Occupational Therapy Assistants salary · California

Occupational Therapy Assistants Salary in California

Occupational Therapy Assistants in California earn a median of $81,770 a year, which is $39.31 an hour. That is $9,470 above the national median of $72,300, a difference of 13 percent. The state employs 3,840.

Median in California $81,770 $39.31 an hour · May 2025
US median $72,300
Jobs in California 3,840

California against the US May 2025

Occupational Therapy Assistants in California against the US, May 2025
FigureCaliforniaUnited States
Median annual $81,770 $72,300
Median hourly$39.31$34.76
Mean annual$84,690$70,710
10th percentile$65,680$51,490
90th percentile$104,990$89,780
Employment3,84051,290

How California compares

By median pay, California ranks 1 of the 12 states this site reports for occupational therapy assistants. Ranking is on the published median only. It says nothing about how far that salary goes once housing, state income tax and commuting are paid, and those differences between states are frequently larger than the pay gap itself.

Other states for occupational therapy assistants May 2025

StateMedianHourlyJobs
Texas $81,500 $39.19 5,610
Massachusetts $75,040 $36.08 1,410
Florida $71,630 $34.44 3,910
Pennsylvania $71,590 $34.42 2,560
North Carolina $69,390 $33.36 1,590
New York $68,530 $32.95 2,230
Indiana $66,660 $32.05 1,490
Missouri $66,070 $31.77 1,470
Illinois $64,120 $30.83 2,470
Ohio $62,700 $30.15 3,890
Tennessee $62,420 $30.01 1,300

Common questions

How much do occupational therapy assistants make in California?

The median salary for occupational therapy assistants in California is $81,770 a year, or $39.31 an hour. That is $9,470 above the national median of $72,300, a difference of 13 percent. California employs 3,840 of them.

Is California a good state to work as an occupational therapy assistant?

On pay alone, California ranks 1 of the 12 states this site reports for the occupation, by median salary. Pay is only half the question though: a state with a higher median can still leave you with less once housing and taxes are counted, and this site does not adjust for cost of living.

What is the pay range for occupational therapy assistants in California?

The lowest-paid 10 percent earn $65,680 or less and the highest-paid 10 percent earn $104,990 or more. The middle half falls between $76,350 and $96,720.

Where these numbers come from

Published by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 release, for SOC code 31-2011 in California. Nothing on this page is interpolated or averaged by this site. See the national occupational therapy assistants salary page for the full picture, or how to read these figures for what the survey covers.