Occupational Therapy Assistants vs Social Workers
Occupational Therapy Assistants earns $9,020 more at the middle. Every figure is US government data you can check.
| Occupational Therapy Assistants | Social Workers | |
|---|---|---|
| Pay in the middle median annual wage, May 2025 | $70,800 | $61,780 |
| Pay range 10th to 90th percentile | $45,130 to $88,900 | not published to not published |
| Years of school you pay for our own estimate from published entry requirements, not a BLS figure | 2 | 4 |
| Typical entry education | Associate's degree | See How to Become One |
| Jobs opening up each year | 8,600 | 69,100 |
| Growth by 2035 | 20.1% | 6.2% |
| People doing it now | 56,600 | 816,100 |
| Where the pay is highest and lowest state medians, not adjusted for cost of living or taxes | $82,010 in Maryland down to $53,530 in Alaska | $78,970 in Connecticut down to $43,330 in Arkansas |
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Jobs that use what you already know
Same skills, same knowledge, same daily tasks. Most of these are not on this site.
Occupational Therapy Assistants covers 2 separate job codes. “2 of 2” means 2 of those 2 name that job as closely related.
Occupational Therapy Assistants
- Physical Therapist Assistants2 of 2
- Physical Therapist Aides2 of 2
- Psychiatric Technicians2 of 2
- Respiratory Therapists2 of 2
- Licensed Practical and Licensed Vocational Nurses2 of 2
- Acute Care Nurses1 of 2
What these usually take: A trade school course, an associate's degree, or one to two years on the job.
Social Workers
- Marriage and Family Therapists3 of 4
- Rehabilitation Counselors3 of 4
- Social and Human Service Assistants2 of 4
- Community Health Workers2 of 4
- Health Education Specialists2 of 4
- Mental Health Counselors2 of 4
O*NET 30.3 Database, U.S. Department of Labor. These are jobs that use similar skills, knowledge and daily tasks. It is a measure of how alike two jobs are — not a record of people moving between them.
Jobs that take more training than this one
A job zone is the U.S. Department of Labor’s published measure of how much preparation a job takes. It says nothing about pay.
- Acute Care Nurses1 of 2Usually a four-year degree, plus a few years of experience.
- Rehabilitation Counselors1 of 2Usually a four-year degree, plus a few years of experience.
O*NET 30.3 Database and O*NET Job Zones, U.S. Department of Labor. A job zone is a published measure of how much preparation an occupation takes, not a measure of pay or of whether a job is better. Pay differences are BLS median annual wages, May 2025, and are shown only where both jobs are on this site.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics occupational employment and wage data, May 2025, and employment projections 2025-35. Years of school is our own estimate from published entry requirements, not a BLS figure. State medians are not adjusted for cost of living or taxes, and that difference could be large either way. No advice, just data.