Where occupational therapists actually earn the most
California pays occupational therapists the most on paper, at $124,510. After state income tax and cost of living, Arkansas goes furthest at $117,815, and California drops to #7 of 51.
After-tax pay adjusted for cost of living. Stacks state tax and local prices.
Shading is scaled within occupational therapists only. US median for occupational therapists: $100,330.
Arkansas
#1 of 51 · Real value- BLS reported median
- $106,360
- State income tax
- −$3,935
- After-tax
- $102,425
- Cost of living (US = 100)
- 86.9
- Real value
- $117,815
Pay varies inside Arkansas too.
These are state medians
Your local number depends on your experience and practice setting.
See what you should be getting paidAll 51 states, ranked
Median occupational therapist pay by state, ranked by what it is worth after state income tax and cost of living.
| # | State | Nominal | Take-home | Real value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Arkansas | $106,360 | $102,425 | $117,815 |
| 2 | Oklahoma | $104,300 | $100,152 | $114,013 |
| 3 | Nevada | $110,520 | $110,520 | $110,543 |
| 4 | Texas | $106,140 | $106,140 | $109,358 |
| 5 | Louisiana | $98,490 | $95,922 | $108,746 |
| 6 | Tennessee | $97,700 | $97,700 | $106,346 |
| 7 | California | $124,510 | $117,160 | $105,817 |
| 8 | Mississippi | $94,930 | $91,865 | $105,649 |
| 9 | Ohio | $99,390 | $97,439 | $105,029 |
| 10 | Kansas | $99,170 | $94,436 | $104,850 |
| 11 | Kentucky | $97,650 | $94,350 | $104,648 |
| 12 | New Mexico | $99,170 | $95,642 | $103,719 |
| 13 | West Virginia | $96,190 | $92,489 | $103,343 |
| 14 | Missouri | $97,290 | $93,655 | $103,125 |
| 15 | Georgia | $104,010 | $99,235 | $103,055 |
| 16 | South Carolina | $101,130 | $96,219 | $102,635 |
| 17 | Alaska | $103,680 | $103,680 | $101,291 |
| 18 | Indiana | $97,020 | $94,187 | $100,920 |
| 19 | Alabama | $94,050 | $89,613 | $100,889 |
| 20 | Washington | $107,670 | $107,670 | $100,614 |
| 21 | Arizona | $103,660 | $101,277 | $100,596 |
| 22 | Nebraska | $93,740 | $90,354 | $100,279 |
| 23 | Oregon | $112,310 | $103,313 | $99,953 |
| 24 | Colorado | $106,720 | $102,733 | $99,690 |
| 25 | Iowa | $89,910 | $87,145 | $99,297 |
| 26 | Idaho | $97,760 | $93,687 | $98,108 |
| 27 | Pennsylvania | $98,440 | $95,418 | $97,792 |
| 28 | Maryland | $106,980 | $102,261 | $97,429 |
| 29 | Delaware | $102,130 | $96,730 | $96,917 |
| 30 | Florida | $99,360 | $99,360 | $96,080 |
| 31 | South Dakota | $85,050 | $85,050 | $96,008 |
| 32 | North Carolina | $92,940 | $89,740 | $95,139 |
| 33 | Illinois | $99,700 | $94,910 | $94,950 |
| 34 | Rhode Island | $100,040 | $96,890 | $94,730 |
| 35 | Virginia | $100,710 | $95,733 | $94,688 |
| 36 | Wisconsin | $92,390 | $88,874 | $94,451 |
| 37 | Connecticut | $102,440 | $97,544 | $94,145 |
| 38 | Utah | $97,150 | $92,778 | $93,844 |
| 39 | District of Columbia | $109,170 | $102,859 | $93,592 |
| 40 | North Dakota | $83,200 | $82,837 | $93,118 |
| 41 | Wyoming | $86,170 | $86,170 | $92,965 |
| 42 | Vermont | $93,340 | $89,640 | $91,508 |
| 43 | New Jersey | $103,410 | $99,011 | $90,999 |
| 44 | Massachusetts | $100,930 | $96,104 | $90,872 |
| 45 | Montana | $88,990 | $85,323 | $90,151 |
| 46 | Michigan | $89,910 | $86,340 | $89,734 |
| 47 | Minnesota | $93,050 | $88,246 | $89,480 |
| 48 | Hawaii | $102,870 | $96,582 | $87,841 |
| 49 | New York | $96,390 | $91,743 | $85,010 |
| 50 | Maine | $84,310 | $79,778 | $82,202 |
| 51 | New Hampshire | $83,900 | $83,900 | $80,545 |
Ranked by real value (take-home pay adjusted for cost of living). Nominal = BLS median annual wage.
The same map for the other four professions
Each profession ranks states differently. Assistant pay sits in a narrower band, so cost of living moves it more.
How this is calculated
Nominal pay is the median annual wage from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics program (May 2025 release) for occupational therapists, SOC 29-1122, in each state. Where BLS suppresses an estimate for confidentiality, that state is left out rather than filled in, and there is no gap for this profession.
Take-homesubtracts modeled state income tax for a single filer taking the standard deduction, at that state's median wage, using Tax Foundation brackets as of January 1, 2026. It does not include federal income tax or FICA (those don't vary by state, so they don't change the ranking), and it excludes local (city or county) income taxes.
Real valuedivides take-home by each state's cost of living, using the Bureau of Economic Analysis Regional Price Parities (2024), where the US average is 100. Cost of living already captures sales tax and, through rents, some property tax; income tax is separate, which is why it is applied on its own.
Limits: single filer only; local income taxes (Maryland, New York, Ohio) are averaged out at the state grain; and cost of living is statewide, so a specific metro can run higher or lower. Typical pay, not personalized tax advice.
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