May 2021 data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reveals that there were about 17,000 recreational therapists (RTs) employed in the United States. Recreational therapists are employed in varied healthcare settings, including hospitals, skilled nursing facilities, and continuing care retirement communities. While most recreational therapist jobs require a bachelor's degree and particular technical skills, the wage scale for RTs is marginally lower than for workers in most occupations in the United States. The BLS estimated that, as of May 2021 the national mean salary for RTs was $53,900 per year. That said, RT pay varies widely from region-to-region, with practitioners in some regions making 75% more than their peers in other regions of the country. This salary disparity is readily seen in BLS data from May 2021, which reveals the following about recreational therapist pay in the top 20 metro markets in the United States:
Recreational Therapist Pay in the Top 20 Metro Markets
| Metropolitan Area | # Employed | Mean Annual Wage | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | New York-Newark-Jersey City | 1,420 | $63,300 | ||
| 2 | Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim | 560 | $61,110 | ||
| 3 | Chicago-Naperville-Elgin | 360 | $57,260 | ||
| 4 | Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington | 330 | $60,140 | ||
| 5 | Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land | 210 | $61,870 | ||
| 6 | Washington-Arlington-Alexandria | 300 | $58,230 | ||
| 7 | Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington | 360 | $54,330 | ||
| 8 | Miami-Fort Lauderdale-Pompano Beach | 230 | $49,210 | ||
| 9 | Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Alpharetta | 330 | $52,060 | ||
| 10 | Boston-Cambridge-Newton | 300 | $55,870 | ||
| 11 | Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler | 150 | $53,410 | ||
| 12 | San Francisco-Oakland-Berkeley | 160 | $74,600 | ||
| 13 | Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario | 200 | $75,210 | ||
| 14 | Detroit-Warren-Dearborn | 310 | $50,250 | ||
| 15 | Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue | 210 | $60,070 | ||
| 16 | Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington | n/a | $49,250 | ||
| 17 | San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad | 160 | $62,270 | ||
| 18 | Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater | 150 | $55,970 | ||
| 19 | Denver-Aurora-Lakewood | 190 | $49,050 | ||
| 20 | Baltimore-Columbia-Towson | 210 | $46,220 | ||
| National | 16,980 | $53,900 | |||
Report Period: May 2021
Top 20 U.S. Metro areas from the 2020 Census
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Occupational Statistics
Data extracted on October 15, 2022