SOC 29-1125 · Healthcare Practitioners and Technical Occupations · May 2025
How much do Recreational Therapists make in Pittsburgh, PA?
In the May 2025 Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics estimates, released May 15, 2026, the median annual wage for Recreational Therapists in Pittsburgh, PA is $61,250. The 10th percentile is $39,690 and the 90th percentile is $84,070. Employment is 100.
Median annual wage
$61,250
- 10th percentile
- $39,690
- 25th percentile
- $47,560
- Median
- $61,250
- 75th percentile
- $72,240
- 90th percentile
- $84,070
- Mean
- $61,510
Annual wage from the May 2025 OEWS estimates.

Percentile spread
For Recreational Therapists, the published 10th percentile is $39,690 and the 90th percentile is $84,070. The difference is $44,380, which is 72.5% 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 $47,560 to the 75th at $72,240, covers $24,680.
The mean annual wage is $61,510, which sits above the median of $61,250. Median and mean measure different points in the same distribution.
National and state comparison
The Pittsburgh, PA median is 1.1% lower than the national median of $61,960 for Recreational Therapists. In 2024 national prices the local median is $64,698, which is 4.4% higher than that same national median. The national figure is already in national prices because the United States parity is 100.
It is 3.9% higher than the Pennsylvania median of $58,940.
Price-adjusted pay
The 2024 all-items regional price parity for Pittsburgh, PA is 94.671, with the United States at 100. The Bureau of Economic Analysis released those parities on February 19, 2026. Dividing the May 2025 median of $61,250 by that parity and multiplying by 100 puts Recreational Therapists at $64,698 in national prices. The wage year and the price year are different. Compare this wage after prices.
Nearby metros
7 other metropolitan areas within 200 miles publish a annual median for Recreational Therapists. Pittsburgh, PA ranks 5th of 8 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).).
- Cleveland, OH is 116 miles away, with a median of $67,390 and employment of 50. That median is 10% higher than the median here. In 2024 national prices it is $71,750, against $64,698 here.
- Harrisburg-Carlisle, PA is 148 miles away, with a median of $39,260 and employment of 40. That median is 35.9% lower than the median here. In 2024 national prices it is $39,797, against $64,698 here.
- Columbus, OH is 161 miles away, with a median of $60,590 and employment of 90. That median is 1.1% lower than the median here. In 2024 national prices it is $63,466, against $64,698 here.
Employment share
Recreational Therapists accounts for 0.01% of wage-and-salary employment in Pittsburgh, PA (100 of 1,114,490). Nationally the occupation is 0.01% of employment (14,930 of 155,495,730). The local share is 0.93 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 Pittsburgh, PA · 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 Pittsburgh, PA?
In the May 2025 OEWS estimates, released May 15, 2026, the median annual wage for Recreational Therapists in Pittsburgh, PA is $61,250. The 10th percentile is $39,690 and the 90th percentile is $84,070. Employment is 100.
How does that compare with the national median for Recreational Therapists?
The local median is 1.1% lower than the national median of $61,960.
What is Recreational Therapists pay in Pittsburgh, PA after local prices?
The 2024 all-items regional price parity for Pittsburgh, PA is 94.671, with the United States at 100. In those national prices, the May 2025 median of $61,250 is $64,698. The wage is May 2025 and the parity is 2024.
How does Pittsburgh, PA compare with nearby metros for Recreational Therapists?
Cleveland, OH is the closest metropolitan area within 200 miles with a published annual median, 116 miles away, at $67,390. Pittsburgh, PA ranks 5th of 8 metros within 200 miles on that median. Distances use Census Bureau internal points.