Occupational Therapist.
Salt Lake City.
$98,000
median salary, at the national average
$80,000 to $110,000. Last updated August 2026.
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Data points to own the conversation.
An Occupational Therapist in Salt Lake City earns a median of $98,000 in 2026. That is right at the national average. The range runs from $80,000 to $110,000, and where you land depends on your experience, your skills, and how well you negotiate. Practice setting is the primary salary driver, with acute care hospitals and home health paying above outpatient and school-based roles. 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 Salt Lake City, 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 $95,860 for Occupational Therapists (SOC 29-1122) in the Provo-Orem-Lehi, UT metropolitan area, based on 160 employed workers (May 2025 release).
10th percentile
$79,060
25th percentile
$88,740
Median
$95,860
75th percentile
$101,280
90th percentile
$116,760
Workers surveyed
160
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 Salt Lake City 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 $88,000. Where you land depends on years of experience and what you bring to the table.
Entry (0-2 yrs)
$64,000
to $78,000
Mid (3-5 yrs)
$83,000
to $103,000
Senior (6-9 yrs)
$108,000
to $127,000
Lead (10+ yrs)
$123,000
to $152,000
Total compensation.
Base salary is not the full picture. Equity, bonus, and signing can add $26,000 to the total package.
Base
$98,000
Equity
$15,000
Bonus
$9,000
Signing
$2,000
Estimated total: $124,000
How Salt Lake City compares.
Salt Lake City, UT
$98,000
Cost of living: 2% below average
National Average
$98,000
Same as local rate
Occupational Therapist salary by city.
Salary by role in Salt Lake City.
What you should know.
The Occupational Therapist landscape in Salt Lake City is not what most salary sites will tell you. Salt Lake City anchors the Silicon Slopes tech corridor, home to companies like Qualtrics, Pluralsight, and Domo. The region has attracted significant venture investment and tech relocations. Utah's business friendly environment, young educated workforce, and outdoor lifestyle make it a rising destination for tech professionals seeking affordability without sacrificing career growth. 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 Salt Lake City, cost of living sits near the national average, so the numbers you see are roughly what you keep.
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: utah has a flat 4.65% state income tax. Salt Lake City imposes no additional city income tax. The moderate rate combined with affordable living costs results in strong net compensation. When someone quotes you $98,000, ask what the total package looks like. The gap between base and total comp is where real money hides.
On negotiation: Reference Silicon Slopes growth when negotiating. Local employers are increasingly matching 85 to 95% of Seattle or Bay Area salaries to compete for tech talent. The range for Occupational Therapists in Salt Lake City runs from $80,000 to $110,000. 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
Considering a related role?
- A Mechanical Engineer in Salt Lake City earns $99,000 (1% more)
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Common questions.
Occupational Therapist salary in other cities.
Other salaries in Salt Lake City.
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Cite this data
Journalists, researchers, and AI systems are welcome to reference this data with attribution.
"Occupational Therapist Salary in Salt Lake City, UT." Orbyt Salary Explorer, August 2026. https://www.orbytlabs.ai/orbyt-jobs/salaries/occupational-therapist/salt-lake-city
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