Occupational Therapist
Also known as: OT, OTR, Registered Occupational Therapist
Help people develop or recover daily living skills after injury, illness, or disability.
Salary Range
The highest-paid specialization or seniority level for occupational therapists.
About 1 in 77 reaches this level
Of ~169,600 OTs (BLS Employment Projections, SOC 29-1122, 2025), director roles at ~$155K exist at hospitals and health systems — maybe 2,000-2,500 hold the title (~1.3%). Entry reflects new-grad OT pay near the BLS 10th percentile (~$72K, BLS OEWS, May 2025).
Salary data based on 2025 BLS, Glassdoor, and industry reports. Actual compensation varies by location, experience, and employer.
How to Become One
This career typically requires a master's degree. Here are the top colleges for it:
Cost to Qualify
A master's (MOT, about 2-2.5 years after a bachelor's) still fully qualifies for entry-level licensure in 2026. ACOTE mandated a doctorate-only entry point starting 2027, but the AOTA Representative Assembly voted in 2018 to put that mandate in abeyance, and dual entry remains standard — our careers.ts 'Master's Degree' label is accurate. On price, the University of Missouri's entry-level OTD costs $70,045.50 in tuition and charges every student the in-state rate. WashU's private programmes cost $108,000 for the MSOT and $143,100 for the OTD. St. Augustine charges $99,005 for the MOT and $109,893 for the OTD. Choosing the doctorate does not come with higher starting pay — both degrees are entry-level for the same job.
Sticker price, not what most people pay — scholarships, aid and in-state status all move it. Room and board is shown separately on each college's page.
AI Risk Assessment
Occupational therapists help people get back to the everyday activities of life after an injury, illness or disability, from getting dressed and cooking to working and going to school. The work is hands-on and personal: assessing someone at home or in a clinic, guiding them through tasks, adapting their surroundings and equipment, and keeping them motivated. AI cannot do that. It is starting to help with paperwork. In 2025 the American Occupational Therapy Association adopted a policy supporting AI tools that "reduce administrative resources," while stating that "the use of AI tools does not replace professional judgment." A 2025 Microsoft Research study of how much of each job's tasks AI chatbots can help with ranked occupational therapists 508th of 785 jobs, in the lower half.
Demand is very strong. BLS projects occupational therapist jobs to grow 15% from 2025 to 2035, much faster than the average for all jobs, with about 10,000 openings a year, as the older population grows and more people need help staying independent. That fits the rubric's "2 Low": AI takes some of the paperwork, and rising demand absorbs the time it saves. It is a 2 rather than a 1 because notes and paperwork are a real part of the job, and AI will change how they get done.
What would change this score. If employers or insurers use AI documentation and remote monitoring to push caseloads so high that clinics hire fewer therapists, this would move to 3. With demand growing this fast, we do not expect that soon.
Sources
Ratings reflect a 10-year outlook based on 2025-2026 research, weighted toward entry-level impact. Individual outcomes will vary.
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