# Occupational Therapy Assistants

US SOC code 31-2011. Markdown version of https://futurehistory.earth/timeline/31-2011

## In brief

In May 2025, [BLS](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm25nat.zip) counted **51,290** US occupational therapy assistants, with median pay of **$72,300** a year. Of the BLS counts since 2012, the May 2025 count is the highest. The earliest figure here is [an estimate](https://otaonline.stkate.edu/blog/the-evolution-of-occupational-therapy-through-the-years/) of **1,200** from 1965, not measured the same way as today's count. The last full technology era for occupational therapy assistants: Electronic health records and software-based billing, 2005 to 2018.

Figures: Official statistic (latest count and pay, highest count); Researched context (earliest figure).

## What the sources say

### Official outlook

BLS projects employment to grow 21.5% from 2025 to 2035. Source: [BLS Employment Projections 2025-35](https://data.bls.gov/projections/nationalMatrix?queryParams=31-2011&ioType=o) (Official statistic).

### AI exposure studies

- **23.3%** of this job's tasks are exposed to large language models. Not a forecast of job losses. [Eloundou and others, 2023](https://github.com/openai/GPTs-are-GPTs/blob/main/data/occ_level.csv) (Official statistic)

Data as of BLS OEWS May 2025; BLS Employment Projections 2025-35. BLS publishes these counts as yearly survey snapshots and cautions against reading them as a precise trend. In May 2021 BLS changed how it estimates these counts (a model-based method using three years of survey data) and moved fully to the 2018 occupation codes, so part of a change across 2021 can come from the method rather than the work.

## Occupational Therapy Assistants employment and pay by year

- On record since: 1958
- Latest US employment: 51,290 (May 2025). Source: BLS OEWS May 2025 [3]
- Latest US median pay: $72,300 (May 2025). Source: BLS OEWS May 2025 [4]
- Outlook: +21.5% by 2035. Source: BLS Employment Projections 2025-35 [12]

### All 25 years of cited US data

| Year | US employment | Annual pay (median unless marked) | Source |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1965 | 1,200 (estimate) | n/a | Est., St. Kate's OTA Online [1] |
| 1976 | 6,000 (estimate) | n/a | Est., OT Centennial Project [2] |
| 2003 | 18,940 | $37,400 | BLS OEWS May 2003 [3] |
| 2004 | 20,880 | $38,430 | BLS OEWS May 2004 [3] |
| 2005 | 22,160 | $39,750 | BLS OEWS May 2005 [3] |
| 2006 | 23,700 | $42,060 | BLS OEWS May 2006 [3] |
| 2007 | 25,130 | $45,050 | BLS OEWS May 2007 [3] |
| 2008 | 25,610 | $48,230 | BLS OEWS May 2008 [3] |
| 2009 | 26,680 | $50,250 | BLS OEWS May 2009 [3] |
| 2010 | 27,720 | $51,010 | BLS OEWS May 2010 [3] |
| 2011 | 29,130 | $52,040 | BLS OEWS May 2011 [3] |
| 2012 | 29,500 | $53,240 | BLS OEWS May 2012 [3] |
| 2013 | 30,450 | $55,270 | BLS OEWS May 2013 [3] |
| 2014 | 32,230 | $56,950 | BLS OEWS May 2014 [3] |
| 2015 | 35,460 | $57,870 | BLS OEWS May 2015 [3] |
| 2016 | 38,170 | $59,010 | BLS OEWS May 2016 [3] |
| 2017 | 41,650 | $59,310 | BLS OEWS May 2017 [3] |
| 2018 | 42,660 | $60,220 | BLS OEWS May 2018 [3] |
| 2019 | 44,990 | $61,510 | BLS OEWS May 2019 [3] |
| 2020 | 42,750 | $62,940 | BLS OEWS May 2020 [3] |
| 2021 | 41,980 | $61,730 | BLS OEWS May 2021 [3] |
| 2022 | 43,810 | $64,250 | BLS OEWS May 2022 [3] |
| 2023 | 46,090 | $67,010 | BLS OEWS May 2023 [3] |
| 2024 | 47,910 | $68,340 | BLS OEWS May 2024 [3] |
| 2025 | 51,290 | $72,300 | BLS OEWS May 2025 [3] |

## Sources (68)

### Employment series

1. [St. Kate's OTA Online -- "The Evolution of Occupational Therapy Through the Years" (COTA origin 1964, St. Catherine first program)](https://otaonline.stkate.edu/blog/the-evolution-of-occupational-therapy-through-the-years/), St. Catherine University OTA Online
2. [OT Centennial Project -- "Important Events in Occupational Therapy in 1970s" (COTA Career Mobility Program 1973; COTA full voting rights AOTA 1976)](https://www.otcentennial.org/events/1970), American Occupational Therapy Association Centennial Project
3. BLS OEWS, national cross-industry estimates (flat file), Bureau of Labor Statistics. Editions: [2003](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm03nat.zip), [2004](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm04nat.zip), [2005](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm05nat.zip), [2006](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm06nat.zip), [2007](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm07nat.zip), [2008](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm08nat.zip), [2009](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm09nat.zip), [2010](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm10nat.zip), [2011](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm11nat.zip), [2012](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm12nat.zip), [2013](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm13nat.zip), [2014](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm14nat.zip), [2015](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm15nat.zip), [2016](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm16nat.zip), [2017](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm17nat.zip), [2018](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm18nat.zip), [2019](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm19nat.zip), [2020](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm20nat.zip), [2021](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm21nat.zip), [2022](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm22nat.zip), [2023](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm23nat.zip), [2024](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm24nat.zip), [2025](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm25nat.zip)

### Wage series

4. BLS OEWS, national cross-industry estimates (flat file), Bureau of Labor Statistics. Editions: [2003](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm03nat.zip), [2004](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm04nat.zip), [2005](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm05nat.zip), [2006](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm06nat.zip), [2007](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm07nat.zip), [2008](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm08nat.zip), [2009](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm09nat.zip), [2010](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm10nat.zip), [2011](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm11nat.zip), [2012](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm12nat.zip), [2013](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm13nat.zip), [2014](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm14nat.zip), [2015](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm15nat.zip), [2016](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm16nat.zip), [2017](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm17nat.zip), [2018](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm18nat.zip), [2019](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm19nat.zip), [2020](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm20nat.zip), [2021](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm21nat.zip), [2022](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm22nat.zip), [2023](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm23nat.zip), [2024](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm24nat.zip), [2025](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm25nat.zip)

### Tool eras

5. [Core Medical Group -- "Basket Weaving and Other Early OT Activities" (origins of craft media in occupational therapy, 1920s)](https://www.coremedicalgroup.com/blog/early-occupational-therapy-history), Core Medical Group
6. [OT Centennial Project -- "1917: Important Events in OT's History" (NSPOT founding, Clifton Springs NY)](https://www.otcentennial.org/100-events/1917), American Occupational Therapy Association Centennial Project
7. [Wikipedia -- Anna Jean Ayres (sensory integration theory, 1972 "Sensory Integration and Learning Disorders")](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anna_Jean_Ayres), Wikipedia
8. [OT Centennial Project -- "Important Events in Occupational Therapy in 1970s" (P.L. 94-142 identified OT as a related service in schools, 1975)](https://www.otcentennial.org/events/1970), American Occupational Therapy Association Centennial Project
9. [Scholarworks WMU -- "Awareness and Use of Electronic Health Records in Entry-Level OT and OTA Curricula" (EHR instruction became formal focus 2008+, implying paper dominated before)](https://scholarworks.wmich.edu/ojot/vol5/iss2/11/), Western Michigan University / Open Journal of OT
10. [AOTA -- "Occupational Therapy Assistant Modifier Required in 2020" (Medicare billing changes January 2020 and 2022)](https://www.aota.org/advocacy/advocacy-news/2021/2020-ota-payment-modifier-requirement), American Occupational Therapy Association
11. [WebPT -- "iPad and Tablet Apps for a Pediatric Occupational Therapist" (tablet-based assessment tools in OT practice)](https://www.webpt.com/blog/ipad-and-tablet-apps-pediatric-occupational-therapist), WebPT

### Forecasts and exposure studies

12. [BLS Employment Projections 2025-35, National Employment Matrix: 31-2011 Occupational therapy assistants (2025: 52.2 thousand; 2035: 63.4 thousand; +21.5%)](https://data.bls.gov/projections/nationalMatrix?queryParams=31-2011&ioType=o), Bureau of Labor Statistics
13. [Eloundou, Manning, Mishkin & Rock (2023), "GPTs are GPTs", occupation-level exposure data occ\_level.csv (O\*NET-SOC 31-2011.00, human-rated β 0.233)](https://github.com/openai/GPTs-are-GPTs/blob/main/data/occ_level.csv), OpenAI

### Historical notes

14. [OT Centennial Project -- "1917: Important Events in OT's History" (NSPOT founding, Clifton Springs NY, March 15-17 1917)](https://www.otcentennial.org/100-events/1917), American Occupational Therapy Association Centennial Project
15. [OT Centennial Project -- "Important Events in Occupational Therapy in 1950s" (1951 Personnel Policies referencing non-professional assistants)](https://www.otcentennial.org/events/1950), American Occupational Therapy Association Centennial Project
16. [St. Kate's OTA Online -- "The Evolution of Occupational Therapy Through the Years" (COTA created 1964; St. Catherine first OTA program)](https://otaonline.stkate.edu/blog/the-evolution-of-occupational-therapy-through-the-years/), St. Catherine University OTA Online
17. [AOTA -- "How to Bill Occupational Therapy Under Medicare Part B" (Medicare Part B OT coverage history)](https://amplifyot.com/how-to-bill-occupational-therapy-under-medicare-part-b/), AOTA / Amplify OT
18. [OT Centennial Project -- "Important Events in Occupational Therapy in 1970s" (COTA Career Mobility Program 1973; OT/COTA roles formally delineated 1975)](https://www.otcentennial.org/events/1970), American Occupational Therapy Association Centennial Project
19. [Wikipedia -- Therapy cap (Balanced Budget Act 1997; moratoriums and cap history through 2018)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Therapy_cap), Wikipedia
20. [PubMed / AJOT -- Cottrell (2000) "COTA Education and Professional Development: A Historical Review" (54(4):407-412; 2 hospital programs to 162 accredited programs)](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/10932311/), American Occupational Therapy Association / PubMed
21. [AOTA -- "OTA Payment Advocacy" (Balanced Budget Act 2018 Section 53107; CO modifier; 15% differential effective January 1, 2022)](https://www.aota.org/advocacy/issues/ota-payment-advocacy), American Occupational Therapy Association

### Predecessors & successors

22. [AOTA Centennial Project -- "Important Events in Occupational Therapy in 1970s" (COTA Career Mobility Program established 1973)](https://www.otcentennial.org/events/1970), American Occupational Therapy Association Centennial Project

### Present-day analysis

- [Eloundou et al. 2024 — GPTs are GPTs (Science)](https://arxiv.org/abs/2303.10130), accessed 2026-05-21
- [O\*NET 30.3 — US Department of Labor](https://www.onetcenter.org/database.html), accessed 2026-05-21

How to read these figures: https://futurehistory.earth/methodology. Every figure links to its own source; gaps stay gaps.