Recreational Therapists: salary, outlook & degrees
Plan, direct, or coordinate medically-approved recreation programs for patients in hospitals, nursing homes, or other institutions. Activities include sports, trips, dramatics, social activities, and crafts. May assess a patient condition and recommend appropriate recreational activity.
Middle half $50,240–$79,930. 14,930 jobs.
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025
82% hold a bachelor's or higher. Those with one: $50,762.
Census ACS 2020-2024 microdata, workers with at least a high school diploma; EducationGuide calculation
About 1,400 openings a year, including replacements.
BLS Employment Projections 2025-35
Considerable preparation (usually a bachelor's).
BLS; O*NET 31.0 job zone
Degrees that lead to this career
What workers ages 25-34 in this job studied, among those with a bachelor's or higher. This is what people actually did, not a requirement.
| Field of bachelor's degree | Share | Degree pages |
|---|---|---|
| Treatment Therapy Professions | 52% | Rehabilitation / Therapy Sciences |
| Physical Fitness Parks Recreation And Leisure | 10% | Kinesiology / Exercise Science · Parks, Recreation, and Leisure Studies |
| Psychology | 5% | Psychology |
| General Social Sciences | 4% | Social Sciences · Social Sciences, Other |
| Biology | 3% | Biology |
| Elementary Education | 3% | — |
| Accounting | 2% | Accounting |
| Clinical Psychology | 2% | — |
| Animal Sciences | 2% | Animal Sciences |
| Drama And Theater Arts | 1% | Theatre · Arts and Entertainment Management |
Census ACS 2020-2024 microdata (ages 25-34, employed, bachelor's or higher; top 10 fields); EducationGuide calculation.
Education workers say the job requires
O*NET 31.0 survey of workers (“required level of education”); small samples, so treat shares as approximate.
Pay by state and metro
| State | Median wage |
|---|---|
| California | $98,170 |
| District of Columbia | $95,640 |
| New Hampshire | $82,280 |
| Nevada | $78,730 |
| Washington | $77,860 |
| Minnesota | $76,360 |
| Colorado | $66,580 |
| Oregon | $66,530 |
| New York | $65,520 |
| Hawaii | $64,500 |
| Maryland | $64,300 |
| Vermont | $63,380 |
| Connecticut | $63,240 |
| Nebraska | $62,980 |
| Massachusetts | $62,820 |
| Arizona | $62,610 |
| Texas | $62,490 |
| Michigan | $61,700 |
| Virginia | $61,270 |
| Ohio | $60,770 |
| New Jersey | $60,400 |
| Wisconsin | $59,350 |
| Kentucky | $59,240 |
| Pennsylvania | $58,940 |
| Missouri | $58,620 |
| North Dakota | $58,370 |
| Florida | $57,980 |
| Maine | $57,560 |
| Alabama | $57,360 |
| Utah | $56,640 |
| Iowa | $56,140 |
| Illinois | $54,910 |
| Indiana | $53,770 |
| Georgia | $52,010 |
| Tennessee | $51,910 |
| Louisiana | $51,150 |
| Delaware | $51,110 |
| Montana | $51,110 |
| North Carolina | $51,030 |
| Oklahoma | $50,480 |
| Idaho | $49,720 |
| New Mexico | $49,210 |
| West Virginia | $49,010 |
| South Carolina | $48,880 |
| South Dakota | $46,850 |
| Arkansas | $42,670 |
| Kansas | $40,010 |
| Mississippi | $39,560 |
| PR | $28,140 |
Florida metro areas
- Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach$58,110
- Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater$62,390
- Jacksonville$58,710
- Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford$57,290
Virginia metro areas
- Washington-Arlington-Alexandria$71,050
- Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk$59,560
- Richmond$61,270
California metro areas
- Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim$91,740
- Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario$98,120
- San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont$102,420
- Fresno$98,160
- Napa$107,810
- Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom$91,790
- San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad$98,530
- San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara$101,670
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025: median annual wage, all workers in the job. Metro areas: the largest by employment.
What the work takes
Top skills
- Active Listening
- Speaking
- Reading Comprehension
- Writing
- Critical Thinking
Knowledge used
- Psychology
- Therapy and Counseling
- Customer and Personal Service
- Education and Training
- English Language
Work styles
- Empathy
- Cooperation
- Optimism
- Social Orientation
- Dependability
People in this job tend to have Social (helping), Investigative (analytical) interests.
O*NET 31.0 (U.S. Department of Labor, CC BY 4.0): skills and knowledge by importance; work styles; interest high points.
Recreational Therapists: questions
How much do recreational Therapists make?
Recreational Therapists earn a U.S. median $61,960 a year; the middle half earn $50,240 to $79,930 (BLS, May 2025). Workers ages 25-34 in this job earn a median $47,384 (Census ACS 2020-2024).
Is recreational Therapists a growing field?
BLS projects growth of 4.8% from 2025 to 2035, with about 1,400 openings a year, including replacements.
What degree do you need to be a recreational Therapist?
BLS lists the typical entry education as bachelor's degree. In O*NET's survey, 100% of workers say a bachelor's or higher is required. Among workers ages 25-34 with a bachelor's, the most common field of degree is treatment Therapy Professions (52%).
How much do recreational Therapists make in Florida?
The median in Florida is $57,980 a year (BLS, May 2025), compared with $61,960 nationally.
Sources: Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS May 2025; Employment Projections 2025-35); O*NET 31.0 (U.S. Department of Labor, CC BY 4.0); U.S. Census Bureau ACS microdata. SOC 29-1125. Method
Data: JSON · Markdown · all careers
Cite this: “Recreational Therapists: salary, outlook and degrees,” EducationGuide.com, https://educationguide.com/careers/recreational-therapists.