Friday, November 4, 2022

20 Best Metro Areas for Occupational Therapist Pay

In a September commentary we examined Occupational Therapist Pay in the Top 20 Metro Markets.  Without question, the highest population U.S. metro areas provide occupational therapists with a greater number of employment opportunities than do smaller metropolitan markets. That said, the better compensation levels are typically found in smaller markets. In fact, May 2021 data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reveals that only two of the 20 largest metro markets in the nation were among the 20 best metro areas for occupational therapist pay:

20 Best Metro Areas for Occupational Therapist Pay

Metropolitan Area # Employed Annual Mean Wages
1 San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA 550 $121,190
2 San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward (#) 1,530 $113,210
3 Santa Rosa, CA 90 $113,190
4 Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA 80 $111,680
5 Las Vegas-Henderson-Paradise, NV 670 $110,640
6 Sacramento--Roseville--Arden-Arcade 640 $108,770
7 Salinas, CA 90 $108,590
8 North Coast, CA, non-metro 40 $108,170
9 Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA 110 $107,870
10 Stockton-Lodi, CA 120 $107,020
11 Bakersfield, CA 100 $107,000
12 Napa, CA 40 $106,340
13 North Valley Region, CA, non-metro 40 $105,810
14 Reno, NV 130 $105,510
15 Yuba City, CA 30 $105,310
16 Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim (#) 4,550 $105,150
17 Modesto, CA 140 $105,070
18 Santa Fe, NM 40 $104,430
19 Trenton, NJ 190 $104,010
20 Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura, CA 250 $103,850
National 127,830 $89,470

(#) a top 20 U.S metro population area

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics OES. Data extracted on October 29, 2022