Careers / Recreational Therapists
Recreational Therapists — Career Decision Dashboard
United States
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Report generated from official BLS OEWS and O*NET data — United States.
Median annual wage
$61,960
United States, 2025
Employment
14,930
United States, 2025
Typical education
Bachelor's Degree
Job Zone 4
Skills identified
35
10 related careers
Career overview
Plan, direct, or coordinate medically-approved recreation programs for patients in hospitals, nursing homes, or other institutions. Activities include sports, trips, dramatics, social activities, and crafts. May assess a patient condition and recommend appropriate recreational activity.
- O*NET code
- 29-1125.00
- Job zone
- 4
- Experience required
- Over 6 months, up to and including 1 year
Typical tasks
- Instruct patient in activities and techniques, such as sports, dance, music, art, or relaxation techniques, designed to meet their specific physical or psychological needs.
- Conduct therapy sessions to improve patients' mental and physical well-being.
- Plan, organize, direct, and participate in treatment programs and activities to facilitate patients' rehabilitation, help them integrate into the community, and prevent further medical problems.
- Observe, analyze, and record patients' participation, reactions, and progress during treatment sessions, modifying treatment programs as needed.
- Develop treatment plan to meet needs of patient, based on needs assessment, patient interests, and objectives of therapy.
- Obtain information from medical records, medical staff, family members and the patients, themselves, to assess patients' capabilities, needs and interests.
- Confer with members of treatment team to plan and evaluate therapy programs.
- Counsel and encourage patients to develop leisure activities.
Choose a location
Salary analysis — United States
10th percentile
$40,990
25th percentile
$50,240
75th percentile
$79,930
90th percentile
$100,420
Most important skills
- Service Orientation4.1
- Active Listening4.0
- Speaking4.0
- Social Perceptiveness4.0
- Coordination4.0
- Writing3.9
- Critical Thinking3.9
- Instructing3.9
- Reading Comprehension3.9
- Complex Problem Solving3.5
- Learning Strategies3.4
- Persuasion3.4
What skills do you need?
Select the skills you already have
Skills listed are those O*NET rates at importance 3.0 or above for this occupation. Set your own level on the same 0–7 O*NET scale.
Skill coverage
0%
0 of 19 identified skills
Matched
0
Missing
19
Your selected skills cover approximately 0% of the skills identified for this occupation in O*NET. This is a coverage measure of listed skills only — it is not a qualification, hiring or interview outcome.
Skills to develop
| Skill | Importance | Required level | Your level | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Service Orientation | 4.1 | 4.3 | Not selected | 4.3 |
| Social Perceptiveness | 4.0 | 4.1 | Not selected | 4.1 |
| Active Listening | 4.0 | 4.0 | Not selected | 4.0 |
| Speaking | 4.0 | 4.0 | Not selected | 4.0 |
| Coordination | 4.0 | 3.9 | Not selected | 3.9 |
| Writing | 3.9 | 4.0 | Not selected | 4.0 |
| Critical Thinking | 3.9 | 4.0 | Not selected | 4.0 |
| Reading Comprehension | 3.9 | 4.0 | Not selected | 4.0 |
| Instructing | 3.9 | 3.8 | Not selected | 3.8 |
| Monitoring | 3.4 | 3.9 | Not selected | 3.9 |
| Persuasion | 3.4 | 3.8 | Not selected | 3.8 |
| Complex Problem Solving | 3.5 | 3.5 | Not selected | 3.5 |
| Learning Strategies | 3.4 | 3.5 | Not selected | 3.5 |
| Active Learning | 3.4 | 3.3 | Not selected | 3.3 |
| Time Management | 3.3 | 3.1 | Not selected | 3.1 |
| Negotiation | 3.1 | 3.1 | Not selected | 3.1 |
| Judgment and Decision Making | 3.1 | 3.1 | Not selected | 3.1 |
| Systems Evaluation | 3.0 | 3.0 | Not selected | 3.0 |
| Systems Analysis | 3.0 | 2.9 | Not selected | 2.9 |
Ordered by required level gap multiplied by O*NET importance. No prediction or recommendation is implied.
Related careers
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Compare with Recreational TherapistsSupplemental
National median $265,930
Compare with Recreational TherapistsHow salary varies by location
| Location | Median | Employment | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stockton, CA | $115,330 | 50 | 2025 |
| Vallejo, CA | $115,330 | 50 | 2025 |
| Napa, CA | $107,810 | 150 | 2025 |
| San Francisco, CA | $102,420 | 190 | 2025 |
| San Jose, CA | $101,670 | 60 | 2025 |
| San Diego, CA | $98,530 | 90 | 2025 |
| CA | $98,170 | 1,920 | 2025 |
| Fresno, CA | $98,160 | 150 | 2025 |
| Riverside, CA | $98,120 | 340 | 2025 |
| DC | $95,640 | 50 | 2025 |
| Sacramento, CA | $91,790 | 90 | 2025 |
| Los Angeles, CA | $91,740 | 380 | 2025 |
| Seattle, WA | $82,660 | 140 | 2025 |
| NH | $82,280 | 70 | 2025 |
| Mankato, MN | $81,950 | 30 | 2025 |
| Las Vegas, NV | $78,730 | 340 | 2025 |
| NV | $78,730 | 400 | 2025 |
| WA | $77,860 | 240 | 2025 |
| MN | $76,360 | 250 | 2025 |
| Minneapolis, MN | $73,980 | 150 | 2025 |
Career transition paths
Compare the skills of a career you hold today with Recreational Therapists to see shared skills, target-only skills and skill overlap.
Build a transition comparisonCareer and skills data: O*NET 31.0.
Salary and employment data: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS, 2025 (May 2025 release).
Figures are periodic published survey snapshots, not real-time market rates.