SOC 29-1125 · Healthcare Practitioners and Technical Occupations

Recreational Therapists wages by metro

National median annual wage

$61,960

10th percentile: $40,990
25th percentile: $50,240
Median: $61,960
75th percentile: $79,930
90th percentile: $100,420
Mean: $67,630

Annual wage from the May 2025 OEWS estimates.

National employment in May 2025: 14,930.

That median is 21.5% higher than the all-occupations national median of $50,980.

The metro and state figures below are the same May 2025 release. A blank wage means BLS did not publish it. See when a wage is not published.

A nurse attending an elderly patient in a hospital — A nurse with a patient at a hospital centre in Birmingham. Wellcome Collection. Photograph by Wellcome Collection. Wikimedia Commons · CC BY 4.0

Highest published medians

Metros with the highest published annual medians for Recreational Therapists.
Occupation	Employment	10th	Median	90th
Stockton-Lodi, CA	50	$75,890	$115,330	$115,370
Vallejo, CA	50	$66,130	$115,330	$115,370
Napa, CA	150	$107,690	$107,810	$124,820
San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA	190	$64,920	$102,420	$153,060
San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA	60	$73,580	$101,670	$120,140
San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA	90	$62,660	$98,530	$115,370
Fresno, CA	150	$81,720	$98,160	$115,370
Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA	340	$56,070	$98,120	$113,790
Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA	90	$62,360	$91,790	$115,370
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA	380	$62,290	$91,740	$112,050
Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA	140	$58,890	$82,660	$112,880
Mankato, MN	30	$68,540	$81,950	$81,950
Las Vegas-Henderson-North Las Vegas, NV	340	$42,020	$78,730	$100,430
Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI	150	$55,210	$73,980	$98,840
Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA	60	$59,520	$72,390	$94,770
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV	380	$50,270	$71,050	$98,140
Ann Arbor, MI	110	$39,050	$70,960	$72,400
Cleveland, OH	50	$47,740	$67,390	$95,200
Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO	130	$44,530	$66,840	$88,120
New Haven, CT	60	$51,020	$66,740	$101,650

Where employment is largest

Metros with the most Recreational Therapists jobs in the May 2025 tables.
Occupation	Employment	10th	Median	90th
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ	1,090	$50,250	$66,050	$95,830
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA	380	$62,290	$91,740	$112,050
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV	380	$50,270	$71,050	$98,140
Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD	360	$44,190	$58,970	$84,180
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN	340	$40,560	$54,460	$85,400
Las Vegas-Henderson-North Las Vegas, NV	340	$42,020	$78,730	$100,430
Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA	340	$56,070	$98,120	$113,790
Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA	260	$43,070	$60,640	$97,620
Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI	230	$42,440	$62,600	$74,490
Kansas City, MO-KS	210	$31,880	$45,270	$65,280
Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL	190	$33,930	$58,110	$99,550
San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA	190	$64,920	$102,420	$153,060
Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH	180	$49,660	$63,390	$97,380
Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford, CT	170	$46,280	$63,950	$104,930
Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD	160	$39,220	$64,700	$92,050
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX	150	$40,560	$61,000	$99,260
Fresno, CA	150	$81,720	$98,160	$115,370
Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI	150	$55,210	$73,980	$98,840
Napa, CA	150	$107,690	$107,810	$124,820
Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA	140	$58,890	$82,660	$112,880

States and territories

State estimates for Recreational Therapists, May 2025.
Occupation	Employment	10th	Median	90th
California	1,920	$60,940	$98,170	$115,370
District of Columbia	50	$50,840	$95,640	$118,340
New Hampshire	70	$53,060	$82,280	$98,310
Nevada	400	$46,380	$78,730	$98,630
Washington	240	$61,070	$77,860	$108,200
Minnesota	250	$55,210	$76,360	$97,570
Colorado	200	$44,530	$66,580	$88,120
Oregon	250	$51,210	$66,530	$83,780
New York	1,230	$49,940	$65,520	$91,370
Hawaii	40	$45,920	$64,500	$95,040
Maryland	290	$39,220	$64,300	$95,490
Vermont	40	$49,830	$63,380	$79,170
Connecticut	380	$46,350	$63,240	$101,650
Nebraska	150	$40,370	$62,980	$79,080
Massachusetts	210	$49,090	$62,820	$94,890
Arizona	170	$49,710	$62,610	$90,230
Texas	800	$36,210	$62,490	$213,790
Michigan	590	$42,270	$61,700	$73,690
Virginia	570	$49,580	$61,270	$87,020
Ohio	310	$46,440	$60,770	$84,910
New Jersey	430	$49,810	$60,400	$85,580
Wisconsin	350	$48,650	$59,350	$81,330
Kentucky	100	$37,850	$59,240	$77,590
Pennsylvania	720	$39,690	$58,940	$80,340
Missouri	140	$43,000	$58,620	$93,500
North Dakota	80	$40,100	$58,370	$70,570
Florida	640	$41,400	$57,980	$86,610
Maine	40	$39,480	$57,560	$77,130
Alabama	160	$43,840	$57,360	$87,110
Utah	210	$31,730	$56,640	$86,260
Iowa	230	$43,580	$56,140	$81,970
Illinois	440	$40,560	$54,910	$86,190
Indiana	190	$38,550	$53,770	$76,750
Georgia	530	$29,330	$52,010	$92,500
Tennessee	150	$37,080	$51,910	$78,850
Louisiana	190	$36,590	$51,150	$67,220
Delaware	70	$42,640	$51,110	$76,290
Montana	40	$38,210	$51,110	$86,260
North Carolina	440	$41,490	$51,030	$78,340
Oklahoma	120	$32,920	$50,480	$77,910
Idaho	90	$39,920	$49,720	$72,360
New Mexico	100	$41,600	$49,210	$110,470
West Virginia	130	$36,580	$49,010	$118,410
South Carolina	190	$38,290	$48,880	$74,670
South Dakota	40	$41,390	$46,850	$83,780
Arkansas	70	$31,130	$42,670	$82,960
Kansas	710	$29,720	$40,010	$60,720
Mississippi	140	$30,570	$39,560	$65,170
Puerto Rico	80	$27,630	$28,140	$93,450

Other healthcare practitioners and technical occupations

Questions this page answers

What is the national median wage for Recreational Therapists?

In the May 2025 OEWS estimates, the national median annual wage for Recreational Therapists is $61,960. Employment is 14,930.

How does Recreational Therapists pay compare with all occupations?

The national median for Recreational Therapists is 21.5% higher than the all-occupations median of $50,980.

Which metro has the highest published median for Recreational Therapists?

Among metros with a published annual median in the May 2025 tables, Stockton-Lodi, CA is highest on this page's list at $115,330.