Occupational therapy assistant pay and outlook
The BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook page for this role covers occupational therapy assistants and occupational therapy aides together. Combined figures are labeled as combined. Assistant-only figures are quoted separately where BLS separates them.
Quoted from official pages checked November 10, 2026. Confirm current requirements, fees, and dates on those sites. This page is not legal advice and does not guarantee eligibility, certification, or licensure.
On its Occupational Therapy Assistants and Aides handbook page, checked November 10, 2026, BLS lists these Quick Facts for the combined occupation group:
- 2025 Median Pay: $70,800 per year ($34.04 per hour)
- Number of Jobs, 2025: 56,600
- Job Outlook, 2025–35: 20% (Much faster than average)
- Employment Change, 2025–35: 11,400
That page states: “Occupational therapy assistants and aides help occupational therapists provide treatments and procedures to clients, or they do routine tasks such as preparing treatment rooms.”
It distinguishes the two jobs: “Occupational therapy assistants typically need an associate’s degree from an accredited occupational therapy assistant program. Occupational therapy assistants usually need a state-issued license. Occupational therapy aides typically need a high school diploma or equivalent and receive training on the job.”
BLS reports separate median wages: “The median annual wage for occupational therapy aides was $39,160 in May 2025.” “The median annual wage for occupational therapy assistants was $72,300 in May 2025.”
It also reports separate 2025 job counts: occupational therapy aides held about 4,400 jobs, and occupational therapy assistants held about 52,200 jobs.
The outlook sentence on that page is for the combined group: “Overall employment of occupational therapy assistants and aides is projected to grow 20 percent from 2025 to 2035, much faster than the average for all occupations. About 8,600 openings for occupational therapy assistants and aides are projected each year, on average, over the decade.”
The same page’s employment projections table lists the assistant and aide figures separately (2025 to 2035):
- Occupational therapy assistants and aides (combined): 56,600 jobs in 2025; projected 68,000 in 2035; 20 percent; 11,400 jobs
- Occupational therapy assistants (assistant only): 52,200 jobs in 2025; projected 63,400 in 2035; 21 percent; 11,200 jobs
- Occupational therapy aides (aide only): 4,400 jobs in 2025; projected 4,600 in 2035; 4 percent; 200 jobs
BLS notes on that table: “Employment subcategories do not necessarily add to higher categories due to rounding.” The Quick Facts above and the “Overall employment” sentence are the combined assistant-and-aide figures.
This site’s career pages describe the licensed or certified OTA/COTA path, not the aide job. Use the official BLS page for aide details, and confirm current figures there. On November 10, 2026, that page showed “Last modified date: August 27, 2026”.
Where assistants and aides work is quoted on OTA work settings. For the therapist-versus-assistant differences BLS and NBCOT describe, see OT vs OTA.