Published
Schools
Best Occupational Therapy Programs
A live ACOTE-backed program database plus a public-program value ranking using federal cost and outcomes data.
Source coverage88%
Occupational therapy rankings
The OT Index
Find the OT school, setting, city, specialty, or tool that fits your goals with transparent rankings built from public data and practitioner context.
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What are you comparing today?
$98,340
Median annual wage for occupational therapists, May 2024. Source: BLS OOH.
14%
Projected OT employment growth from 2024 to 2034. Source: BLS Employment Projections.
10,200
Projected OT openings each year, on average, over the decade. Source: BLS.
2026 rankings
High-stakes OT decisions, ranked clearly.
The OT Index focuses on decisions with real cost: where to study, where to work, where to live, which specialty to pursue, and which tools to trust.
#1
PublishedOT Salary and Setting IndexCompare median pay, autonomy, documentation load, and schedule tradeoffs across major OT settings.
ABLS OOH#2PublishedBest Public OT Programs by ValueCompare public accredited OT programs by cost, debt, completion, accreditation, and labor-market opportunity.
A-ACOTE, Scorecard#3PublishedBest States for Occupational TherapistsCompare state markets by BLS mean wage, employment depth, and OT job concentration.
A-BLS OEWS 2025Explore by category
Rankings for every major OT decision.
Each guide combines source data, scoring criteria, and practical tradeoffs so readers can compare choices without decoding scattered PDFs and directories.
Open ranking
Published
Careers
OT Salary and Setting Index
BLS wage data ranked by practice setting, with OTA pay and growth context included for comparison.
Source coverage95%
Published
Geography
Best States and Cities for OTs
A BLS-backed state ranking is live, with metro methodology for the next layer of relocation decisions.
Source coverage88%
Guide
Employers
Home Health Agency Index
A provider-quality ranking using CMS Care Compare data, clinician review signals, and OT-specific scheduling factors.
Source coverage69%
Published
Specialties
OT Specialty Opportunity Index
A career strategy ranking for hand therapy, pediatrics, neuro, mental health, home modification, and non-clinical roles.
Source coverage84%
Guide
Tools
Documentation and CEU Tools
Commercial-intent rankings for EMRs, documentation workflows, CEU platforms, adaptive equipment, and clinical apps.
Source coverage66%
Why The OT Index exists
Auditable rankings built specifically for occupational therapy.
Generic school rankings and broad healthcare salary guides do not answer the OT questions that matter. The OT Index turns public data and practitioner context into decision-grade rankings with visible scoring logic.
- 1Start with official data
Prefer public primary sources: ACOTE, NBCOT, College Scorecard, BLS OEWS, BLS OOH, CMS Provider Data, and state board records. - 2Normalize before scoring
Convert raw measures into comparable signals, adjust for cohort size and missing data, and keep the source timestamp visible. - 3Rank for decisions, not vanity
Every ranking answers a specific decision for an applicant, new grad, experienced clinician, employer, or private practice owner. - 4Separate facts from judgment
Published tables show official source data separately from The OT Index editorial scoring so readers can audit the result.
Live data
Compare OT pay by work setting.
BLS publishes OT pay by major work setting. The OT Index translates those figures into a clearer career tradeoff table.
| Rank | Setting | Median annual wage | The OT Index read |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nursing care facilities | $103,210 | High pay, productivity scrutiny, heavier documentation |
| 2 | Home healthcare services | $103,010 | High autonomy, travel time, variable caseload density |
| 3 | Hospitals | $100,770 | Broad experience, weekend rotations, faster pace |
Editorial standard
Every guide connects back to structured data.
School, career, city, employer, specialty, and tool pages use the same source architecture so readers can compare options without guessing how the ranking was built.
Transparent methodology
Every score shows its ingredients, source links, freshness date, and missing-data caveats.
Rankings as a database
Structured profiles make schools, states, metros, employers, specialties, and tools easier to compare.
Career utility
The OT Index helps readers choose programs, compare jobs, negotiate pay, and move with better context.
Editorial restraint
Avoid popularity contests. Rank by decision value: outcome, cost, access, quality, demand, and fit.
Primary sources
Sources behind the rankings
The OT Index starts with public datasets and directories, then adds practitioner surveys, employer reviews, and proprietary scoring as coverage expands.