Entry Level Occupational Therapist

Entry Level Occupational Therapist Salary

$48.5K

$93K

$140K

$94,375

/year

$45.37

/hour

Entry Level Occupational Therapist Salary Comparison by Location

Nationwide

United States

$94,375

Columbus

Ohio

$91,156

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    How much does an Entry Level Occupational Therapist make?

    As of May 27, 2026, the average annual pay for an Entry Level Occupational Therapist in the United States is $94,375 a year.

    Just in case you need a simple salary calculator, that works out to be approximately $45.37 an hour. This is the equivalent of $1,814/week or $7,864/month.

    While ZipRecruiter is seeing annual salaries as high as $140,000 and as low as $48,500, the majority of Entry Level Occupational Therapist salaries currently range between $80,500 (25th percentile) to $106,000 (75th percentile) with top earners (90th percentile) making $123,500 annually across the United States. The average pay range for an Entry Level Occupational Therapist varies greatly (by as much as 25500), which suggests there may be many opportunities for advancement and increased pay based on skill level, location and years of experience.

    An Entry Level Occupational Therapist in your area makes on average $91,156 per year, or $3,219 (3.411%) less than the national average annual salary of $94,375. Ohio ranks number 30 out of 50 states nationwide for Entry Level Occupational Therapist salaries.

    To estimate the most accurate annual salary range for Entry Level Occupational Therapist jobs, ZipRecruiter continuously scans its database of millions of active jobs published locally throughout America.

    Find your next high paying job as an Entry Level Occupational Therapist on ZipRecruiter today.

    What are Top 10 Highest Paying Cities for Entry Level Occupational Therapist Jobs

    We've identified 10 cities where the typical salary for an Entry Level Occupational Therapist job is above the national average. Topping the list is Soledad, CA, , with Santa Rosa, CA, and Cupertino, CA, close behind in the second and third positions. Cupertino, CA, beats the national average by $22,059 (23.4%), and Soledad, CA, furthers that trend with another $46,800 (49.6%) above the $94,375 average.

    With these 10 cities having average salaries higher than the national average, the opportunities for economic advancement by changing locations as an Entry Level Occupational Therapist appears to be exceedingly fruitful.

    However, another factor to consider is the average salary for these top 10 cities varies modestly at 20% between Soledad, CA, and Vallejo, CA, , suggesting it may be difficult to see much positive wage advancement. The possibility of a lower cost of living may help determine the balance between location and salary for an Entry Level Occupational Therapist role.

    City

    Annual Salary

    Hourly Wage

    Soledad, CA

    $141,175

    $67.87

    Santa Rosa, CA

    $117,593

    $56.54

    Cupertino, CA

    $116,434

    $55.98

    Santa Barbara, CA

    $116,133

    $55.83

    Nantucket, MA

    $116,126

    $55.83

    Mercer Island, WA

    $115,583

    $55.57

    Berkeley, CA

    $115,556

    $55.56

    Redwood City, CA

    $115,548

    $55.55

    Berlin Corners, VT

    $115,345

    $55.45

    Vallejo, CA

    $115,028

    $55.30

    What are Top 5 Best Paying Related Entry Level Occupational Therapist Jobs in the U.S.

    We found a few related jobs that pay more than jobs in the Entry Level Occupational Therapist category.

    For example Travel Occupational Therapist jobs pay as much as $4,498 (4.8%) more than the average Entry Level Occupational Therapist salary of $94,375. If you're qualified, finding work as an Travel Occupational Therapist may help you make more money than that of the average Entry Level Occupational Therapist position.

    Job Title

    Annual Salary

    Hourly Wage

    Travel Occupational Therapist

    $98,873

    $47.54

    Acute Care Hospital Outpatient Occupational Therapist

    $94,870

    $45.61

    Functional Family Therapist

    $85,006

    $40.87

    Movie Set Nurse

    $80,321

    $38.62

    Ot Manager

    $61,351

    $29.50

    About Our Data

    ZipRecruiter salary estimates, histograms, trends and comparisons are derived from both employer job postings and third party data sources.

    Infographic detailing Entry Level Occupational Therapist salary across the United States as of May 2026. Displays a bar chart with salary percentiles, a national average salary of $94,375 per year or $45.37 an hour, and a color-coded map showing state-by-state salary variations.