State and Country

• A May 2010 survey by the Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates the country is home to approximately 100,300 occupational therapists, earning median wages of $72,320. The BLS notes the salary range can go as high as $102,520 in the 90th percentile and as low as $48,920 in the 10th percentile. At the time of the survey, 7,280 occupational therapists called Texas home. The Lone Star State paid above-average salaries for the profession, with annual median wages at $77,760. The salary range was also higher overall, with $121,130 as the 90th percentile wage and $52,350 as the 10th percentile wage.
  
  

Lone Star Stars

• Occupational therapists in the McAllen-Edinburg-Mission areas of Texas were the highest-paid in the state, with annual median wages of $84,690. Close behind were therapists in the Beaumont-Port Arthur areas, earning $84,050. Therapists employed in Sherman-Denison, earning $83,330 and those in Abilene, earning $83,060, also earned significantly higher than average salaries. The Sherman-Denison areas earned the top spot on the BLS list of highest 90th percentile salaries, where occupational therapists earned $160,160 annual 90th percentile wages. OTs in Tyler also earned high wages at the 90th percentile, at $159,780, followed by those in Longview, taking in $147,120.
  
  

Texas Lows

• Even though Texas employers paid an overall higher-than-average salary for the occupational therapy field, not all OTs earned salaries at that level. The city of Lubbock earned the bottom spot on the BLS list of annual median wages, with OT salaries of $65,060. Employers in Austin-Round Rock also paid below-average salaries for the profession, at $67,670, followed by those in Tyler, paying $68,700. At the 10th percentile, occupational therapists in Longview earned less than half the country's median salary, taking in $31,870, by far the lowest in the state. The next lowest-paying area, Lubbock, paid $46,570 annual 10th percentile wages.
  
  

First Steps

• Becoming an occupational therapist in Texas starts with enrollment and completion of post-secondary education in the field. After an undergraduate degree -- usually in pre-occupational therapy -- prospective occupational therapists enroll in one of the American Occupational Therapy Association's accredited OT programs. Texas is home to more than seven schools offering accredited education in the field: Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, Texas Woman's University in multiple locations and the University of Texas also in multiple locations. A degree from a Texas institution is not required for employment within the Lone Star State; the licenses therapists receive after completion of their degree program and examinations are transferable.