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Occupational Therapists in California

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Occupational Therapists in California

Get the information you need to know about working as an Occupational Therapist.

24.8% Jobs Projection
$97,260 Median Salary
890 Job Openings

You’re in luck! Jobs for Occupational Therapists in California are projected to grow and these jobs tend to pay higher than average.

  • Projected employment for Occupational Therapists in California is growing faster than average.

  • Occupational Therapists in California earn higher salaries than the typical U.S. wage earner.

How Many Occupational Therapists Work in California?

In 2018, there were 9,580 Occupational Therapists working in the state.

There were 10,620 Occupational Therapists employed in this state in 2017.

That’s a decline of 1,040 jobs between 2017 and 2018.

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The typical state has 1,390 Occupational Therapists working in it, which means California has more Occupational Therapists than average.

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Job Projections for California

Jobs for Occupational Therapists in this state are growing at a rate of 24.8% which is faster than the nationwide estimated projection of 23.8%.

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California Annual Job Openings

The BLS is projecting 890 annual Occupational Therapists job openings in California, and 14,100 total jobs in the year 2026.

Nationwide, the prediction is 10,200 annual jobs and 161,400 total jobs in 2026.

What do Occupational Therapists Make in California?

In 2018 wages for Occupational Therapists ranged from $65,330 to $126,660 with $97,260 being the median annual salary.

Broken down to an hourly rate, workers in this field made anywhere from $31.41 to $60.89. The median hourly rate was $46.76.

Workers in this field were paid a median of $44.9 an hour in 2017.

The hourly rate grew by $1.86.

The median salary in California is higher than the nationwide median salary.

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Top California Metros for Occupational Therapists

The table below shows some of the metros in this state with the most Occupational Therapists.

Metro Number Employed Annual Median Salary
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA 3,650 $96,640
San Diego-Carlsbad, CA 1,180 $92,660
San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA 1,070 $105,770
Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA 760 $100,940
San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA 520 $98,230
Sacramento–Roseville–Arden-Arcade, CA 380 $102,060
Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura, CA 250 $95,290
Fresno, CA 230 $94,190
Modesto, CA 130 $85,030
Stockton-Lodi, CA 110 $90,850
Santa Rosa, CA 110 $93,520
Bakersfield, CA 100 $92,710
Vallejo-Fairfield, CA 90 $110,580
Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA 80 $101,100
Chico, CA 80 $103,150
Visalia-Porterville, CA 70 $110,960
Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA 70 $112,520
San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles-Arroyo Grande, CA 60 $91,160
Napa, CA 50 $96,140

Top States for Occupational Therapists Employment

The table below shows the states where most Occupational Therapists work.

State Number Employed Annual Median Salary
New York 9,740 $83,530
California 9,580 $97,260
Texas 9,250 $87,780
Pennsylvania 7,440 $78,340
Florida 6,750 $84,870
New Jersey 5,380 $95,090
Illinois 5,230 $84,820
Massachusetts 4,830 $87,940
Ohio 4,770 $84,320
Michigan 4,580 $74,750
North Carolina 3,470 $84,700
Wisconsin 3,420 $74,180
Maryland 3,370 $90,790
Colorado 3,130 $86,740
Virginia 3,070 $92,110
Indiana 3,040 $81,610
Minnesota 2,960 $73,760
Georgia 2,920 $82,880
Washington 2,780 $80,300
Tennessee 2,360 $84,600

Below are the states where Occupational Therapists get paid the most:

State Annual Median Salary
California $97,260
New Jersey $95,090
Nevada $94,300
Virginia $92,110
District of Columbia $91,950
Arizona $91,050
Maryland $90,790
Oregon $90,570
Connecticut $89,810
Massachusetts $87,940

You may also be interested in the following careers:

Occupation CA Employment Total

References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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