Recreational therapists

Detailed Occupation

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2023 Workforce

16.3k

Average Age

40.6

Estimated Job Growth

4.22%

10-year projection

Average Salary

$48,889

Average Male Salary

$53,306

Average Female Salary

$47,867

About

Recreational therapists are most often employed by the General medical and surgical hospitals, and specialty (except psychiatric and substance abuse) hospitals industry. The average yearly wage for Recreational therapists was $48,889 in 2023.

The locations that employ the most Recreational therapists are Salt Lake County--Salt Lake City (East) & Emigration Canyon PUMA, UT. The locations with a relatively high concentration of Recreational therapists are Utah County (East)--Spanish Fork, Springville, Lehi (Northeast) & Highland Cities PUMA, UT, Oakland County (Northeast) PUMA, MI, and Three Rivers Regional Commission (East) PUMA, GA.

Photo by Robert Bejil

Management, business, science, & arts occupations Healthcare practitioners & technical occupations

Employment

Employment and salary information for the Recreational therapists workforce. Recreational therapists workforce in 2023 was 16,279 people, of which 81.2% were women and 18.8% were men. Recreational therapists are paid most in Salt Lake County--Salt Lake City (East) & Emigration Canyon PUMA, UT but are relatively concentrated in Utah County (East)--Spanish Fork, Springville, Lehi (Northeast) & Highland Cities PUMA, UT.

Employment Over Time

Metric

Grouping

3,059

Male Workforce

± 1.36k

13,220

Female Workforce

± 2.82k

The Recreational therapists workforce in 2023 was 16,279 people (81.2% women and 18.8% men). This implies an average annual growth of 42.3% between 2014 (11,437) and 2023 (16,279).

Employment by Location

Level

Metric

This map shows the states in the United States shaded by average wage for Recreational therapists.

During 2023, the states that concentrated the best average annual wage were Indiana ($164,448), Washington ($100,637), and Nebraska ($62,031).

Yearly Wage Ranking

$48,889

AVERAGE WAGE

#346 in the ranking (2023)

$67,727

NATIONAL AVERAGE WAGE

For all occupations across the US

In 2023, Recreational therapists earned an average of $48,889, $18,838 less than the average national salary of $67,727

The graph shows the ranking of Recreational therapists in relation to all Detailed Occupation in 2023.

In 2023, Recreational therapists had a wage GINI coefficient of 0.401, which is lower than the national average of 0.476. In other words, wages are distributed more evenly for Recreational therapists (shown in red) than for the overall labor force (shown in gray).

The graphic shows the distribution of average salaries by buckets for Recreational therapists compared to the entire workforce in the country.

Industry

Information on the industries that employ Recreational therapists and on wages for those in the field. General medical and surgical hospitals, and specialty (except psychiatric and substance abuse) hospitals is the industry that employs the most Recreational therapists, both by share and by number, though the highest paid industry for Recreational therapists, by average wage, is Offices of other health practitioners ($91,319).

Occupations by Industries

Metric

Value

16.3k

2023 Workforce

± 3,132

0.606%

1 YEAR GROWTH

± 27.1%

This graphic shows the share of Recreational therapists employed by various industries. General medical and surgical hospitals, and specialty (except psychiatric and substance abuse) hospitals employs the largest share of Recreational therapists at 31.5%, followed by Residential care facilities, except skilled nursing facilities with 29.3% and Nursing Care Facilities with 26.4%.

Diversity

Demographic information on Recreational therapists in the US. The workforce of Recreational therapists in 2023 was 16,279 people, with 81.2% woman, and 18.8% men. The average age of male Recreational therapists in the workforce is 41 and of female Recreational therapists is 40.5, and the most common race/ethnicity for Recreational therapists is White.

Gender and Age

Metric

The workforce of Recreational therapists in 2023 was 16,279 people, with 81.2% woman, and 18.8% men.

The age ranges that concentrated the largest workforce were 25 to 29 years (2,455 people), 20 to 24 years (2,353 people), and 30 to 34 years (2,160 people). Among them they concentrated 44% of the total workforce.

Ethnicity

Gender

In 2023, 9.88% of Recreational therapists workers were Hispanic and 90.1% non-Hispanic.

The treemap shows the distribution of Hispanic workers according to their origin, highlighting Mexican (83.9%) and Puerto Rican (16.1)%

You can review this information by gender using the selectors above.

Races

In 2023, 73.5% of the Recreational therapists workforce were White, of which 82.9% were women and 17.1% men. Other races that concentrated a significant number of workers were Black (10.9%) and Two or More Races (7.34%).

Education & Skills

Data on higher education choices for Recreational therapists from The Department of Education and Census Bureau. The most common major for Recreational therapists is Health but the most specialized major according to RCA in 2023 were Parks, Recreation, & Leisure.

Among the necessary skills for Recreational therapists, Service Orientation stands, but the revealed comparative advantage (RCA) shows that Recreational therapists need more than the average amount of Operations Analysis.

Majors

ACS PUMS data only shows the major for bachelor's degrees. However, we can filter the data based on highest degree obtained.

Type of Majors

Degree

The most common majors achieved by Recreational therapists in 2023 (counting all academic degrees) were Health (5,444 people), Parks, Recreation, & Leisure (1,098 people), and Psychology (787 people).

You can review this information for different academic grades by modifying the option selected in the selector above.

Education Levels

Metric

The main educational levels achieved by the Recreational therapists workers were Bachelors Degree (8,820 people), Graduate Degree (2,615 people), and Some college (1,837 people).

The graphic shows the Recreational therapists workforce by gender and educational level.

Skills

Chart

Value

Data on the critical and distinctive skills necessary for Recreational therapists from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Recreational therapists need many skills, but most especially Service Orientation, Social Perceptiveness, Active Listening.

Projections

Projections on job growth for Recreational Therapists from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The 10-year national workforce is projected to grow 4.02%, but Recreational Therapists are expected to see a growth of 4.22% over the same period. This occupation is expected to grow more than the national average.

Job Growth

4.22%

Estimated Job Growth

10-year Projection

4.02%

National Growth

10-year Projection

This line chart shows the projected 10-year growth in the number of jobs for Recreational therapists. This profession is expected to grow more than than 4.02%, the average rate of national job growth.