not much | Provide patients with assistance in locating or holding jobs. | under 0.01% |
Ordered by how important O*NET's respondents rate each task (1 to 5) times the share who say it is part of their job. The ordering is ours. 3 of the 17 have a published share of Claude conversations; “not published” means too few conversations for Anthropic to publish a figure.
Where people already use AI
The tasks above say what AI could speed up. This shows what people are using it for. Its 17 tasks fall under 20 work activities that many occupations share, and Microsoft counted how often each one came up in 200,000 conversations with its Copilot assistant in 2024.
- #26 Research healthcare issues
- #46 Provide support or encouragement to others
| Work activity | This occupation's tasks under it | People asked AI for help in 10,000 conversations |
AI did it for them in 10,000 conversations |
|---|---|---|---|
| Develop patient or client care or treatment plans | |||
| Train others on health or medical topics | |||
| Develop public or community health programs | |||
| Research healthcare issues | |||
| Provide support or encouragement to others | |||
| Advise others on healthcare or wellness issues | |||
| Design materials or devices | |||
| Analyze health or medical data |
Show all 20 activities
| Advise patients or clients on medical issues | |||
| Monitor health conditions of humans or animals | |||
| Evaluate patient or client condition or treatment options | |||
| Direct organizational operations, activities, or procedures | |||
| Prepare health or medical documents | |||
| Assist individuals with special needs | |||
| Supervise personnel activities | |||
| Confer with healthcare or other professionals about patient care | |||
| Maintain health or medical records | |||
| Prepare medical equipment or work areas for use | |||
| Clean medical equipment or facilities | |||
| Fabricate medical devices |
How people in this work use Claude
What people in this work made with Claude % of conversations
- Advice or a recommendation33%
- A document or report28%
- An explanation or answer8%
- An analysis or summary4%
- A resume or job application4%
How they worked with Claude
29% of these conversations were about work. Anthropic Economic Index, May 2026.
How to read this
Work activities come from O*NET, which links every task to the broader activities it involves. Microsoft's figures are for the activity across everyone who used Copilot, not for occupational therapists specifically. Copilot is a general chat assistant; dedicated coding tools are not included, so programming help is under-counted here. Activities are listed by how many of this occupation's tasks fall under them.
The task ratings say whether AI could halve the time a task takes: on its own (“AI alone”), or with software built on it (“AI + software”). They were made by people in 2023 (Eloundou et al.). Claude's share is the task's share of all Claude.ai conversations in May 2026; Anthropic doesn't publish a task with too few conversations. None of these add up to the BLS exposure group, which combines five research measures.
More in the Guide: task ratings · task order · work activities · Copilot figures · Claude
High exposure doesn't mean fewer jobs
BLS projects most occupations in its two most exposed groups to grow: 141 of 206 rated Very high and 165 of 206 rated High. Each dot is one of the 831 occupations BLS rates.
Career moves into and out of this occupation
From moves between occupations found in online resumes, 2002–2016. Career changes only: a first job after school isn't a move.
Where people moved next
of 9,584 moves out
- 1 Medical and Health Services Managers High +24.2% 13%
- 2 Postsecondary Teachers, All Other Very high +2.0% 6%
- 3 Managers, All Other (2010 group) an older group BLS has since split; no exposure group today 6%
- 4 Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers Moderate +3.8% 4%
- 5 Registered Nurses High +5.6% 4%
Where people moved in from
of 10,261 moves in
- 1 Medical and Health Services Managers High +24.2% 9%
- 2 Office Clerks, General Very high -6.0% 5%
- 3 Managers, All Other (2010 group) an older group BLS has since split; no exposure group today 4%
- 4 Occupational Therapy Assistants Moderate +21.5% 4%
- 5 Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers Moderate +3.8% 4%
Resumes over-represent younger, white-collar job-seekers and moves into management. Schubert, Stansbury and Taska (resume data).
Education and training for the occupation
O*NET survey of workers in this occupation
- 14% bachelor's
- 86% master's
O*NET 31.0 survey of workers in this occupation · 22 people answered.
Census survey (American Community Survey)
- 1% less than high school
- 1% high school
- 1% some college
- 3% associate's
- 28% bachelor's
- 55% master's
- 3% professional degree
- 8% doctorate
Census ACS 2024, all workers in this occupation · 1,732 people surveyed.
Why the two can differ
O*NET asks about 20 people in each occupation, which makes its shares uncertain, but it reports the exact occupation and counts certificates. The Census survey reaches thousands, but it groups some occupations together and counts degrees only. More in the Guide
Median pay by highest degree full-time, year-round · Census ACS 2024, all workers in this occupation
1 program: Occupational Therapy/Therapist.
Jobs that require a credential BLS Occupational Requirements Survey 2023
>99.5% this occupation
45.3% all occupations
| By kind | This occupation | All occupations |
|---|---|---|
| a license | 96.8% | 19.1% |
| a certification | 14.2% | 5.8% |
| an educational certificate | <0.5% | 2.8% |
Share of jobs whose employer requires it. BLS doesn't say which credential. How to read this
Look up certifications, training and licenses U.S. Department of Labor
- Certification Finder ↗ certifications CareerOneStop lists for this occupation
- Training Finder ↗ schools and programs, nationwide; narrow the place there
- License Finder ↗ licenses by state
- Apprenticeships: DOL's list of apprenticeable occupations doesn't include this one.
These open in a new tab and send only the occupation's public code. More in the Guide
BLS AI exposure categories (Aug 2026) · BLS Employment Projections 2025–35 · O*NET 31.0 · Task ratings: Eloundou et al., Science (2024) · Microsoft "Working with AI" v1.1 · Anthropic Economic Index (2026-06-26) · Schubert, Stansbury and Taska · NCES CIP–SOC · Census ACS 2024 · BLS JOLTS
See it online, and explore any career: https://www.pathmosaic.com/card/29-1122.00