Live OT Salary Insights TX Updated today · 28 open Texas jobs

Occupational Therapist Salary in Texas

Compare the travel occupational therapist salary in Texas with staff wages, live OT pay, city housing costs, and the licensing steps that can change your start date.

Travel OT Jobs TX OT License Center OT Compact License Center
Median weekly · Occupational Therapy
$2,048
Current weekly range
$1,489–$2,485
Minimum to maximum, open contracts
Highest-paying city
Del Rio
$2,485/wk highest eligible open rate

What Is the Occupational Therapist Salary in Texas?

The BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey puts the median annual wage for Texas occupational therapists at $106,140, against a national median of $100,330. That puts Texas 5.8% higher, with state wages running from $85,810 at the 25th percentile to $127,830 at the 75th. Think of that band as the statewide middle. A single facility can sit anywhere along it. Travel assignments quote weekly pay for one specific opening rather than for the state, which is why the live contract figures below are the ones to compare when an offer is on the table.

Live travel OT pay

What Is the Travel Occupational Therapist Salary in Texas?

Across 28 eligible Advantis travel OT assignments in Texas, the current median is $2,048, with posted weekly rates running from $1,489 to $2,485. The chart shows how those openings spread out, so at a glance you can see whether the rates cluster near the median or drift toward one end of the range.

Across all open Texas contracts
<$1.7k $1.7–1.8k $1.8–2.0k $2.0–2.2k $2.2–2.3k $2.3k+
$2,048
Median weekly
$1,489–$2,485
Current range
Share of open Advantis Texas OT contracts by weekly-pay band.
See salary by specialty Physical Therapy
Travel vs. staff pay

Travel OT Pay vs. Staff Occupational Therapist Salary in Texas

The calculator divides the staff median by 52 and sets the result against the weekly rate you enter, which is useful context but is not travel pay. Staff pay covers a year of wage and salary work. Contract pay covers only the weeks worked and may combine taxable wages with qualifying stipends. Compare hours, contract length, wages, stipends, and benefits before deciding which offer is stronger.

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
$2,048/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.

See all jobs in

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.

Live city rates

OT Salary in Texas by City: Highest Current Rates

The city list ranks each market by its single highest eligible open Advantis rate, so one strong contract can carry a city to the top. Treat it as a leaderboard of current offers rather than an average, and don't be surprised when the order shifts as jobs open and close.

Del Rio $2,485
Hondo $2,367
Newton $2,343
Odessa $2,269
Victoria $2,232
Use housing as a second screen when two rates look alike. Same rate, different budget. The same travel occupational therapy salary in Texas can support very different budgets from one metro to another, and across the four markets compared here HUD's highest and lowest two-bedroom benchmarks sit $505 apart each month.
After costs

Texas OT Salary After Housing and Taxes

Texas does not levy individual income tax on wages, which can make the taxable wage portion of a package more valuable than the same wage earned in a state that taxes it. Federal taxes still apply, and a traveler's home state may tax the income as well.

Housing can change the result. HUD Fair Market Rent estimates what a standard rental costs each month with utilities included. That isn't the same number furnished traveler housing charges, so treat the benchmark as a floor rather than a quote. The current two-bedroom benchmark is $1,931 in Dallas, $1,852 in Austin, $1,573 in Houston, and $1,426 in San Antonio. That $505 gap equals about $117 a week. BEA's Regional Price Parity index puts Texas at 97.1 with the U.S. at 100, which means overall prices in the state run 2.9% below the national level once housing, goods, and services are all counted together.

0%
Texas individual income tax on wages
Texas Constitution, Article VIII, Section 24-a. Federal and any applicable home-state tax obligations still depend on the traveler.
$1,520 /mo
Texas two-bedroom comparison benchmark
Advantis benchmark built from HUD FY2026 Fair Market Rent areas. It is not an official statewide HUD rent or a furnished-rental quote.
28
Open OT jobs in Texas
Live eligible Advantis contract count; updates as assignments open and close.
$505 /mo
Gap among four metros compared
Dallas versus San Antonio, using HUD FY2026 two-bedroom Fair Market Rents.
Demand outlook

Occupational Therapist Job Outlook and Demand in Texas

Occupational therapists in Texas work in hospitals, outpatient clinics, home health, skilled nursing, and specialty practices, so demand is spread across several kinds of care. Texas Career Check, the Texas Workforce Commission's projection tool, expects occupational therapist employment in the state to rise from 9,004 in 2022 to 10,801 in 2032. That is 19.96% growth, with about 716 employment and turnover openings projected each year over the period. The national picture points the same way. The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects 15% OT employment growth from 2025 to 2035 and about 10,000 openings a year. Workforce projections describe demand for the profession. They do not set the weekly rate on any assignment, so compare them with the current Texas openings rather than reading them as pay.

Licensing readiness

Texas OT Licensing at a Glance

Texas occupational therapist salary guide

Texas is outside the OT Compact, so a Compact Privilege can't be used for a Texas assignment. An OT licensed in another state applies by endorsement after passing NBCOT. The regular application fee is $140, and Texas also requires a Social Security number, fingerprinting, and the Board's free 20-question, open-book jurisprudence exam. The standard temporary license is not open to an OT already licensed elsewhere. Rule 364.4(b) lets the Board issue a 180-day provisional license, with an $80 fee, to an endorsement applicant whose required documents are delayed outside their control. The Board publishes no single processing timeframe. For the full route and the state map, see the OT License Center; the OT Compact License Center tracks which states have joined.

Not a member Texas OT Compact status Texas hasn't enacted the OT Compact. OTs licensed in another state can apply for a Texas license by endorsement.
$140 Regular OT application fee Board fee only. SSN, fingerprints, and the free jurisprudence exam are also required.
180 days Endorsement provisional license $80 fee. Only when required documents are delayed outside the applicant's control.

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

Wages vs. stipends

Travel OT Pay Packages and Stipends in Texas

A travel OT pay package can include taxable wages plus housing and meal stipends, and that split is why two packages with the same gross can leave you with different amounts. Whether a stipend is taxed depends on the traveler's circumstances and the federal tax-home rules. Texas does not impose individual income tax on wages, but a traveler's home state may still tax that income.

Taxed May be tax-free

Because Texas does not tax wage income, the taxed wage portion of a Texas package faces federal, not state, income tax, which can change the after-tax picture compared with a wage-tax state.

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.

Live openings

Current Top-Paying Travel OT Jobs in Texas

The highest current rates appear below, and you'll want to start with the setting and schedule before you look at the number. Then compare housing and the pay mix. Across the four Texas metros on this page the two-bedroom rent benchmark differs by $505 a month, so a lower headline rate can still leave more room after rent.

Occupational Therapy · Del Rio, TX
Days · 14 wks
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Occupational Therapy · Hondo, TX
Evenings · 13 wks
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Occupational Therapy · Newton, TX
Evenings · 13 wks
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Occupational Therapy · Odessa, TX
Evenings · 13 wks
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What sets the rate

What Affects a Travel Occupational Therapist Salary in Texas?

Two Texas offers can post different weekly rates for the same job title, and the posting won't say why. To see it, compare the setting, the weekly hours, the start timing, and the cancellation terms. Then look at caseload, productivity targets, and how the pay divides into wages and stipends, because each of those can move a rate on its own. Home health adds its own questions: how big the territory is, how many visits a day, how much charting time, mileage, and whether drive time is paid.

Also compare the experience or credentials a job requires. A posted rate doesn't explain the number behind it, so get the details in writing before you rank offers. The weekly figure alone can't answer every value question.

Good to know

Texas Travel OT Salary FAQs

What is the average occupational therapist salary in Texas?
BLS puts the median occupational therapist salary in Texas at $106,140 a year, with the mean, or average, a little higher at $107,630. The median is the better figure for a typical staff role, since a few high earners pull the mean up. Either way, Texas sits above the $100,330 national median, and it does so without a state income tax on the wages behind that figure.
How much do travel occupational therapists make in Texas?
It's set contract by contract and quoted by the week, so there's no single figure. The median across open Advantis contracts in Texas is $2,048 right now, and it moves as jobs open and fill. The travel occupational therapist salary in Texas on any one offer depends on that contract.
Which Texas cities have the highest travel OT pay?
Right now Del Rio leads Texas at $2,485 a week, the highest single open Advantis rate in the state. That order changes as contracts open and close, and size doesn't decide it: one strong home health or acute care contract can put a smaller city ahead of Dallas or Houston for a week. Open the listing first. Then check the setting and the hours before you choose a city on rate alone.
What is the occupational therapist salary in Dallas?
BLS puts the median occupational therapist salary in Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington at $106,110 a year, within $30 of the $106,140 Texas median, with about 3,450 OTs employed across the metro. That's the staff benchmark. Travel contracts in Dallas are quoted weekly and set per assignment, so a Dallas travel offer should be judged on its own terms rather than against this staff figure.
Which Texas city has the highest occupational therapist salary?
Austin, at a $122,050 median in BLS's latest metro estimates, the highest of the 25 Texas areas BLS reports and about $16,000 above the statewide median. Among the other large metros, San Antonio is $107,650, Dallas-Fort Worth $106,110 and Houston $103,580. Those are staff figures. Travel contracts are priced per assignment and don't follow the metro order, so a smaller city can out-pay Austin in a given week.
How does travel OT pay compare with the staff OT salary in Texas?
The staff median for Texas OTs is $106,140 a year, and the median open Advantis travel contract in Texas pays $2,048 a week right now. To compare them on the same footing, divide the annual figure by 52 and set it against the weekly rate. Two cautions apply. Staff pay runs all year with benefits attached, while a travel week can split into taxable wages and stipends, so the gross figures aren't like for like and the weekly number on its own never settles which offer leaves you better off.
Does no state income tax make a Texas travel OT contract worth more?
Yes, on the taxable wage portion, with two catches. Texas doesn't tax individual income, so the wage part of a package isn't reduced by state withholding. Federal tax still applies, and your home state may tax what you earn in Texas depending on where you're a resident. Stipends are a separate federal question tied to your tax home.
Ready for your next assignment?

Open travel OT contracts in Texas are paying a median of $2,048 per week right now.

Compare current Texas assignments by location, setting, shift and weekly pay, then let us know which ones interest you.

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