Salary data · Tennessee

Occupational therapist salary in Tennessee

Occupational therapists in Tennessee earn a mean of $95,080 a year and a median of $97,700, 6.1% below the national mean of $101,280. That ranks 36th of the 51 states with a published estimate.

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$95,080

Mean annual wage

about $46 an hour

$97,700

Median annual wage

36th of 51

State rank

by mean wage

2,490

OTs employed

BLS estimate

Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025 estimates. These are estimates for occupational therapists already employed in Tennessee, 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 Tennessee

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

Metro	Mean	Median	Employed
Memphis	$98,130	$99,960	420
Nashville	$97,890	$100,630	710
Johnson City	$90,430	$94,940	90
Chattanooga	$90,070	$95,960	290
Knoxville	$89,970	$94,490	290

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

The market

How many occupational therapists work in Tennessee

2,402 occupational therapists hold an active individual NPI with a practice address in Tennessee, 32.8 per 100,000 residents, and 116 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?

Tennessee is a OT Compact member and is issuing compact privileges: occupational therapists and occupational therapy assistants licensed in another member state can obtain a privilege to practice in Tennessee without applying for a new state license.

How the OT Compact works →

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OT openings in Tennessee

No public OT listing in Tennessee right now. Most of our searches are confidential and never posted, so tell us what you want and we will match you quietly.

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