Occupational Therapists Salary
Occupational Therapists in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX make a median of $103,580 a year, or about $49.8 an hour. The range runs from $79K at the entry level to $141K for experienced workers. Adjusted for local prices (RPP 98.63), that's roughly $105,019 in purchasing power. Rent on a 2-bedroom averages $1,573/month, or 22.7% of estimated take-home pay.
So what does $104K get you in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands?
Groceries, utilities, transportation, and healthcare scaled from national averages by Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands’s Regional Price Parity (98.63). Rent from HUD Fair Market Rents. Taxes estimated for single filer, standard deduction. * Healthcare is the employee-paid share only (premiums + out-of-pocket). Actual costs vary by coverage type: employer-sponsored, ACA marketplace, or uninsured.
About occupational therapists
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What this looks like in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands
Occupational therapists pay in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands tracks closely to the national median, $104K locally vs. $100K nationwide, a 3% difference. Housing is manageable: a 2-bedroom at the HUD median costs $1,573/month, 23.2% of take-home, well inside the 30% guideline. Cost of living (RPP 98.63) is near the national average, so spending patterns here track the typical American budget fairly closely. Use the affordability calculator above to model your specific situation.
Compared to nearby metros
Median pay for occupational therapists in metros near Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, adjusted for local cost of living.
| Metro | Median pay | COL-adjusted |
|---|---|---|
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington | $106K | $103K |
| San Antonio-New Braunfels | $108K | $114K |
| Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos | $122K | $124K |
| McAllen-Edinburg-Mission | $101K | $118K |
COL-adjusted = median salary ÷ (BEA Regional Price Parity ÷ 100). Expresses purchasing power in national-average dollars.
Compensation breakdown
Annual earnings by percentile, Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX
Entry-level occupational therapists (10th percentile) start around $79K. Mid-career wages sit at $104K. Top earners bring in $141K or more, a $62K spread from bottom to top.
Occupational Therapists pay across states
Median income ranked highest to lowest, compared to the national figure
View Occupational Therapists salary in all states
| State | Median salary | vs. national | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| California | $125K | +24% | 13,810 |
| Oregon | $112K | +12% | 1,170 |
| Nevada | $111K | +10% | 1,080 |
| District of Columbia | $109K | +9% | 540 |
| Washington | $108K | +7% | 3,340 |
| Maryland | $107K | +7% | 2,390 |
| Colorado | $107K | +6% | 3,390 |
| Arkansas | $106K | +6% | 2,160 |
| Texas | $106K | +6% | 13,400 |
| Oklahoma | $104K | +4% | 1,180 |
| Georgia | $104K | +4% | 3,650 |
| Alaska | $104K | +3% | 410 |
| Arizona | $104K | +3% | 2,680 |
| New Jersey | $103K | +3% | 6,290 |
| Hawaii | $103K | +3% | 390 |
| Connecticut | $102K | +2% | 3,150 |
| Delaware | $102K | +2% | 490 |
| South Carolina | $101K | +1% | 1,840 |
| Massachusetts | $101K | +1% | 6,510 |
| Virginia | $101K | +0% | 4,150 |
| Rhode Island | $100K | -0% | 770 |
| Illinois | $100K | -1% | 7,710 |
| Ohio | $99K | -1% | 6,760 |
| Florida | $99K | -1% | 10,650 |
| New Mexico | $99K | -1% | 1,030 |
| Kansas | $99K | -1% | 1,560 |
| Louisiana | $98K | -2% | 2,060 |
| Pennsylvania | $98K | -2% | 6,560 |
| Idaho | $98K | -3% | 840 |
| Tennessee | $98K | -3% | 2,490 |
| Kentucky | $98K | -3% | 2,190 |
| Missouri | $97K | -3% | 3,400 |
| Utah | $97K | -3% | 1,030 |
| Indiana | $97K | -3% | 3,830 |
| New York | $96K | -4% | 11,690 |
| West Virginia | $96K | -4% | 700 |
| Mississippi | $95K | -5% | 1,340 |
| Alabama | $94K | -6% | 1,500 |
| Nebraska | $94K | -7% | 1,500 |
| Vermont | $93K | -7% | 320 |
| Minnesota | $93K | -7% | 3,670 |
| North Carolina | $93K | -7% | 4,490 |
| Wisconsin | $92K | -8% | 3,710 |
| Iowa | $90K | -10% | 1,290 |
| Michigan | $90K | -10% | 5,120 |
| Montana | $89K | -11% | 420 |
| Wyoming | $86K | -14% | 350 |
| South Dakota | $85K | -15% | 490 |
| Maine | $84K | -16% | 1,120 |
| New Hampshire | $84K | -16% | 1,240 |
| North Dakota | $83K | -17% | 570 |
Showing 1–10 of 51 (all 50 states + DC)
Track occupational therapists salary changes
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Frequently asked questions
Can a occupational therapist afford a 2BR apartment alone in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands?
Yes — at the median salary of $104K, rent takes 23.2% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $1,573/month. That stays under the 30% guideline most financial planners use.
What’s the entry-level salary for occupational therapists in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands?
The 10th-percentile wage — what new occupational therapists typically earn — is $79K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $4,727/month. At HUD’s $1,573/month FMR, rent would take 33% of that take-home — above the 30% guideline, so a 1-bedroom or shared housing is likely necessary starting out.
Is occupational therapist a high-paying job in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands?
Pay here is roughly in line with the national average — $104K locally vs. $100K nationally, a 3% difference.
How does Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands compare to the national average for occupational therapists?
Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands pays $104K median vs. the U.S. average of $100K — that’s +3%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 98.63), the purchasing-power equivalent is $105K — still ahead of the national median.
How much do occupational therapists make in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX?
The median is $103,580 a year, that works out to about $50 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $78,790, and experienced occupational therapists can clear $140,720. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.
Is $104K enough to live in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands?
On that salary, you'd take home roughly $6,771/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $1,573/month, which eats 23.2% of your paycheck. That's under the 30% guideline most financial planners use, so the numbers work.
How far does a occupational therapists salary go in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands?
Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands has a Regional Price Parity of 98.63 (100 is the national average). That's below average, your money stretches further here than the raw salary number suggests. After cost-of-living adjustment, the median occupational therapists salary is worth about $105,019 in national-average purchasing power.
Where do occupational therapists get paid the most?
The table above ranks every state by median pay for this role. Keep in mind that the highest-paying states tend to have the highest costs of living, so the top salary doesn't always mean the most money in your pocket.