Healthcare Practitioners and Technical Occupations
BLS May 2025 wages Above-baseline growth SOC 29-2091

Orthotists and Prosthetists

Projected +13% employment change leads this card; pay sits next to Cardiologists, Physicians, All Other, Orthodontists, Dermatologists.

Full salary details → About this data

Same-major-group titles next to Orthotists and Prosthetists: Cardiologists ($496K) , Physicians, All Other ($266K) , Orthodontists ($289K) , Dermatologists ($329K) . Hash-ordered per card so residual SOC siblings do not share an identical peer sentence.

What Orthotists and Prosthetists publish as work

O*NET task statements for SOC 29-2091 - occupation-level descriptions, not every employer's posting. Sibling cards diverge here because the task set is entity-keyed.

  1. 1. Fit, test, and evaluate devices on patients, and make adjustments for proper fit, function, and comfort
  2. 2. Instruct patients in the use and care of orthoses and prostheses
  3. 3. Maintain patients' records
  4. 4. Examine, interview, and measure patients to determine their appliance needs and to identify factors that could affect appliance fit
  5. 5. Select materials and components to be used, based on device design
  6. 6. Design orthopedic and prosthetic devices, based on physicians' prescriptions and examination and measurement of patients
  7. 7. Repair, rebuild, and modify prosthetic and orthopedic appliances
  8. 8. Construct and fabricate appliances, or supervise others constructing the appliances
  9. 9. Make and modify plaster casts of areas to be fitted with prostheses or orthoses to guide the device construction process
  10. 10. Confer with physicians to formulate specifications and prescriptions for orthopedic or prosthetic devices
  11. 11. Show and explain orthopedic and prosthetic appliances to healthcare workers
  12. 12. Train and supervise support staff, such as orthopedic and prosthetic assistants and technicians

Orthotists and Prosthetists: O*NET ranks Reading Comprehension first

Importance-ranked O*NET profile for SOC 29-2091 - lead skill Reading Comprehension at 4.0 ; lead knowledge Customer and Personal Service. Sibling cards diverge here even when peer titles overlap.

Top skills

  1. 1. Reading Comprehension 4.0
  2. 2. Active Listening 4.0
  3. 3. Writing 4.0
  4. 4. Speaking 4.0
  5. 5. Critical Thinking 4.0
  6. 6. Active Learning 3.8
  7. 7. Social Perceptiveness 3.8
  8. 8. Service Orientation 3.8

Knowledge areas

  1. 1. Customer and Personal Service 4.6
  2. 2. Medicine and Dentistry 4.3
  3. 3. Design 4.0
  4. 4. Therapy and Counseling 4.0
  5. 5. English Language 3.9
  6. 6. Psychology 3.9
Projected employment change 2024-2034
↑ +13%
much faster than average (3.1%)
National median $81,110/yr
$81K
National median
900
Annual openings
9,390
Estimated US jobs
Cardiologists
Highest-pay peer · $496K

Typical Entry and Preparation Assignments

Entry education Master's degree

Top Paying States for Orthotists and Prosthetists

1. Wisconsin $89,710
2. California $91,820
3. Massachusetts $89,860
4. Washington $105,240
5. Rhode Island $93,350
6. Maryland $95,030
7. Virginia $92,930
8. Oregon $93,790
9. New Jersey $118,950
10. Utah $96,530

Other Healthcare Practitioners and Technical Occupations titles

  1. 1. Orthodontists $289,140
  2. 2. Physicians, All Other $265,930
  3. 3. Dermatologists $328,730
  4. 4. Cardiologists $496,010
  5. 5. Psychiatrists $281,870
  6. 6. Surgeons, All Other $414,010

BLS projects +13% employment change for Orthotists and Prosthetists (2024-2034), much faster than average vs the all-occupations baseline of 3.1%. Published median pay is $81,110.

BLS assigns Master's degree as typical entry education. These are occupation-level assignments, not universal employer rules. BLS does not publish a separate occupation-specific safety rate for this role; its broad SOC-group rate is excluded from this career card's grade.

Highest published state median in this ranking: Wisconsin at $89,710. The table records differences without proving causes. Highest-pay peer shown here: Cardiologists at $496,010. Compare the same statistic in the relevant local wage area before treating the national median as a personal benchmark; OEWS excludes employer benefits.

Orthotists and Prosthetists pay-rank #45 in Healthcare Practitioners and Technical Occupations

Orthotists and Prosthetists sits at pay-rank #45 of 71 detailed Healthcare Practitioners and Technical Occupations, the middle third of the major-group median table. ROW_NUMBER on median; title breaks ties.

Other mid-table titles · closest medians

Full Salary Details Compare this role

Data from U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025. Projections from BLS Employment Projections program, 2024-2034.

Projected change +13.3% puts Orthotists and Prosthetists ahead of most peers. Open the state map or compare it directly against a slower-growing role.

Orthotists and Prosthetists salary map

State, metro, and percentile for SOC 29-2091

Wisconsin · top state for Orthotists and Prosthetists

$90K published median

California · #2 state pay

$92K · behind Wisconsin

Cardiologists

Highest-pay peer vs Orthotists and Prosthetists · $496K

Physicians, All Other

Lower-pay peer beside Orthotists and Prosthetists · $266K

Compare Orthotists and Prosthetists

Head-to-head OEWS medians with another SOC
Compare Orthotists and Prosthetists with another occupation →

Growth and outlook next reads

Fastest-Growing Rankings

National projection leaders

Highest-Paying Careers

Where growth meets pay

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Orthotists and Prosthetists mid-table among Healthcare Practitioners and Technical Occupations? ▼
Yes: pay-rank #45 of 71 detailed Healthcare Practitioners and Technical Occupations, the middle third. Mid-table neighbors: Radiologic Technologists and Technicians ($80K), Respiratory Therapists ($82K), Chiropractors ($79K), Therapists, All Other ($78K). ROW_NUMBER on median; title breaks ties.
What do orthotists and prosthetists do day to day? ▼
O*NET lists published task statements for Orthotists and Prosthetists. Leading ones include: Fit, test, and evaluate devices on patients, and make adjustments for proper fit, function, and comfort; Instruct patients in the use and care of orthoses and prostheses; Maintain patients' records; Examine, interview, and measure patients to determine their appliance needs and to identify factors that could affect appliance fit. These are occupation-level task descriptions, not every employer's job description.
Which O*NET skills rank highest for orthotists and prosthetists? ▼
For SOC 29-2091, O*NET importance scores lead with Reading Comprehension (4.0), Active Listening (4.0), Writing (4.0), Speaking (4.0). Knowledge areas emphasize Customer and Personal Service, Medicine and Dentistry, Design. These are occupation-level profiles, not a hiring checklist for every employer.
What is the OEWS national median for Orthotists and Prosthetists? ▼
May 2025 OEWS reports $81,110 as the national median for Orthotists and Prosthetists. The published 10th-90th range is $46,350 to $119,810. Beside Cardiologists ($496,010), this is the occupation-level national figure, not a local offer.
How fast is Orthotists and Prosthetists projected to grow? ▼
BLS Employment Projections put Orthotists and Prosthetists at +13% change for 2024-2034, with about 900 annual openings. Versus the all-occupations baseline (3.1%): much faster than average.
What typical entry education does BLS assign to Orthotists and Prosthetists? ▼
BLS assigns Master's degree as the typical-education-needed-for-entry category for Orthotists and Prosthetists. These are occupation-level labels, not every employer's hiring rule.
Which three states show the highest OEWS medians for Orthotists and Prosthetists? ▼
Wisconsin ($89,710), California ($91,820), Massachusetts ($89,860) lead this ranking. The table does not identify why those state estimates differ.

Source data and WageDex calculations are identified in context on this page. Wage and state figures use BLS OEWS May 2025; growth and education use BLS Employment Projections for 2024-2034; safety fields cite BLS CFOI/SOII; task statements cite O*NET where shown. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.

Disclaimer: Wage and outlook figures on this page are provided for informational purposes only and do not constitute career, financial, or salary-negotiation advice. Actual pay varies by employer, experience, and local conditions; consult a career counselor or the hiring employer for guidance specific to your situation.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OES Occupational wage estimates by area and industry · 2025

Federal sources on this Orthotists and Prosthetists card
  • BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS / OES) - national median and percentiles for SOC 29-2091. bls.gov/oes
  • O*NET OnLine - task and skill statements for Orthotists and Prosthetists. onetcenter.org
  • BLS Employment Projections - 2024-2034 change and openings for this occupation. bls.gov/emp
  • U.S. Census Bureau ACS - demographic and labor-force context for state and metro geography. census.gov/programs-surveys/acs
  • IRS Statistics of Income (SOI) - payroll-tax aggregate context for wage comparisons. irs.gov/statistics