City market profile

Charleston-North Charleston, SC OT job market

Compare Charleston-North Charleston, SC using BLS occupational therapist wage, employment, density, and concentration data from the May 2025 OEWS release.

Metro rank #196$97,710 mean wage320 OT jobs0.79 location quotient

Market snapshot

How Charleston-North Charleston, SC 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.

Mean wage$97,710BLS OEWS mean annual wage for occupational therapists.
Employment320Estimated occupational therapist jobs in the metro.
Density0.82OT jobs per 1,000 local jobs.
Concentration0.79Location quotient versus the national labor market.

Decision snapshot

Should Charleston-North Charleston, SC 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 Charleston-North Charleston, SC before choosing a local employer or setting.
  • Readers evaluating a smaller local market where each employer relationship matters more.
  • Readers comparing Charleston-North Charleston, SC against the broader South Carolina state-market profile.

Watch closely

  • Metro wage data does not adjust for rent, taxes, commute time, benefits, productivity model, or caseload mix.
  • The BLS employment base is small, so employer-level availability can matter more than the rank.
  • 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 Charleston-North Charleston, SC?
  • 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.

Mean annual wage40%

BLS OEWS mean annual wage for the metro.

Employment depth25%

Log-scaled employment count so deeper markets count without letting the largest metros dominate.

Employment density20%

Occupational therapist jobs per 1,000 local jobs.

Job concentration15%

BLS location quotient, used as a local concentration signal versus the national labor market.

Nearby comparisons

Other South Carolina metro markets

Compare this metro against nearby labor markets before using a single city score to make a relocation or negotiation decision.

MetroScoreMean wageEmployment
Spartanburg, SC

Rank #106; 1.22 LQ

45.1$101,290210
Greenville-Anderson-Greer, SC

Rank #164; 0.87 LQ

40.7$97,240400
Columbia, SC

Rank #235; 0.67 LQ

36.1$96,940280
Florence, SC

Rank #275; 0.87 LQ

33.2$95,92080
Hilton Head Island-Bluffton-Port Royal, SC

Rank #278; 0.84 LQ

33.0$97,57070
Myrtle Beach-Conway-North Myrtle Beach, SC

Rank #323; 0.63 LQ

28.9$92,350100