Live OT Salary Insights MO Updated today · 7 open Missouri jobs

Occupational Therapist Salary in Missouri

Weigh a travel occupational therapist salary in Missouri against staff wages, then check city rates, local earnings taxes and rent before you commit to an offer.

Travel OT Jobs MO OT License Center OT Compact License Center
Median weekly · Occupational Therapy
$2,367
Current weekly range
$1,585–$2,540
Minimum to maximum, open contracts
Highest-paying city
Mound City
$2,540/wk highest eligible open rate

What Is the Occupational Therapist Salary in Missouri?

Missouri's median annual OT wage is $97,290, according to the BLS wage estimates for Missouri. That is 3.0% below the national median of $100,330. Use it as a starting point. A statewide figure can't tell you what a particular employer will pay, and the value of a staff offer also depends on paid leave, health coverage and the retirement contributions you would receive over the year. For travel work, use the current weekly rates below, then try the calculator to see how an offer compares with the staff benchmark.

Live weekly pay

What Is the Travel Occupational Therapist Salary in Missouri?

The median across 7 eligible open Missouri travel OT assignments is $2,367 per week, with rates from $1,585 to $2,540. The chart groups those openings into weekly-pay bands, so you can see where today's contracts cluster and how many sit in each range. A rate near the top may stand out, but the distribution shows whether it has company.

Across all open Missouri contracts
<$1.7k $1.7–1.9k $1.9–2.1k $2.1–2.2k $2.2–2.4k $2.4k+
$2,367
Median weekly
$1,585–$2,540
Current range
Share of open Advantis Missouri OT contracts by weekly-pay band.
See salary by specialty Physical Therapy
Travel vs. staff

Travel OT Pay vs. Staff Occupational Therapist Salary in Missouri

Enter a weekly travel rate to compare it with Missouri's $97,290 staff median, or choose another state. The calculator divides the annual figure by 52 and shows the difference. It's a gross-pay reference. Take-home pay is a separate calculation. A larger weekly number doesn't account for unpaid gaps between assignments, benefits or the cost of keeping a second place to live.

Weekly difference

Select a state to compare the travel weekly rate with the weekly equivalent of the median staff Occupational Therapist wage and see current contracts in that state.

Travel Occupational Therapist weekly rate
$2,367/wk
Travel pay is structured differently. For eligible travelers, housing and meal stipends may not be treated as taxable wages. Depending on the package and individual tax circumstances, a lower gross amount could still result in higher take-home pay.

Open contracts in

Live weekly rates for Occupational Therapy assignments currently accepting interest.

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The staff weekly figure is calculated by dividing the selected state's BLS OEWS May 2025 median annual wage for Occupational Therapists by 52. It is a weekly equivalent for comparison, not an observed or guaranteed weekly staff paycheck. Travel figures use the selected gross weekly rate.

This is a gross-pay comparison only. Travel and staff compensation are structured differently. It does not include taxes, employer-paid benefits, overtime, shift differentials, bonuses, housing or travel expenses, paid or unpaid time off, or time between assignments. Results are for general comparison only and are not job offers, guaranteed earnings, or take-home-pay calculations.

Pay by city

OT Salary in Missouri by City: Highest Current Rates

Each city's place in the ranking comes from the highest weekly rate in its eligible Advantis openings, which means a single job can put it first even if other roles there pay less or don't fit your setting and schedule. Look at the actual job. Browse the openings behind a rate before deciding where to apply.

Mound City $2,540
Waynesville $2,416
Belton $2,405
Humansville $2,367
O'Fallon $2,322
Use the city list to narrow your search. Then price a real place to stay. When weighing a travel occupational therapy salary in Missouri, compare a rental near the facility with a cheaper place that adds a long drive, parking fees and extra miles each week.
After costs

Missouri OT Salary After Taxes and Housing

Missouri's top individual income tax rate is 4.7%, but that rate applies only to taxable income in the highest band. St. Louis and Kansas City, Missouri, each levy a separate 1% earnings tax. Residents can owe it even when they work elsewhere; nonresidents can owe it for work within the city. A metro name on a job listing does not settle which rules apply.

The $1,138 monthly rent figure below is an Advantis comparison benchmark built from HUD two-bedroom Fair Market Rent areas. HUD's figures estimate rent plus basic utilities for standard-quality housing. They are not quotes for furnished travel rentals, and HUD does not publish this statewide figure. Price real places near the facility. Include the deposit, parking, utilities charged on top of rent and any weeks left on the lease if your work ends before it does. BEA's all-items price index puts Missouri at 90.8 against a U.S. baseline of 100, meaning overall prices are lower than the national level. Housing is already included. The index gives broad context; your own budget will depend on where you stay and what you spend.

4.7%
Top individual income tax rate
Missouri DOR; highest income band only.
$1,138 /mo
Missouri two-bedroom comparison benchmark
Advantis benchmark built from HUD FY2026 FMR areas; not an official statewide HUD rent or a furnished-rental quote.
90.8
Missouri price index; U.S. = 100
BEA all-items Regional Price Parities, 2024; includes housing rents.
$97,290 /year
Missouri staff OT median wage
BLS OEWS; May 2025; SOC 29-1122.
Demand outlook

Missouri OT Employment and the National Outlook

The BLS Missouri employment estimates count 3,400 OT jobs in Missouri across employers and settings, including permanent and travel work in hospitals, outpatient care, home health and skilled nursing. These aren't current vacancies. A staffing gap at one facility can create a travel opening even when the statewide job count barely changes. The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects about 10,000 OT openings each year nationwide, from growth and the need to replace workers who leave the occupation. Workforce figures do not determine current contract pay. For your search, compare the live listings by setting and start date, since an employer's immediate need is separate from the size of the profession. A single opening can pay well above or below the statewide picture, so read the assignment rather than the trend.

Before you start

Missouri OT Licensing at a Glance

You'll need a Missouri OT license, or another Missouri authorization you qualify for, before starting an assignment. The Board's application fee is $30, with fingerprinting and verification charges paid separately. Both Missouri and FBI fingerprint checks are required, with a limited exception for a check completed within the previous six months for Missouri OT licensure. The Board's FAQ cites an average of 3 to 4 weeks once a complete file is in. Licenses renew by June 30 in odd-numbered years on 24 Continuing Competency Credits, prorated for a first partial cycle. Missouri has joined the OT Compact but isn't issuing privileges yet. For the full route, see the OT License Center; the OT Compact License Center tracks when privileges open.

Not yet Missouri is an OT Compact member Privileges aren't being issued here yet; apply for a Missouri license.
$30 OT application fee Nonrefundable Board fee. Fingerprinting and third-party verification costs are separate.
2 years License renewal cycle Renew by June 30 in odd-numbered years; first-cycle competency credits are prorated.

Planning information, not legal or licensure advice. Confirm current requirements with the Missouri Board of Occupational Therapy.

Inside the package

How Wages and Stipends Split in a Missouri Travel OT Package

A posted travel rate may combine taxable wages with housing and meal stipends. Find out how much of each is in your offer before comparing it with a staff wage. The tax rules for stipends depend on your tax home, the assignment and how eligible expenses are paid. A payment is not tax-free simply because a contract calls it a stipend.

Taxed May be tax-free

Missouri income tax and, in St. Louis or Kansas City, the 1% earnings tax come out of the wage portion, so budget on the after-tax wage rather than the posted rate.

How to qualify for tax-free stipends

Stipend eligibility generally depends on three conditions, and documenting them is the traveler’s responsibility, not the agency’s.

You keep a tax home
A permanent residence you actually pay for and return to between assignments.
You’re paying twice
Covering a place back home and a place near the assignment at the same time.
The work is temporary
Generally expected to last a year or less. Assignments expected to run longer, or that stretch on in one area, are typically treated as indefinite.

When these conditions are not met, stipends are generally treated as taxable wages, so the same gross contract amount can leave less after taxes. Individual outcomes depend on facts and circumstances. Read more in our guide to how a tax home works.

Estimate only, to show the shape of the difference. It assumes a 22% federal bracket plus 7.65% in payroll tax on the wage portion; state income tax may change the result. Example figures for illustration, not offers. Many agencies align stipend amounts with U.S. General Services Administration per-diem rates for the assignment locality. Whether any stipend is excluded from your taxable income depends on your own circumstances. General information only, not tax advice.

Open now

Missouri's Highest-Paying Open Travel OT Jobs

Open a Missouri listing to compare the setting, shift and weekly rate, then check where you'll actually work if the role covers several sites or includes home visits across more than one city. A citywide label can hide a long drive between visits or a work address across a tax boundary. Keep those details beside the rate as you narrow your list.

Occupational Therapy · Mound City, MO
Days · 13 wks
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Occupational Therapy · Waynesville, MO
Days · 13 wks
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Occupational Therapy · Belton, MO
Days · 13 wks
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Occupational Therapy · Humansville, MO
Days · 13 wks
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Pay factors

What Affects a Travel Occupational Therapist Salary in Missouri?

Start with the paid hours. Two contracts with the same weekly figure may ask for different amounts of work once you account for the visits, notes and team meetings that fill your day, plus time spent driving between sites or waiting when a patient can't be seen. Home health needs a closer look. A per-visit offer needs a different calculation from an hourly one, especially when visits are cancelled.

Before ranking offers, get the productivity target and cancellation terms in writing. Does the target include charting, or only direct care? That affects your day. Once you've narrowed the settings and locations that fit your plans, weigh each job's demands and the pay for extra hours alongside benefit costs, the paid weeks you expect and your time away from home.

Quick answers

Missouri Travel OT Pay, Questions Answered

How much do occupational therapists make in Missouri?
The median occupational therapist salary in Missouri is $97,290 a year, according to BLS, with the mean, or average, at $95,200. That puts Missouri about 3.0% below the $100,330 national median. The top quarter of staff OTs earn above $106,190, and an individual offer still depends on its role, hours and benefits.
How much do travel occupational therapists make in Missouri?
The current median travel occupational therapist salary in Missouri is $2,367 per week across eligible open Advantis OT jobs. That's a starting point for comparing offers. A package may include taxable wages and qualifying housing or meal payments, so ask for the pay breakdown. Then factor in Missouri income tax and any city earnings tax that applies to your work or residence when planning your budget.
Is the occupational therapist salary higher in Kansas City or St. Louis?
Kansas City has the higher BLS metro median: $99,840 a year, compared with $95,770 in St. Louis, a $4,070 difference. These are full metro figures, covering areas in Kansas and Illinois as well as Missouri, with about 1,360 OTs in Kansas City and 1,860 in St. Louis. The metro medians alone don't determine whether either city's earnings tax applies to you.
Can an occupational therapist earn over $100,000 a year in Missouri?
Yes. Missouri's 75th-percentile OT wage is $106,190 a year, according to BLS, and in the Kansas City metro it is $108,030. Those benchmarks show six-figure earnings within the reported wage distribution. For travel work, compare the weekly offers and the paid weeks you plan to work. A travel package may combine taxable wages with qualifying stipends, so review its parts before annualizing the total.
Do the St. Louis and Kansas City earnings taxes apply to a travel OT?
Yes, when the OT has taxable earnings covered by the city's residency or work-location rules. Both cities tax residents' earned income even when they work elsewhere, and nonresidents' earnings from work inside city limits. Living in a surrounding county doesn't remove tax on work inside the city. Use the actual work and residence addresses to apply the right rule.
Is Missouri an affordable place to take a travel OT assignment?
Yes, on the statewide price benchmark. Missouri's BEA all-items index is 90.8 against a U.S. baseline of 100, about 9.2% below the national level, which makes affordability a real part of an offer comparison. Local rental quotes still matter, because the $1,138 two-bedroom figure is an Advantis comparison benchmark rather than a furnished-rental price. Housing is already included in the BEA index, so compare the two measures separately.
Find your next role

Open travel OT contracts in Missouri are paying a median of $2,367 per week right now.

Put the salary tools to work: compare Missouri openings by location, setting and weekly pay, then talk through your shortlist with a recruiter.

Search Travel OT Jobs in Missouri
Keep exploring

Browse Missouri jobs, explore OT resources or check another state salary guide as you weigh where to work next.