In a prior commentary, we reviewed Recreational Therapist Pay in the Top 20 Metro Markets.  As is the case with many healthcare professions, the major metro areas in the U.S. are the top centers for recreational therapist employment.  However, smaller metro markets sometimes provide better pay opportunities for recreational therapists. May 2021 data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reveals that less than half of the 20 largest metropolitan areas in the nation were among the 20 best metro markets for recreational therapist pay:

20 Best Metro Markets for Recreational Therapist Pay

	Metropolitan Area		# Employed	Annual Mean Wages
1	San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles, CA		110	$86,720
2	Vallejo-Fairfield, CA		50	$82,390
3	Fresno, CA		110	$78,410
4	Stockton-Lodi, CA		40	$77,950
5	Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario (#)		200	$75,210
6	San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward (#)		160	$74,600
7	San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA		80	$73,020
8	Trenton, NJ		40	$70,910
9	Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA		40	$68,680
10	Sacramento--Roseville--Arden-Arcade		120	$68,040
11	San Antonio-New Braunfels, TX		110	$64,380
12	New York-Newark-Jersey City (#)		1,420	$63,300
13	New Haven, CT		50	$62,390
14	San Diego-Carlsbad (#)		160	$62,270
15	Springfield, MA-CT		40	$62,070
16	Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land (#)		210	$61,870
17	Hartford-W. Hartford-E. Hartford, CT		120	$61,680
18	Austin-Round Rock, TX		110	$61,540
19	Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim (#)		560	$61,110
20	Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington (#)		330	$60,140
	National		16,980	$53,900

(#) a top 20 U.S metro population area

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics OES. Data extracted on December 3, 2022