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

How much do Recreational Therapists make in Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA?

In the May 2025 Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics estimates, released May 15, 2026, the median annual wage for Recreational Therapists in Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA is $98,120. The 10th percentile is $56,070 and the 90th percentile is $113,790. Employment is 340.

Median annual wage

$98,120

10th percentile
$56,070
25th percentile
$56,070
Median
$98,120
75th percentile
$98,140
90th percentile
$113,790
Mean
$84,610

Annual wage from the May 2025 OEWS estimates.

A dental hygienist treating a patient
A dental hygienist at work. Photograph by baskyes. Wikimedia Commons · CC BY 2.0

Percentile spread

For Recreational Therapists, the published 10th percentile is $56,070 and the 90th percentile is $113,790. The difference is $57,720, which is 58.8% 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 $56,070 to the 75th at $98,140, covers $42,070.

The mean annual wage is $84,610, which sits below the median of $98,120. Median and mean measure different points in the same distribution.

National and state comparison

The Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA median is 58.4% higher than the national median of $61,960 for Recreational Therapists. In 2024 national prices the local median is $92,182, which is 48.8% higher than that same national median. The national figure is already in national prices because the United States parity is 100.

It is 0.1% lower than the California median of $98,170.

Price-adjusted pay

The 2024 all-items regional price parity for Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA is 106.442, with the United States at 100. The Bureau of Economic Analysis released those parities on February 19, 2026. Dividing the May 2025 median of $98,120 by that parity and multiplying by 100 puts Recreational Therapists at $92,182 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. Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA ranks 2nd 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).).

  • San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA is 111 miles away, with a median of $98,530 and employment of 90. That median is 0.4% higher than the median here. In 2024 national prices it is $88,062, against $92,182 here.
  • Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA is 121 miles away, with a median of $91,740 and employment of 380. That median is 6.5% lower than the median here. In 2024 national prices it is $80,781, against $92,182 here.
  • Las Vegas-Henderson-North Las Vegas, NV is 132 miles away, with a median of $78,730 and employment of 340. That median is 19.8% lower than the median here. In 2024 national prices it is $78,561, against $92,182 here.

Employment share

Recreational Therapists accounts for 0.02% of wage-and-salary employment in Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA (340 of 1,716,760). Nationally the occupation is 0.01% of employment (14,930 of 155,495,730). The local share is 2.06 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 Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA · 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 Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA?

In the May 2025 OEWS estimates, released May 15, 2026, the median annual wage for Recreational Therapists in Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA is $98,120. The 10th percentile is $56,070 and the 90th percentile is $113,790. Employment is 340.

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

The local median is 58.4% higher than the national median of $61,960.

What is Recreational Therapists pay in Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA after local prices?

The 2024 all-items regional price parity for Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA is 106.442, with the United States at 100. In those national prices, the May 2025 median of $98,120 is $92,182. The wage is May 2025 and the parity is 2024.

How does Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA compare with nearby metros for Recreational Therapists?

San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA is the closest metropolitan area within 200 miles with a published annual median, 111 miles away, at $98,530. Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA ranks 2nd of 4 metros within 200 miles on that median. Distances use Census Bureau internal points.