Recreational Therapist Pay in the Great Plains Region

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics' (BLS) most recent occupational employment data put the number of recreational therapists employed in the United States at more than 14,600 as of May 2024.  At that time, just under 1,700 recreational therapists were employed in the seven-state Great Plains region according to BLS figures.  Although Minnesota ranked as a top ten state for recreational therapist annual mean wages according to BLS data, the Great Plains region was a rather weak one for recreational therapist pay.  Other states in the region registered recreational therapist annual mean wage levels that were below the national average for the profession, with Kansas ranked amongst the ten worst states in the nation for that pay metric.  A closer look at May 2024 BLS data provides the following details about recreational therapist pay in the Great Plains region:

Recreational Therapist Pay in the Great Plains Region

State	# Employed	Annual Mean Wages	Wage Rank*
IA	270	$55,430	32nd
KS	710	$42,440	46th
MN	240	$67,870	8th
MO	230	$58,900	23rd
NE	190	$56,650	28th
ND	50	$56,770	26th
SD	-------	-------	N/A
U.S.	14,620	$62,644	-------

(*) annual mean wage ranking among the 50 states and the District of Columbia

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics OES. Data extracted on November 14, 2025