Where occupational therapy assistants actually earn the most
Maryland pays occupational therapy assistants the most on paper, at $82,010. After state income tax and cost of living, Arkansas goes furthest at $87,505, and Maryland drops to #8 of 50.
After-tax pay adjusted for cost of living. Stacks state tax and local prices.
Shading is scaled within occupational therapy assistants only. US median for occupational therapy assistants: $72,300.
Arkansas
#1 of 50 · Real value- BLS reported median
- $78,940
- State income tax
- −$2,866
- After-tax
- $76,074
- Cost of living (US = 100)
- 86.9
- Real value
- $87,505
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 50 states, ranked
Median occupational therapy assistant pay by state, ranked by what it is worth after state income tax and cost of living. Vermont is absent: BLS suppresses the estimate there.
| # | State | Nominal | Take-home | Real value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Arkansas | $78,940 | $76,074 | $87,505 |
| 2 | Texas | $81,500 | $81,500 | $83,971 |
| 3 | New Mexico | $77,020 | $74,566 | $80,863 |
| 4 | Nevada | $79,510 | $79,510 | $79,527 |
| 5 | Georgia | $75,920 | $72,603 | $75,398 |
| 6 | South Carolina | $73,740 | $70,473 | $75,172 |
| 7 | Delaware | $78,640 | $74,791 | $74,935 |
| 8 | Maryland | $82,010 | $78,478 | $74,770 |
| 9 | Montana | $72,800 | $70,048 | $74,011 |
| 10 | Louisiana | $66,090 | $64,494 | $73,116 |
| 11 | Oklahoma | $66,520 | $64,072 | $72,939 |
| 12 | Washington | $77,590 | $77,590 | $72,505 |
| 13 | Arizona | $73,490 | $71,862 | $71,378 |
| 14 | North Carolina | $69,390 | $67,130 | $71,168 |
| 15 | Pennsylvania | $71,590 | $69,392 | $71,119 |
| 16 | Iowa | $64,140 | $62,354 | $71,050 |
| 17 | California | $81,770 | $78,395 | $70,805 |
| 18 | Virginia | $74,960 | $71,464 | $70,684 |
| 19 | Colorado | $75,340 | $72,733 | $70,579 |
| 20 | Missouri | $66,070 | $63,902 | $70,364 |
| 21 | Kentucky | $65,230 | $63,065 | $69,948 |
| 22 | Indiana | $66,660 | $64,723 | $69,349 |
| 23 | Florida | $71,630 | $71,630 | $69,265 |
| 24 | Kansas | $65,010 | $62,182 | $69,039 |
| 25 | Mississippi | $61,650 | $59,916 | $68,906 |
| 26 | Oregon | $76,850 | $70,955 | $68,648 |
| 27 | North Dakota | $60,970 | $60,970 | $68,537 |
| 28 | Tennessee | $62,420 | $62,420 | $67,944 |
| 29 | Nebraska | $63,180 | $61,185 | $67,905 |
| 30 | Wyoming | $62,750 | $62,750 | $67,698 |
| 31 | Massachusetts | $75,040 | $71,508 | $67,615 |
| 32 | Connecticut | $72,780 | $69,527 | $67,105 |
| 33 | Alabama | $62,250 | $59,403 | $66,877 |
| 34 | Ohio | $62,700 | $61,758 | $66,568 |
| 35 | New Jersey | $74,960 | $72,365 | $66,508 |
| 36 | Idaho | $65,330 | $62,976 | $65,947 |
| 37 | West Virginia | $60,370 | $58,389 | $65,241 |
| 38 | New Hampshire | $67,790 | $67,790 | $65,079 |
| 39 | Utah | $66,080 | $63,106 | $63,832 |
| 40 | South Dakota | $56,180 | $56,180 | $63,419 |
| 41 | Rhode Island | $66,710 | $64,825 | $63,380 |
| 42 | Michigan | $63,260 | $60,822 | $63,214 |
| 43 | Maine | $64,270 | $61,113 | $62,971 |
| 44 | Minnesota | $64,920 | $62,029 | $62,896 |
| 45 | Hawaii | $72,710 | $68,714 | $62,495 |
| 46 | Wisconsin | $59,960 | $58,103 | $61,749 |
| 47 | Illinois | $64,120 | $61,091 | $61,117 |
| 48 | New York | $68,530 | $65,426 | $60,624 |
| 49 | District of Columbia | $66,390 | $63,521 | $57,799 |
| 50 | Alaska | $53,530 | $53,530 | $52,296 |
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 therapy assistants, SOC 31-2011, in each state. Where BLS suppresses an estimate for confidentiality, that state is left out rather than filled in: the gap here is Vermont.
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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