Rehabilitation Therapy Assistant

What the Numbers Say About Rehabilitation Therapy Assistant

Federal agencies employ 1,398 people in the Rehabilitation Therapy Assistant occupation (OPM code 636), accounting for 0.1% of the total federal civilian workforce of 2,289,472 for the March 2025 reporting window. Headcount in this occupation moved down by -1.3% versus the prior period, a modest but trackable signal for anyone considering this specialized federal career path.

Average tenure in Rehabilitation Therapy Assistant runs 8.8 years, a mid-length average tenure, reflecting a mix of career employees and those who transfer or exit mid-career. Pay averages $66,960 per year, 39.1% below the $109,869 federal civilian average and up 2.7% from the prior period, a broad shift as locality pay tables and grade-level adjustments moved through the workforce.

The Medical, Hospital, Dental, and Public Health Group family (code 6) groups Rehabilitation Therapy Assistant together with 44 other related occupations across the federal government. Candidates browsing USAJOBS for Rehabilitation Therapy Assistant postings should also review these sibling occupations, since federal hiring managers often cross-post positions across closely related codes when recruitment is difficult. All figures here come directly from OPM FedScope Employment Cubes, the same official source referenced in federal workforce planning, budget justifications, and GAO reports.

Rehabilitation Therapy Assistant makes up 0.4% of the 356,984 employees across the Medical, Hospital, Dental, and Public Health Group family, ranking #28 of 45 occupations in that family by headcount. Its average salary ranks in the bottom half (18th percentile) of pay among Medical, Hospital, Dental, and Public Health Group occupations.