Occupational Therapist Salary, Adjusted for Cost of Living
Occupational therapists earn the most in California ($124,510/yr) — but once you adjust for what a dollar actually buys there, California drops to #3, and Arkansas pays the most real money ($122,341 in U.S.-average buying power).
| # | State | Nominal / yr | Cost of living | Real pay / yr | COL shift |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arkansas | $106,360 | 87 | $122,341 | ▲ 7 | |
| Oklahoma | $104,300 | 88 | $118,735 | ▲ 8 | |
| California | $124,510 | 111 | $112,455 | ▼ 2 | |
| Louisiana | $98,490 | 88 | $111,658 | ▲ 23 | |
| Nevada | $110,520 | 100 | $110,543 | ▼ 2 | |
| Kansas | $99,170 | 90 | $110,106 | ▲ 19 | |
| Texas | $106,140 | 97 | $109,358 | ▲ 2 | |
| Mississippi | $94,930 | 87 | $109,174 | ▲ 29 | |
| Oregon | $112,310 | 103 | $108,658 | ▼ 7 | |
| Kentucky | $97,650 | 90 | $108,309 | ▲ 21 | |
| Georgia | $104,010 | 96 | $108,014 | — | |
| South Carolina | $101,130 | 94 | $107,873 | ▲ 6 | |
| New Mexico | $99,170 | 92 | $107,546 | ▲ 13 | |
| West Virginia | $96,190 | 90 | $107,478 | ▲ 22 | |
| Ohio | $99,390 | 93 | $107,131 | ▲ 8 | |
| Missouri | $97,290 | 91 | $107,128 | ▲ 16 | |
| Tennessee | $97,700 | 92 | $106,346 | ▲ 13 | |
| Alabama | $94,050 | 89 | $105,885 | ▲ 20 | |
| Nebraska | $93,740 | 90 | $104,036 | ▲ 20 | |
| Indiana | $97,020 | 93 | $103,955 | ▲ 14 | |
| Colorado | $106,720 | 103 | $103,559 | ▼ 14 | |
| Arizona | $103,660 | 101 | $102,963 | ▼ 9 | |
| Iowa | $89,910 | 88 | $102,448 | ▲ 21 | |
| Idaho | $97,760 | 96 | $102,373 | ▲ 5 | |
| Delaware | $102,130 | 100 | $102,326 | ▼ 8 | |
| Maryland | $106,980 | 105 | $101,926 | ▼ 20 | |
| Alaska | $103,680 | 102 | $101,291 | ▼ 15 | |
| Pennsylvania | $98,440 | 98 | $100,890 | — | |
| Washington | $107,670 | 107 | $100,614 | ▼ 24 | |
| Illinois | $99,700 | 100 | $99,742 | ▼ 8 | |
| Virginia | $100,710 | 101 | $99,610 | ▼ 11 | |
| District of Columbia | $109,170 | 110 | $99,335 | ▼ 28 | |
| Connecticut | $102,440 | 104 | $98,871 | ▼ 17 | |
| North Carolina | $92,940 | 94 | $98,531 | ▲ 8 | |
| Utah | $97,150 | 99 | $98,266 | ▼ 2 | |
| Wisconsin | $92,390 | 94 | $98,188 | ▲ 7 | |
| Rhode Island | $100,040 | 102 | $97,810 | ▼ 16 | |
| Florida | $99,360 | 103 | $96,080 | ▼ 14 | |
| South Dakota | $85,050 | 89 | $96,008 | ▲ 9 | |
| Massachusetts | $100,930 | 106 | $95,436 | ▼ 21 | |
| Vermont | $93,340 | 98 | $95,286 | ▼ 1 | |
| New Jersey | $103,410 | 109 | $95,042 | ▼ 28 | |
| Minnesota | $93,050 | 99 | $94,351 | ▼ 2 | |
| Montana | $88,990 | 95 | $94,025 | ▲ 2 | |
| Hawaii | $102,870 | 110 | $93,560 | ▼ 30 | |
| North Dakota | $83,200 | 89 | $93,526 | ▲ 5 | |
| Michigan | $89,910 | 96 | $93,445 | ▼ 2 | |
| Wyoming | $86,170 | 93 | $92,965 | ▼ 1 | |
| New York | $96,390 | 108 | $89,315 | ▼ 14 | |
| Maine | $84,310 | 97 | $86,873 | ▼ 1 | |
| New Hampshire | $83,900 | 104 | $80,545 | ▼ 1 |
How to read this
Nominal pay is the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) median wage for occupational therapists in each state. Real pay divides that by the state's cost of living (BEA Regional Price Parity, U.S. average = 100), so it reflects what the salary is actually worth locally. A state with high nominal pay but high costs can rank lower on real pay than a cheaper state — that's the COL shift column.
Methodology: nominal medians from U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) (May 2025 release); cost of living from the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis Regional Price Parities (all items, 2024). Real pay = nominal ÷ (RPP ÷ 100). Cite as “WageAtlas Real Pay Index.”
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