City market profile
Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD OT job market
Compare Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD using BLS occupational therapist wage, employment, density, and concentration data from the May 2025 OEWS release.
Market snapshot
How Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD compares for occupational therapists
The OT Index city score balances pay, role depth, role density, and occupational concentration. Raw source measures stay visible so the score can be audited.
Decision snapshot
Should Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD be on your OT market shortlist?
Use the metro rank to frame the opportunity, then verify the employers, settings, commute, and cost profile that affect day-to-day fit.
Best for
- OTs who want a source-backed read on Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD before choosing a local employer or setting.
- Clinicians who want a deeper local job base with 1,200 estimated OT jobs.
- Readers comparing Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD against the broader Maryland state-market profile.
Watch closely
- Metro wage data does not adjust for rent, taxes, commute time, benefits, productivity model, or caseload mix.
- A deeper job base still needs setting-level review because hospitals, schools, SNFs, and home health can feel very different.
- The local OT concentration signal is below the national baseline; verify role availability before relying on wage strength.
Ask before deciding
- Which employers and settings drive OT hiring in Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD?
- How does take-home pay look after rent, commute time, benefits, and productivity expectations?
- Are there enough mentors, specialty roles, and fieldwork or referral networks for your career stage?
Methodology
Why this metro scores where it does
Metro rankings are most useful when the score is read beside the raw measures. A high-wage city can still have a shallow market, while a dense market can still have weaker pay.
BLS OEWS mean annual wage for the metro.
Log-scaled employment count so deeper markets count without letting the largest metros dominate.
Occupational therapist jobs per 1,000 local jobs.
BLS location quotient, used as a local concentration signal versus the national labor market.
Nearby comparisons
Other Maryland metro markets
Compare this metro against nearby labor markets before using a single city score to make a relocation or negotiation decision.
| Metro | Score | Mean wage | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hagerstown-Martinsburg, MD-WV Rank #179; 1.20 LQ | 40.2 | $96,100 | 130 |
| Salisbury, MD Rank #251; 0.78 LQ | 35.1 | $107,950 | 40 |
| Lexington Park, MD Rank #255; 0.64 LQ | 34.6 | $109,310 | 50 |