Salary data · Illinois

Occupational therapist salary in Illinois

Occupational therapists in Illinois earn a mean of $99,570 a year and a median of $99,700, 1.7% below the national mean of $101,280. That ranks 22nd of the 51 states with a published estimate.

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$99,570

Mean annual wage

about $48 an hour

$99,700

Median annual wage

22nd of 51

State rank

by mean wage

7,710

OTs employed

BLS estimate

Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025 estimates. These are estimates for occupational therapists already employed in Illinois, not offers; the hourly figure divides the annual mean by 2,080 hours. Setting, specialty and caseload move an individual offer well above or below them. Updated October 22, 2026.

By metro

Occupational therapist pay by metro in Illinois

Metro estimates from the same survey, highest mean first. Each city links to its full therapy workforce page.

Metro	Mean	Median	Employed
Chicago	$101,400	$99,860	5,960
Rockford	$95,530	$96,620	130
Peoria	$95,490	$96,920	190
Champaign	$87,710	$80,040	120

Source: BLS OEWS metropolitan estimates. Suppressed cells show n/a.

The market

How many occupational therapists work in Illinois

5,896 occupational therapists hold an active individual NPI with a practice address in Illinois, 46.4 per 100,000 residents, and 255 new ones enrolled in the last twelve months. A high wage with few clinicians per capita usually means employers are competing for people; a low one in a crowded market means the opposite.

Source: NPPES monthly file, October 2026 (CMS, public domain), as of October 2026.

Licensed in another state?

Illinois is not a member of the OT Compact: occupational therapists and occupational therapy assistants licensed in another state need a full Illinois license before starting.

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