Recreational therapists

Detailed Occupation

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2024 Workforce

16.3k

Average Age

40.6

Estimated Job Growth

3.11%

10-year projection

Average Salary

$52,969

Average Male Salary

$58,654

Average Female Salary

$51,677

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 $52,969 in 2024.

The locations that employ the most Recreational therapists are . The locations with a relatively high concentration of Recreational therapists are Pierce County (West Central)--Lakewood & University Place Cities PUMA, WA, 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 2024 was 16,339 people, of which 81.5% were women and 18.5% were men.

Employment Over Time

Metric

Grouping

3,026

Male Workforce

± 1.35k

13,313

Female Workforce

± 2.83k

The Recreational therapists workforce in 2024 was 16,339 people (81.5% women and 18.5% men). This implies an average annual growth of 42.9% between 2014 (11,437) and 2024 (16,339).

Employment by Location

Level

Metric

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

During 2024, the states that concentrated the best average annual wage were Indiana ($172,872), Washington ($149,226), and Maryland ($66,211).

Yearly Wage Ranking

$52,969

AVERAGE WAGE

#297 in the ranking (2014)

$69,878

NATIONAL AVERAGE WAGE

For all occupations across the US

In 2024, Recreational therapists earned an average of $52,969, $16,909 less than the average national salary of $69,878

The graph shows the ranking of Recreational therapists in relation to all Detailed Occupation in 2014.

In 2024, Recreational therapists had a wage GINI coefficient of 0.408, which is lower than the national average of 0.474. 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 ($120,791).

Occupations by Industries

Metric

Value

16.3k

2024 Workforce

± 3,138

0.369%

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 32.7%, followed by Residential care facilities, except skilled nursing facilities with 29.1% and Nursing Care Facilities with 24%.

Diversity

Demographic information on Recreational therapists in the US. The workforce of Recreational therapists in 2024 was 16,339 people, with 81.5% woman, and 18.5% men. The average age of male Recreational therapists in the workforce is 42.2 and of female Recreational therapists is 40.2, and the most common race/ethnicity for Recreational therapists is White.

Gender and Age

Metric

The workforce of Recreational therapists in 2024 was 16,339 people, with 81.5% woman, and 18.5% men.

The age ranges that concentrated the largest workforce were 30 to 34 years (2,338 people), 20 to 24 years (2,259 people), and 25 to 29 years (2,173 people). Among them they concentrated 42.4% of the total workforce.

Ethnicity

Gender

In 2024, 10.3% of Recreational therapists workers were Hispanic and 89.7% non-Hispanic.

The treemap shows the distribution of Hispanic workers according to their origin, highlighting Mexican (70.5%), Dominican (15.3)%, and Puerto Rican (14.2)%

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

Races

In 2024, 71.4% of the Recreational therapists workforce were White, of which 81.8% were women and 18.2% men. Other races that concentrated a significant number of workers were Black (10.8%) and Two or More Races (8.39%).

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 2024 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 2024 (counting all academic degrees) were Health (5,810 people), Parks, Recreation, & Leisure (1,063 people), and Psychology (870 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 (8,799 people), Graduate Degree (2,814 people), and Some college (1,869 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 3.07%, but Recreational Therapists are expected to see a growth of 3.11% over the same period. This occupation is expected to grow more than the national average.

Job Growth

3.11%

Estimated Job Growth

10-year Projection

3.07%

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 3.07%, the average rate of national job growth.