Occupational Therapists
Median $100,330
Occupation · SOC 29-1125
Recreational Therapists: pay and where the jobs are
What recreational therapists earn in the U.S., how pay varies across workers and states, and tools to plan around it.
National pay, May 2025
$61,960 median annual wage
- Mean (average) annual wage
- $67,630
- Median hourly wage
- $29.79
- Mean hourly wage
- $32.52
- Employment
- 14,930
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025 (released 2026-05-15), SOC 29-1125.
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How much do recreational therapists make?
The median annual wage for recreational therapists was $61,960 in May 2025, so half of workers earned more and half earned less. The lowest-paid 10% earned less than $40,990 and the highest-paid 10% more than $100,420. As an hourly rate, the median is $29.79. About 14,930 people work in this occupation nationwide. The highest state medians are in California ($98,170), District of Columbia ($95,640) and New Hampshire ($82,280). California also comes out on top after taxes and local prices.
Pay ladder
What each step of the pay range for recreational therapists looks like per month. Take-home here includes federal tax, Social Security and Medicare for a single filer; add your state in the paycheck calculator.
| Step | Annual | Hourly | Monthly gross | Monthly after federal tax & FICA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $40,990 | $19.71 | $3,416 | $2,926 |
| 25th percentile | $50,240 | $24.16 | $4,187 | $3,546 |
| Median | $61,960 | $29.79 | $5,163 | $4,330 |
| 75th percentile | $79,930 | $38.43 | $6,661 | $5,422 |
| 90th percentile | $100,420 | $48.28 | $8,368 | $6,623 |
Recreational Therapists: pay by state
49 states and territories have a published median, sorted from highest to lowest. The last two columns are our estimates: the median after 2026 federal and state taxes, and that take-home restated in national-average prices.
1
$64,786 take-home in national prices
2
$64,560 take-home in national prices
3
$64,230 take-home in national prices
Where a median recreational therapist paycheck goes furthest after 2026 taxes and BEA price levels.
| State | Employment | Median | 10th pct. | 90th pct. | Median after tax* | In national prices† |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| California | 1,920 | $98,170 | $60,940 | $115,370 | $71,732 | $64,786 |
| District of Columbia | 50 | $95,640 | $50,840 | $118,340 | $70,952 | $64,560 |
| New Hampshire | 70 | $82,280 | $53,060 | $98,310 | $66,714 | $64,046 |
| Nevada | 400 | $78,730 | $46,380 | $98,630 | $64,217 | $64,230 |
| Washington | 240 | $77,860 | $61,070 | $108,200 | $62,524 | $58,427 |
| Minnesota | 250 | $76,360 | $55,210 | $97,570 | $58,544 | $59,363 |
| Colorado | 200 | $66,580 | $44,530 | $88,120 | $53,155 | $51,581 |
| Oregon | 250 | $66,530 | $51,210 | $83,780 | $50,758 | $49,107 |
| New York | 1,230 | $65,520 | $49,940 | $91,370 | $51,570 | $47,785 |
| Hawaii | 40 | $64,500 | $45,920 | $95,040 | $50,585 | $46,007 |
| Maryland | 290 | $64,300 | $39,220 | $95,490 | $51,157 | $48,740 |
| Vermont | 40 | $63,380 | $49,830 | $79,170 | $51,416 | $52,488 |
| Connecticut | 380 | $63,240 | $46,350 | $101,650 | $49,949 | $48,209 |
| Nebraska | 150 | $62,980 | $40,370 | $79,080 | $50,798 | $56,378 |
| Massachusetts | 210 | $62,820 | $49,090 | $94,890 | $49,446 | $46,754 |
| Arizona | 170 | $62,610 | $49,710 | $90,230 | $51,316 | $50,971 |
| Texas | 800 | $62,490 | $36,210 | $213,790 | $52,391 | $53,979 |
| Michigan | 590 | $61,700 | $42,270 | $73,690 | $49,384 | $51,326 |
| Virginia | 570 | $61,270 | $49,580 | $87,020 | $48,702 | $48,170 |
| Ohio | 310 | $60,770 | $46,440 | $84,910 | $49,781 | $53,658 |
| New Jersey | 430 | $60,400 | $49,810 | $85,580 | $48,478 | $44,555 |
| Wisconsin | 350 | $59,350 | $48,650 | $81,330 | $47,830 | $50,832 |
| Kentucky | 100 | $59,240 | $37,850 | $77,590 | $47,824 | $53,044 |
| Pennsylvania | 720 | $58,940 | $39,690 | $80,340 | $47,688 | $48,874 |
| Missouri | 140 | $58,620 | $43,000 | $93,500 | $47,463 | $52,263 |
| North Dakota | 80 | $58,370 | $40,100 | $70,570 | $49,080 | $55,172 |
| Florida | 640 | $57,980 | $41,400 | $86,610 | $48,767 | $47,157 |
| Maine | 40 | $57,560 | $39,480 | $77,130 | $45,934 | $47,330 |
| Alabama | 160 | $57,360 | $43,840 | $87,110 | $45,876 | $51,649 |
| Utah | 210 | $56,640 | $31,730 | $86,260 | $45,636 | $46,161 |
| Iowa | 230 | $56,140 | $43,580 | $81,970 | $45,807 | $52,195 |
| Illinois | 440 | $54,910 | $40,560 | $86,190 | $43,727 | $43,745 |
| Indiana | 190 | $53,770 | $38,550 | $76,750 | $43,827 | $46,960 |
| Georgia | 530 | $52,010 | $29,330 | $92,500 | $42,123 | $43,745 |
| Tennessee | 150 | $51,910 | $37,080 | $78,850 | $43,890 | $47,774 |
| Louisiana | 190 | $51,150 | $36,590 | $67,220 | $42,131 | $47,764 |
| Delaware | 70 | $51,110 | $42,640 | $76,290 | $40,883 | $40,961 |
| Montana | 40 | $51,110 | $38,210 | $86,260 | $41,601 | $43,955 |
| North Carolina | 440 | $51,030 | $41,490 | $78,340 | $41,655 | $44,161 |
| Oklahoma | 120 | $50,480 | $32,920 | $77,910 | $41,015 | $46,691 |
| Idaho | 90 | $49,720 | $39,920 | $72,360 | $40,603 | $42,519 |
| New Mexico | 100 | $49,210 | $41,600 | $110,470 | $40,572 | $43,998 |
| West Virginia | 130 | $49,010 | $36,580 | $118,410 | $40,157 | $44,870 |
| South Carolina | 190 | $48,880 | $38,290 | $74,670 | $40,530 | $43,232 |
| South Dakota | 40 | $46,850 | $41,390 | $83,780 | $39,824 | $44,955 |
| Arkansas | 70 | $42,670 | $31,130 | $82,960 | $35,374 | $40,689 |
| Kansas | 710 | $40,010 | $29,720 | $60,720 | $32,895 | $36,523 |
| Mississippi | 140 | $39,560 | $30,570 | $65,170 | $33,116 | $38,085 |
| Puerto Rico | 80 | $28,140 | $27,630 | $93,450 | — | — |
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025 (released 2026-05-15), SOC 29-1125. *Our estimate for a single filer paid biweekly with no pre-tax deductions or local tax, 2026 federal and state rules. †Take-home ÷ BEA Regional Price Parity × 100 (2024 price levels).
Sources
- OEWS May 2025 (oesm25nat.zip) — U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Accessed 2026-10-09.
- OEWS May 2025 (oesm25st.zip) — U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Accessed 2026-10-09.