Recreational therapists employed in the United States generally report earning salaries in the range from $26,681 to $52,718 a year including bonuses according to the salary information provided by Payscale. The annual bonus earnings for these professionals can amount to up to $974.
Based on the salary data reported by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), 10% of recreational therapists earn $67,280 a year or more, and the 10% on the lower end of the pay scale are paid a yearly income of up to $26,410. The middle 50% of recreational therapists earn salaries in the range from $33,040 to $54,530 a year.
Average salary
The average salary for recreational therapists working in the United States is $39,917 a year according to Payscale, $37,500 according to Jobstat, and $48,068 a year according to Salary.com.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reports a mean annual salary of $44,280 and a median wage of $42,280 a year for this occupation. Based on the data provided by Salary.com, the 10% best paid recreational therapists earn $57,995 a year or more, and the 10% with the lowest annual income are paid $38,353 a year or less. The middle 50% of recreational therapists earn salaries in the range from $42,983 to $53,264 a year.
Jobstat reports that the highest annual wage recorded for this occupation is $57,050 and the lowest, $26,020. The median salary for certified recreation therapists, as reported by Jobstat, is $39,156 a year, with the highest yearly income recorded being $53,282 and the lowest, $30,588.
Recreational therapists’ annual salary can vary considerably from industry to industry. Based on the salary figures reported by the BLS, the top paying industries for this profession are the federal executive branch, where recreational therapists earn a median annual salary of $65,400, followed by home health care services, where the average salary for this occupation is $59,210 a year, and general medical and surgical hospitals, where therapists are typically paid around $48,360 a year.
Professionals employed by universities, colleges, and professional schools earn $47,850 a year on average, and those employed at specialty hospitals (not including psychiatric and substance abuse hospitals) earn an average yearly salary of $47,510 according to the BLS.
Recreational therapists working at psychiatric and substance abuse hospitals earn around $46,820 a year, those employed at nursing care facilities (skilled nursing facilities) make $38,710 a year on average, and professionals working for the state government are typically paid around $45,500 annually. Therapists working in continuing care retirement communities and assisted living facilities for the elderly earn an average annual salary of $36,910, and those employed at offices of other health practitioners make $40,670 a year on average according to the data provided by the BLS.
Salary range
Recreational therapists working in the U.S. generally earn an income in the range from $24,000 to $36,000 a year according to the salary figures reported by Recruiter.com.
Recreational therapists’ annual pay can vary depending on a wide range of factors, including work experience. Therapists with 1 to 4 years of experience typically earn an income in the range from $28,603 to $54,705 a year, and those with 5 to 9 years of work experience under their belt are generally paid between $32,000 and $58,800 annually.
Professionals with 10 to 19 years of experience report earning annual salaries in the range from $31,660 to $78,297, and those with 20 or more years of experience generally make between $40,000 and $50,615 a year according to the salary figures reported by Payscale.
Recreational therapists employed by organizations or companies with 200 to 599 employees are generally paid between $30,150 and $43,950 a year.
Recreational therapists’ annual salaries can vary from industry to industry. Therapists employed in the rehabilitation industry generally earn between $27,000 and $40,695 annually, and those working at long-term care or rehabiliation facilities are typically paid an income in the range from $35,949 to $40,593 a year. Recreational therapists working at psychiatric hospitals make between $34,392 and $43,950 a year, and professionals employed in the health care sector are usually paid between $36,751 and $54,811 a year according to Payscale’s salary data.
Recreational therapists with the professional qualification of Certified Therapeutic Recreation Specialist (CTRS) typically earn an annual pay in the range from $27,274 to $56,766 a year according to Payscale’s salary data.
Salary by state
Recreational therapists’ annual salaries depend on geographical location among other factors, and can vary significantly from state to state. For example, therapists based in New York generally earn an annual income in the range from $32,970 to $45,500, while professionals employed in Missouri are paid between $33,588 and $37,499 a year according to Payscale’s data.
The states with the highest average yearly salary for this occupation, as reported by Recruiter.com, are District of Columbia ($56,910), California ($55,910), Washington ($49,040), New Jersey ($47,520), Connecticut ($47,470), New York ($46,960), and Hawaii ($46,810).
The lowest median income for recreational therapists is recorded in the following states: Nebraska ($31,290), North Dakota ($31,800), Missouri ($32,260), Kansas ($32,420), Nevada ($32,530), and Montana ($32,770).
The top paying states for recreational therapsists, as reported by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), are California, with an average annual wage of $59,620, followed by Oregon ($53,190), New Jersey ($51,550), New York ($50,980), and Alaska ($50,880).
Based on the data provided by the BLS, recreational therapists working in Pennsylvania earn $42,590 a year on average, those based in Massachusetts make $38,520 a year on average, and professionals employed in Illinois earn an average yearly salary of $41,550. Professionals working in Connecticut are paid around $49,730 a year, and those employed in Mississippi earn an average annual pay of $32,780.
Hourly wage
Recreational therapists working in the U.S. typically earn between $12.12 and $25.09 per hour according to Payscale’s salary data. Overtime rates for these professionals are generally in the range from $20.87 to $37.80 per hour.
The hourly rate for recreational therapists can vary depending on work experience among other factors. Therapists with 1 to 4 years of experience typically make between $11 and $21.87 per hour, and those with 5 to 9 years of experience are usually paid between $11.59 and $20.34 per hour. Recreational therapists with 10 to 19 years of work experience generally earn an hourly pay in the range from $15.32 to $39.89, and those with 20 or more years of experience under their belt are typically paid between $19.98 and $25.05 per hour based on Payscale’s salary data.
The hourly salary can vary from state to state. Recreational therapists employed in New York generally make between $14.48 and $19.95 per hour, and those working in Pennsylvania are typically paid between $13.53 and $20.30 per hour. Professionals based in California earn between $18.67 and $25.34 per hour, and those working in Virginia earn an hourly pay in the range from $12 to $21.50 according to Payscale.
In terms of industry, recreational therapists working in the health care sector generally earn between $15.10 and $27.57 per hour, those working in the rehabilitation industry are typically paid between $14.19 and $23.43 per hour, and professionals working in residential care or assisted living facilities report earning an hourly wage in the range from $9.93 to $20.32.
In terms of employer type, therapists working at hospitals generally make between $15.07 and $24.95 per hour, and those employed by companies are typically paid between $9.93 and $23.24 per hour. Professionals employed by non-profit organizations are usually paid an hourly salary in the range from $13.88 to $20.27, and those employed by the state or local government generally earn between $15 and $29 per hour according to Payscale’s data.
Jobstat reports a median hourly rate of $18.65, with the highest hourly salary recorded for this occupation being $28.37 and the lowest, $12.94 per hour. Certified recreation therapists earn $19.47 per hour on average, with the highest rate recorded being $26.50 and the lowest, $15.21 per hour.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reports a mean hourly rate of $21.29 and a median hourly pay of $20.33 for this profession. 10% of recreational therapists make $32.35 per hour or more, and the 10% on the lower end of the pay scale are paid up to $12.70 per hour. The middle 50% of therapists report being paid an hourly salary in the range from $15.89 to $26.21.
The hourly salary for these professionals can vary significantly from industry to industry. Based on the BLS salary data, recreational therapists employed at nursing care facilities earn an average hourly wage of $18.61, those working at general medical and surgical hospitals are typically paid around $23.25 per hour, and professionals employed at psychiatric and substance abuse hospitals earn $22.51 per hour on average.
Therapists working at other specialty hospitals are paid around $22.84 per hour, those employed by the state government make $21.88 per hour on average, and professionals working in continuing care retirement communities and assisted living facilities for the elderly earn an average hourly salary of $17.75 according to the BLS.
Recreational therapists working at offices of other health practitioners make around $19.55 per hour, those working in the federal executive branch are typically paid around $31.44 per hour, and professionals working in home health care services earn a median hourly pay of $28.47. Therapists employed by colleges, universities, and professional schools earn $23.01 per hour on average according to the salary data provided by the BLS.
The average hourly salary can vary considerably from state to state. Recreational therapists employed in New York are paid $24.51 per hour on average, those working in Pennsylvania earn around $20.48 per hour, and professionals based in California earn an average hourly pay of $28.67 according to the BLS.
Recreational therapists working in Illinois earn around $19.98 per hour, and those based in Massachusetts are paid around $18.52 per hour. Therapists employed in Connecticut make $23.91 per hour on average, those working in Mississippi are paid $15.76 per hour on average, and professionals based in Oregon earn around $25.57 per hour. Therapists working in New Jersey earn an average hourly salary of $24.78, and those based in Alaska are paid around $24.46 per hour according to the BLS salary figures.
Benefits
Along with their basic yearly salary and bonuses, recreational therapists typically get a variety of perks and benefits, and these can sometimes reflect their annual income.
Recreational therapists who have 401(k) plans as part of their benefits package typically earn an income in the range from $28,806 to $50,335 a year, those who have paid vacations and holidays usually make between $31,834 and $55,197 a year, and professionals who have paid sick leave are generally paid an income in the range from $36,000 to $50,000 a year.
Recreational therapists who have life and disability insurance generally make between $30,546 and $40,452 a year, those who have 403(b) plans are usually paid between $39,440 and $52,903 annually, and professionals who can dress casually at work generally report earning an annual pay in the range from $36,000 to $61,600 according to Payscale’s salary data.
Other income factors
Recreational therapists’ annual salaries can vary depending on the type of employer. Therapists working at hospitals generally earn a yearly income in the range from $31,010 to $51,825, those employed by the state or local government are typically paid between $24,417 and $50,000 a year, and professionals working for non-profit organizations make between $38,615 and $42,144 a year according to the salary data reported by Payscale.