SOC 29-1125 · Healthcare Practitioners and Technical Occupations · May 2025

How much do Recreational Therapists make in Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin, TN?

In the May 2025 Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics estimates, released May 15, 2026, the median annual wage for Recreational Therapists in Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin, TN is $53,400. The 10th percentile is $38,870 and the 90th percentile is $78,850. Employment is 50.

Median annual wage

$53,400

10th percentile
$38,870
25th percentile
$48,060
Median
$53,400
75th percentile
$62,190
90th percentile
$78,850
Mean
$56,090

Annual wage from the May 2025 OEWS estimates.

Two cooks working in a commercial kitchen in 1930
Cooks in a Washington state kitchen, 1930. Seattle Municipal Archives. Photograph by Seattle Municipal Archives. Wikimedia Commons · CC BY 2.0

Percentile spread

For Recreational Therapists, the published 10th percentile is $38,870 and the 90th percentile is $78,850. The difference is $39,980, which is 74.9% of the median. Ten percent of measured wages fall below the 10th percentile and ten percent fall above the 90th. How to read a percentile.

The middle half of the distribution, from the 25th percentile at $48,060 to the 75th at $62,190, covers $14,130.

The mean annual wage is $56,090, which sits above the median of $53,400. Median and mean measure different points in the same distribution.

National and state comparison

The Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin, TN median is 13.8% lower than the national median of $61,960 for Recreational Therapists. In 2024 national prices the local median is $55,430, which is 10.5% lower than that same national median. The national figure is already in national prices because the United States parity is 100.

It is 2.9% higher than the Tennessee median of $51,910.

Price-adjusted pay

The 2024 all-items regional price parity for Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin, TN is 96.338, with the United States at 100. The Bureau of Economic Analysis released those parities on February 19, 2026. Dividing the May 2025 median of $53,400 by that parity and multiplying by 100 puts Recreational Therapists at $55,430 in national prices. The wage year and the price year are different. Compare this wage after prices.

Nearby metros

3 other metropolitan areas within 200 miles publish a annual median for Recreational Therapists. Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin, TN ranks 3rd of 4 on that median, counting itself. Distance is the great-circle mileage between Census Bureau internal points (U.S. Census Bureau, 2024 Gazetteer Files, Core Based Statistical Areas, internal points (INTPTLAT, INTPTLONG).).

  • Chattanooga, TN-GA is 105 miles away, with a median of $48,590 and employment of 30. That median is 9% lower than the median here. In 2024 national prices it is $53,125, against $55,430 here.
  • Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN is 158 miles away, with a median of $61,840 and employment of 50. That median is 15.8% higher than the median here. In 2024 national prices it is $66,442, against $55,430 here.
  • Memphis, TN-MS-AR is 189 miles away, with a median of $55,270 and employment of 40. That median is 3.5% higher than the median here. In 2024 national prices it is $59,959, against $55,430 here.

Employment share

Recreational Therapists accounts for 0.00% of wage-and-salary employment in Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin, TN (50 of 1,099,300). Nationally the occupation is 0.01% of employment (14,930 of 155,495,730). The local share is 0.47 times the national share. That ratio is the location quotient computed from these May 2025 employment counts. It is not copied from the location-quotient column in the BLS bulk file.

Highest-paying jobs in Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin, TN · Recreational Therapists by metro · How to read these percentiles · Median and mean · When a wage is not published · How the figures are made · Compare this wage after prices

Questions this page answers

How much do Recreational Therapists make in Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin, TN?

In the May 2025 OEWS estimates, released May 15, 2026, the median annual wage for Recreational Therapists in Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin, TN is $53,400. The 10th percentile is $38,870 and the 90th percentile is $78,850. Employment is 50.

How does that compare with the national median for Recreational Therapists?

The local median is 13.8% lower than the national median of $61,960.

What is Recreational Therapists pay in Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin, TN after local prices?

The 2024 all-items regional price parity for Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin, TN is 96.338, with the United States at 100. In those national prices, the May 2025 median of $53,400 is $55,430. The wage is May 2025 and the parity is 2024.

How does Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin, TN compare with nearby metros for Recreational Therapists?

Chattanooga, TN-GA is the closest metropolitan area within 200 miles with a published annual median, 105 miles away, at $48,590. Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin, TN ranks 3rd of 4 metros within 200 miles on that median. Distances use Census Bureau internal points.