Best States for Occupational Therapists in 2026: California Leads on Pay and Employment

Across the U.S., occupational therapists see a national median annual salary of $100,330 and national employment of 162,450 roles, with projected national employment growth of 13.8%. Within that national picture, LaborCove’s rankings show that the top states differ meaningfully in both pay and employment size. Among the ten highest‑ranked states, California stands out by combining the highest LaborCove Geography Score with the largest supplied employment count. Several states, including California, Washington, Colorado, Texas, New Jersey, and Massachusetts, have median salaries above the national median, while New York, Florida, Illinois, and Ohio are below it. The rankings show that a higher salary does not always correspond to a higher rank, underscoring that LaborCove’s Geography Score captures more than pay alone. Because only national growth is supplied, this article treats the 13.8% figure strictly as national context. The state comparisons that follow are based on the supplied salary, employment, ranking, and Geography Score data, without inferring state‑specific growth or hiring behavior.

The national median annual salary for occupational therapists is $100,330. Among the ten highest‑ranked states in LaborCove’s results, six have median salaries above this national benchmark: California at $124,510, Washington at $107,670, Colorado at $106,720, Texas at $106,140, New Jersey at $103,410, and Massachusetts at $100,930. Four other top‑ranked states have median salaries below the national median. These are Illinois at $99,700, Florida at $99,360, Ohio at $99,390, and New York at $96,390. The gap between New York and California shows that even among highly ranked states, typical pay can vary substantially. This comparison illustrates that appearing in the top ten LaborCove rankings does not guarantee that a state’s median salary will exceed the national median. Instead, top‑ranked states show a mix of salary levels both above and below the national figure.

California ranks #1 in LaborCove’s state results for occupational therapists, with a Geography Score of 87.48. This is higher than the Geography Score for every other state in the top ten. California also has a median salary of $124,510, which is above the national median of $100,330. California’s employment count of 13,810 occupational therapists is the largest supplied employment figure across the listed geographies. It exceeds Texas, which has 13,400 employed occupational therapists, and New York, which has 11,690. This means California is both the top‑ranked state by Geography Score and the largest employment market among the ten states shown. While the data do not specify why California ranks highest, the combination of the highest Geography Score, the largest employment count, and a median salary above the national benchmark distinguishes it within the top‑ranked group.

Texas, New York, and Florida all have relatively large supplied employment counts for occupational therapists among the top‑ranked states. Texas has 13,400 employed occupational therapists, New York has 11,690, and Florida has 10,650. All three trail California’s employment count of 13,810 but have higher employment counts than several smaller states in the top ten such as Washington and Colorado. Their median salaries, however, differ. Texas has a median salary of $106,140, which is above the national median of $100,330. Florida’s median salary of $99,360 and New York’s median salary of $96,390 are both below the national median. These figures show that larger employment counts do not automatically align with higher pay. Texas combines a relatively large employment count with pay above the national median, while New York and Florida pair relatively large employment counts with salaries below the national benchmark.

New Jersey, Massachusetts, and Illinois occupy the middle of the top‑ten ranking but display distinct combinations of salary and employment. New Jersey ranks #5 with a Geography Score of 50.55, a median salary of $103,410, and employment of 6,290. Massachusetts ranks #6 with a Geography Score of 50.23, a median salary of $100,930, and employment of 6,510. Illinois ranks #8 with a Geography Score of 47.13, a median salary of $99,700, and employment of 7,710. New Jersey and Massachusetts both have median salaries above the national median of $100,330, while Illinois is slightly below it. In employment size, Illinois has a larger employment count than both New Jersey and Massachusetts. The Geography Scores indicate that New Jersey and Massachusetts rank ahead of Illinois despite Illinois having a larger employment count. This shows that the Geography Score does not simply mirror employment size or salary alone.

Washington, Ohio, and Colorado have smaller supplied employment counts than the largest states in the top ten but still achieve relatively strong LaborCove rankings. Washington ranks #7 with an employment count of 3,340 and a Geography Score of 47.26. Colorado ranks #10 with employment of 3,390 and a Geography Score of 46.47. Ohio ranks #9 with 6,760 employed occupational therapists and a Geography Score of 46.65. On pay, Washington’s median salary is $107,670 and Colorado’s is $106,720, both above the national median of $100,330. Ohio’s median salary is $99,390, which is below the national figure. Washington’s Geography Score is higher than Colorado’s, even though Colorado has a slightly larger employment count. Ohio, with a larger employment count than both Washington and Colorado, has a Geography Score between the two. These relationships reinforce that LaborCove’s Geography Score reflects a blend of factors rather than tracking any single metric such as employment or salary.

LaborCove builds these rankings from authoritative labor‑market sources combined with its own Geography Score. For occupational therapists, each state’s position in the table reflects its relative standing on the underlying metrics available to LaborCove, including median annual salary, employment counts, and other factors captured within the Geography Score. The national figures cited here—the $100,330 median annual salary, 162,450 employed occupational therapists, and 13.8% projected national employment growth—serve as broad context for the occupation across the United States. They are national statistics and are not state‑level or metro‑level growth projections. Readers should interpret the Geography Score and rankings as structured comparisons among states, not as guarantees about individual outcomes or ease of finding work. Personal career decisions should also account for factors outside the scope of this dataset, such as licensing requirements, living costs, and personal circumstances, which are not measured in the supplied evidence.