Occupational therapy vs physical therapy: pay, school and the job

PT vs OT salary

Physical therapists out-earn occupational therapists at every point of the pay range, but only by a few thousand dollars: $2,430 at the median and $3,190 at the 90th percentile.^{[oews_nat][onet_pt][onet_ot]} Hourly, that is $49.40 against $48.24. After 2026 federal income tax, Social Security and Medicare, a single filer at each median keeps $81,122 as a PT and $79,412 as an OT.^[irs]

BLS counted 267,330 physical therapist jobs and 162,450 occupational therapist jobs on payrolls in May 2025, so there are about 1.6 PT jobs for every OT job.^[oews_api] Full percentile, state and metro detail is on physical therapist salary and occupational therapist salary.

Where OTs earn more than PTs

The national gap does not hold everywhere. In 15 of the 51 states (DC included) with both estimates, the occupational therapist median is above the physical therapist median: Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Delaware, District of Columbia and others.^{[onet_pt][onet_ot][oews_api]} California tops both lists, paying PTs $124,190 and OTs $124,510. The table covers the ten states with the most PT and OT jobs combined; pick any state in the calculator above.

What the job is: movement vs daily living

BLS sums up the difference in one line each. Physical therapists "help injured or ill people improve movement and manage pain"; they diagnose how a patient stands and walks and treat with exercise, stretching, hands-on therapy and equipment.^[ooh_pt] Occupational therapists treat people with injuries, illnesses or disabilities to rebuild the skills of daily living and work: teaching a stroke patient to get dressed again, checking a home, school or workplace for changes, and recommending aids such as eating or mobility devices.^[ooh_ot]

Where PTs and OTs work

Both careers are concentrated in private therapy practices and hospitals. The clearest split is schools: 13% of OTs work in educational services, a setting BLS does not list among the largest for PTs, while home health employs a larger share of PTs.^{[ooh_pt][ooh_ot]} School OTs often work a school-year calendar, which lowers yearly pay at the same hourly rate.

PT school vs OT school

The DPT is the only entry-level degree for physical therapists, and CAPTE-accredited programs average 122.4 weeks, about three years.^{[capte_degree][capte_agg]} Occupational therapists can enter with either an ACOTE-accredited master's or a doctorate; BLS says master's programs usually take two to three years.^{[acote][ooh_ot_how]} Both start after a bachelor's degree. The licensing exams cost about the same: the NPTE is $485 plus a $112 Prometric fee, and the NBCOT exam is $540 online.^{[fsbpt_npte][fsbpt_prom][nbcot_fees]}

Under the federal loan rules in force since July 1, 2026, neither degree is classed as a professional degree, so both borrow at the graduate limit.^[fr_therapy] Costs, loans and a payback calculator are on physical therapy school cost and occupational therapy school; the step-by-step routes are on how to become a physical therapist and how to become an occupational therapist.

Which pays back faster?

A PT earns about $2,430 more a year at the median but usually spends longer in school, since every PT needs the doctorate. An OT who takes the master's route can start working sooner, and OT jobs are projected to grow slightly faster (15% against 12% from 2025 to 2035).^{[ooh_pt][ooh_ot]} If pay is close in your state, the shorter program and the setting you want to work in matter more than the national gap. All 13 therapy careers are ranked on therapist salary.