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Salary Comparison

Electrical Engineer vs Occupational Therapist Salary

Electrical Engineers earn approximately 11.2% more than Occupational Therapists nationally — $107,000 vs $95,000.

Electrical Engineer
$107,000
national median annual
Hourly (40 hr × 52 wk)
$51
Biweekly (26 paychecks)
$4,115
Monthly
$8,917
Category
Engineering
Occupational Therapist
$95,000
national median annual
Hourly (40 hr × 52 wk)
$46
Biweekly (26 paychecks)
$3,654
Monthly
$7,917
Category
Healthcare
Difference
Annual difference
Occupational Therapist earn less than Electrical Engineer
-$12,000
Percentage difference
−11.2%
Hourly difference
-$6/hour
Monthly difference
-$1,000/month
Lifetime difference (40-yr career)
Naive — doesn't include compounding raises
-$480,000
Salary by state
→ Electrical Engineer salary by state→ Occupational Therapist salary by state

Electrical Engineers earn approximately $12,000 more per year than Occupational Therapists — about 13% — with comparable entry requirements.

What it takes to get in

Electrical Engineer roles typically require a bachelor's degree, while Occupational Therapist roles require a master's degree. From standing start to hireable, including training hours and licensing, the totals are roughly 4 years for Electrical Engineer and 6 for Occupational Therapist.

Only one of the two is gated by licensing: Occupational Therapist requires State license via NBCOT certification exam, while Electrical Engineer does not. That cuts both ways — a license is a real barrier when you are trying to enter, and a real moat once you hold one, because it limits how quickly the labor supply can grow.

Pay range, not just the median

The medians hide most of what matters. Electrical Engineer pay runs from roughly $66,000 at the low end to $152,000 at the high end; Occupational Therapist runs $67,090 to $129,830. Position within the range is driven by what you specialize in and who you work for, not by the title on the offer.

What the work is actually like

Electrical Engineer: Offices, electronics/power labs, and manufacturing test facilities. Occupational Therapist: Hospitals, schools, rehab clinics, and patients' homes.

The physical difference is large enough to affect how long you can do the work: Occupational Therapist work is moderately physical, Electrical Engineer work largely sedentary. Physically demanding trades often pay well in your twenties and thirties and then force a move into supervision, inspection, estimating, or training — worth planning for rather than discovering at fifty.

Moving between the two

There is little skill overlap here — Engineering and Healthcare train differently and recruit through different channels — so a move between them is closer to starting over than pivoting. Electronics and computer engineers overlap heavily and move between roles easily; power-systems specialists need additional training to shift into semiconductor or RF design. Occupational therapy assistants (COTAs) must complete a full graduate program to become OTs; OTs can pivot into ergonomics/human factors consulting or educational settings.

If you are entering rather than switching: Electrical Engineer — Earn an ABET-accredited bachelor's in electrical engineering, complete internships/co-ops, then enter industry — PE licensure only needed for public utility or consulting work. Occupational Therapist — Complete a bachelor's degree, then a 2-3 year master's (or doctoral) program in occupational therapy, then pass the NBCOT exam.

Pay ranges, education requirements, and employment projections come from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Outlook Handbook and Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics. See our methodology for how these are compiled and updated.

Other comparisons in Engineering

Electrical Engineer vs Mechanical Engineer
National median: $96,000
Electrical Engineer vs Civil Engineer
National median: $89,000

Other comparisons in Healthcare

Occupational Therapist vs Registered Nurse
National median: $86,000
Occupational Therapist vs Physician (Doctor)
National median: $230,000
Occupational Therapist vs Dentist
National median: $164,000
Occupational Therapist vs Pharmacist
National median: $128,000

Related tools

Electrical Engineer salary by state — Occupational Therapist salary by state — Best cities for Electrical Engineer — Best cities for Occupational Therapist — Paycheck Calculator — Investment Calculator.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who earns more, a Electrical Engineer or a Occupational Therapist?▾
Electrical Engineers earn more at the median — approximately $107,000 a year against $95,000, a gap of $12,000 or 13%. The ranges overlap though: Electrical Engineer pay starts around $66,000 and Occupational Therapist pay reaches about $129,830 at the top, so an experienced Occupational Therapist can out-earn a new Electrical Engineer.
How much longer does it take to become a Occupational Therapist?▾
About 2 years longer. Occupational Therapist takes roughly 6 years from zero to employable — a master's degree, plus State license via NBCOT certification exam — against about 4 years for Electrical Engineer. The tuition is visible; the forgone salary during those years usually is not, and it is the larger number.
Do you need a license to work as a Occupational Therapist?▾
Yes — State license via NBCOT certification exam. Electrical Engineer has no equivalent requirement. Licensing slows entry but also limits how fast the labor supply can expand, which tends to support pay over time. Requirements are set state by state, so check reciprocity before assuming a license travels with you.
Is Occupational Therapist physically demanding?▾
Yes — the work is moderately physical, against largely sedentary for Electrical Engineer. Plan the second half of the career deliberately: most people in physically demanding fields move toward supervision, inspection, estimating, or teaching rather than doing the same work at sixty.
Do these numbers hold in my city?▾
Nationally sourced, so treat them as a baseline rather than a local answer. Regional cost-of-living and industry concentration move both careers, but rarely by the same amount, which means the 13% gap above is a national figure and not necessarily yours.