Recreational Therapists Salary: $95,805 Median Pay (2026 stats)
TL;DR
About 15,060 recreational therapists nationally earn a mean of $95,805. Projections imply about 2.3% annual growth; CA accounts for about 1,340 jobs in our geographic extract.
Key Statistics
Recreational Therapists: what the data shows
Common questions about recreational therapists careers, answered from BLS OEWS and O*NET in this repository.
What is a recreational therapists?
Recreational Therapists is tracked by the Bureau of Labor Statistics under SOC 29-1125.
U.S. employment in our OEWS extract is about 15,060 workers.
What does a recreational therapists do?
O*NET work activities rated highest for this occupation include Assisting and Caring for Others, Thinking Creatively, Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships, Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates, Documenting/Recording Information, Getting Information, and related tasks. See Work Activities for the full list.
How much does a recreational therapists make?
BLS national median annual wage: $60,280 (May 2024 in our extract).
Mean annual wage in our occupational extract: $95,805 — higher than the median, which often reflects top earners in the distribution.
| Wage percentile | Annual wage |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $62,935 |
| 25th percentile | $85,174 |
| Median (50th) | $99,153 |
| 75th percentile | $105,429 |
| 90th percentile | $115,609 |
What education do you need?
For Recreational Therapists, O*NET incumbent surveys in our extract most often report: Some college (29%), High School or Equivalent (27%), Bachelors Degree (22%).
These are education levels of current workers, not minimum legal requirements.
What skills do you need?
O*NET ratings for this occupation emphasize skills such as Service Orientation, Coordination, Speaking, Social Perceptiveness, Active Listening, Writing, and knowledge areas including Psychology, Therapy and Counseling, Customer and Personal Service, Education and Training. See Education & Skills for detail.
Is recreational therapists in demand?
Historical employment trend in our series implies about 2.3% annual growth (compound rate in the extract).
Five-year projected employment change: 11.9%.
Ten-year projected employment change: 25.1%.
Current U.S. headcount: 15,060.
We report federal series only—compare wages, growth, and openings against your target market.
Where do recreational therapistss work?
Top industries by employment share in our OEWS industry extract:
| Industry | Employment | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Cross-industry | 15,060 | 16.0% |
| Hospitals | 12,670 | 13.5% |
| Health Care and Social Assistance | 11,700 | 12.4% |
| Cross-industry, Private Ownership only | 9,360 | 10.0% |
| Psychiatric and Substance Abuse Hospitals | 6,810 | 7.2% |
| Federal, State, and Local Government, including State and Local Government Schools and Hospitals and the U.S. Postal Service (OEWS Designation) | 5,700 | 6.1% |
See Industry for charts.
What degrees lead to this career?
Common majors for Recreational Therapists in O*NET:
See Related degrees.
What careers are related?
Other occupations linked through shared degree pathways in our mapping:
| Occupation | U.S. employment | Median wage |
|---|---|---|
| Lifeguards, Ski Patrol, and Other Recreational Protective Service Workers | 143,590 | $33,720 |
| Occupational Therapy Assistants | 47,910 | $68,340 |
| Occupational Therapy Aides | 5,000 | $37,370 |
| Recreation and Fitness Studies Teachers, Postsecondary | 12,680 | $75,890 |
| Amusement and Recreation Attendants | 371,590 | $30,490 |
Employment
Employment and salary information for the Recreational Therapists workforce.
Employment Over Time
15,060 Workforce in 2023
The Recreational Therapists workforce has been growing over time.
Historical employment trends for Recreational Therapists.
Yearly Wage Ranking
$95,805 Average Wage
In 2023, Recreational Therapists earned an average of $95,805.
Wage ranking compared to other occupations.
Wage Distribution
This chart shows the distribution of average salaries by income buckets for Recreational Therapists.
Salary distribution for Recreational Therapists.
Employment Growth Projections
2.3% Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR)
6,979 Projected Employment (5 years)
Projected growth: 11.9%
7,807 Projected Employment (10 years)
Projected growth: 25.1%
This occupation is projected to grow at 2.3% annually, indicating strong future demand.
Historical employment trends and future projections for Recreational Therapists.
Industry
Information on the industries that employ Recreational Therapists and on wages for those in the field.
Occupations by Industries
This graphic shows the share of Recreational Therapists employed by various industries.
Industry distribution for Recreational Therapists.
Wage Trends by Industry
6.9% Average Annual Wage Growth Rate
Historical wage growth trends by industry for Recreational Therapists.
Geographic Distribution
Employment and wage information by geographic location for Recreational Therapists.
Metropolitan employment on this page is from the California OEWS extract. Area names omit state codes; all listed metros are in California, so the state chart shows California totals (not a multi-state ranking).
Top States by Employment
Top States by Employment:
- CA: 1,340 employees, $93,717 avg wage
Top 10 states by employment for Recreational Therapists.
Top Metropolitan Areas
Top Metropolitan Areas:
- Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale MD: 320 employees, $91,787 avg wage
- Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario MSA: 310 employees, $88,122 avg wage
- Fresno MSA: 140 employees, $94,613 avg wage
- Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom MSA: 90 employees, $91,378 avg wage
- San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad MSA: 90 employees, $92,764 avg wage
- Oakland-Fremont-Berkeley MD: 70 employees, $112,321 avg wage
- San Francisco-San Mateo-Redwood City MD: 70 employees, $101,055 avg wage
- San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara MSA: 60 employees, $103,673 avg wage
- Anaheim-Santa Ana-Irvine MD: 60 employees, $79,795 avg wage
- Stockton-Lodi MSA: 40 employees, $104,135 avg wage
Top 10 metropolitan statistical areas by employment for Recreational Therapists.
Diversity
Demographic information on Recreational Therapists in the US.
Gender and Age
The workforce of Recreational Therapists in 2023 was 15,060 people, with 62.0% women and 38.0% men.
Gender and age distribution for Recreational Therapists.
Races
Racial and ethnic shares when present in the career dataset. If the chart area shows a notice instead, occupational race/ethnicity fields are not yet populated for this extract.
Race and ethnicity distribution for Recreational Therapists.
Education & Skills
Data on higher education choices and required skills for Recreational Therapists.
Majors
The most common majors achieved by Recreational Therapists in 2023 were Business Administration, Health Sciences, Biology.
Common majors for Recreational Therapists.
Education Levels
The main educational levels achieved by Recreational Therapists workers.
Education level distribution for Recreational Therapists.
Skills
Recreational Therapists need many skills, but most especially Service Orientation, Coordination, Speaking, Social Perceptiveness, Active Listening.
Required skills for Recreational Therapists.
Knowledge & Abilities
Knowledge areas and abilities required for Recreational Therapists.
Knowledge Areas
The most important knowledge areas for Recreational Therapists include Psychology, Therapy and Counseling, Customer and Personal Service, Education and Training, English Language.
Knowledge areas required for Recreational Therapists.
Abilities
Key abilities needed for Recreational Therapists include Oral Comprehension, Speech Clarity, Oral Expression, Written Expression, Written Comprehension.
Required abilities for Recreational Therapists.
Work Activities
Common work activities performed by Recreational Therapists.
Daily Activities
Recreational Therapists spend their time on activities such as Assisting and Caring for Others, Thinking Creatively, Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships, Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates, Documenting/Recording Information.
Most important work activities for Recreational Therapists.
About
Recreational Therapists
The average yearly wage for Recreational Therapists was $95,805 in 2023.
SOC Code
29-1125 - Recreational Therapists
Insights and Analysis
Compensation snapshot: Recreational Therapists reports an average salary of $95,805.
Labor market presence: The current workforce is approximately 15,060 workers, indicating sustained demand.
Forward outlook: Projected annual growth is 2.3%, which should inform long-term career planning.
Data Sources
This page uses data from the following sources:
- College Scorecard - U.S. Department of Education
- Institutional characteristics, costs, completion rates, and earnings data
- Data years: 2015-2024
- Source: collegescorecard.ed.gov
- Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS)
- Employment and wage data by occupation
- Latest data: May 2024
- Source: bls.gov/oes
- O*NET Online - U.S. Department of Labor
- Occupational skills, knowledge, abilities, and work activities
- Database version: 28.0 (August 2023)
- Source: onetcenter.org
- IPEDS (Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System) - National Center for Education Statistics
- Institutional data, completions, enrollment, and financial aid
- Data years: 2015-2024
- Source: nces.ed.gov/ipeds
- Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS)
- Demographic and workforce data
- Latest data: 2023 ACS 5-Year Estimates
- Source: census.gov/acs
Data Processing: All data has been processed, cleaned, and aggregated for presentation. Where specific data points are unavailable, estimates are based on available data and clearly marked.
Last Updated: Data reflects the most recent available information as of January 2025.
Methodology
Data for this profile is sourced from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS), and O*NET Online.
All wage figures represent annual averages and may vary by location, industry, and experience level.