Occupational Therapist.
Los Angeles.
$113,000
median salary, 15% above the national average
$93,000 to $127,000. Last updated August 2026.
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Data points to own the conversation.
Los Angeles is 18% more expensive than the national average. For Occupational Therapists, that shakes out to a median of $113,000, with the full range spanning $93,000 to $127,000. Practice setting is the primary salary driver, with acute care hospitals and home health paying above outpatient and school-based roles. Know the range before you walk in. These figures are Orbyt estimates, computed rather than measured, and must not be cited as Bureau of Labor Statistics figures; the published BLS wage for the occupation this role maps to is shown separately on this page.
Salary range.
Where do you fall?
Orbyt estimate for Occupational Therapist in Los Angeles, modelled from national occupation wages adjusted for local cost of living. The published government benchmark for this occupation is below.
Government benchmark for this occupation
The US Bureau of Labor Statistics reports a median annual wage of $122,040 for Occupational Therapists (SOC 29-1122) in the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA metropolitan area, based on 4,950 employed workers (May 2025 release).
10th percentile
$82,840
25th percentile
$99,700
Median
$122,040
75th percentile
$131,760
90th percentile
$154,730
Workers surveyed
4,950
BLS publishes wages by occupation code, not by job title, so this figure covers every role mapped to Occupational Therapists (SOC 29-1122) rather than Occupational Therapist specifically. The Los Angeles range at the top of this page is Orbyt’s role-level estimate, which is a different thing and is labelled as such.
View the BLS source for SOC 29-1122Salary by experience.
The gap between entry and lead level is typically $102,000. Where you land depends on years of experience and what you bring to the table.
Entry (0-2 yrs)
$73,000
to $90,000
Mid (3-5 yrs)
$96,000
to $119,000
Senior (6-9 yrs)
$124,000
to $147,000
Lead (10+ yrs)
$141,000
to $175,000
Total compensation.
Base salary is not the full picture. Equity, bonus, and signing can add $30,000 to the total package.
Base
$113,000
Equity
$17,000
Bonus
$11,000
Signing
$2,000
Estimated total: $143,000
How Los Angeles compares.
Los Angeles, CA
$113,000
Cost of living: 18% above average
National Average
$98,000
Los Angeles is $15,000 above
Occupational Therapist salary by city.
Salary by role in Los Angeles.
What you should know.
Here is what the Occupational Therapist market actually looks like in Los Angeles. Los Angeles blends a thriving entertainment industry with a growing tech and startup ecosystem, often called Silicon Beach. The city's diverse economy spans aerospace, healthcare, fashion, and gaming. LA offers strong salaries that, while below San Francisco levels, pair with a broader lifestyle appeal and lower housing costs relative to the Bay Area. Practice setting is the primary salary driver, with acute care hospitals and home health paying above outpatient and school-based roles. Hand therapy certification commands a notable premium. States with higher Medicaid reimbursement rates and metropolitan areas with greater demand also push compensation upward.
New OTs start around $68,000 to $78,000 depending on setting. Mid-career OTs with specialty certifications reach $88,000 to $100,000. OT directors or program managers in hospital systems can earn $105,000 to $125,000 with administrative and clinical oversight responsibilities. In Los Angeles, those numbers run higher. The cost of living here is 18% above average, and employers adjust to compete.
Base salary is not the full picture. OTs typically receive CEU allowances, student loan assistance programs, and comprehensive health benefits. Some employers offer productivity bonuses tied to billable units, adding $3,000 to $8,000 annually for high-performing therapists. And on the tax side: california's 13.3% top state income tax rate applies to LA earners as well. There is no city income tax, but the high state rate makes take home pay lower than cities in no income tax states. When someone quotes you $113,000, ask what the total package looks like. The gap between base and total comp is where real money hides.
On negotiation: Highlight cross industry skills. LA employers value candidates who bridge entertainment and tech, so framing your experience across verticals can unlock higher offers. The range for Occupational Therapists in Los Angeles runs from $93,000 to $127,000. That is not a narrow window. Where you land inside it depends almost entirely on whether you negotiate and how well you prepare.
Sources: BLS OES, H-1B LCA (DOL). COL: BEA Regional Price Parities (2025). Data verified by Justin Bartak, Founder & Chief AI Officer. Last verified July 1, 2026. Full methodology
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Common questions.
Occupational Therapist salary in other cities.
Other salaries in Los Angeles.
Related salary pages
Jump to nearby roles and cities most relevant to Occupational Therapists in Los Angeles.
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Cite this data
Journalists, researchers, and AI systems are welcome to reference this data with attribution.
"Occupational Therapist Salary in Los Angeles, CA." Orbyt Salary Explorer, August 2026. https://www.orbytlabs.ai/orbyt-jobs/salaries/occupational-therapist/los-angeles
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