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Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics

Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2019

29-1125 Recreational Therapists

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. Excludes “Recreation Workers” (39-9032).


National estimates for this occupation
Industry profile for this occupation
Geographic profile for this occupation

National estimates for this occupation:

Employment estimate and mean wage estimates for this occupation:

Employment (1) Employment
RSE (3)
Mean hourly
wage
Mean annual
wage (2)
Wage RSE (3)
19,070 2.4 % $24.58 $51,130 0.8 %

Percentile wage estimates for this occupation:

Percentile 10% 25% 50%
(Median)
75% 90%
Hourly Wage $14.85 $18.19 $23.18 $29.79 $37.49
Annual Wage (2) $30,880 $37,840 $48,220 $61,960 $77,970


Industry profile for this occupation:

Industries with the highest published employment and wages for this occupation are provided. For a list of all industries with employment in this occupation, see the Create Customized Tables function.

Industries with the highest levels of employment in this occupation:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
General Medical and Surgical Hospitals 3,240 0.06 $25.81 $53,680
Psychiatric and Substance Abuse Hospitals 3,150 1.28 $25.42 $52,880
Nursing Care Facilities (Skilled Nursing Facilities) 2,670 0.17 $21.62 $44,970
State Government, excluding schools and hospitals (OES Designation) 1,680 0.08 $26.79 $55,720
Continuing Care Retirement Communities and Assisted Living Facilities for the Elderly 1,580 0.17 $19.37 $40,290

Industries with the highest concentration of employment in this occupation:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Psychiatric and Substance Abuse Hospitals 3,150 1.28 $25.42 $52,880
Specialty (except Psychiatric and Substance Abuse) Hospitals 670 0.25 $25.64 $53,340
Continuing Care Retirement Communities and Assisted Living Facilities for the Elderly 1,580 0.17 $19.37 $40,290
Nursing Care Facilities (Skilled Nursing Facilities) 2,670 0.17 $21.62 $44,970
Offices of Other Health Practitioners 920 0.10 $24.62 $51,200

Top paying industries for this occupation:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Federal Executive Branch (OES Designation) 960 0.05 $34.16 $71,050
Employment Services 30 (7) $29.18 $60,700
Management of Companies and Enterprises 110 (7) $28.13 $58,520
Child Day Care Services 60 0.01 $27.98 $58,200
Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools 130 (7) $27.59 $57,390


Geographic profile for this occupation:

States and areas with the highest published employment, location quotients, and wages for this occupation are provided. For a list of all areas with employment in this occupation, see the Create Customized Tables function.





States with the highest employment level in this occupation:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
California 1,580 0.09 0.70 $36.24 $75,370
New York 1,450 0.15 1.17 $27.03 $56,220
Texas 1,400 0.11 0.87 $20.64 $42,940
Pennsylvania 1,150 0.20 1.50 $22.49 $46,770
Massachusetts 870 0.24 1.85 $27.16 $56,480




States with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in this occupation:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Kansas 380 0.27 2.12 $17.75 $36,910
Wisconsin 730 0.25 1.96 $22.47 $46,740
Massachusetts 870 0.24 1.85 $27.16 $56,480
Utah 350 0.23 1.78 $23.45 $48,780
Arizona 670 0.23 1.80 $24.19 $50,320




Top paying States for this occupation:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
California 1,580 0.09 0.70 $36.24 $75,370
District of Columbia 100 0.14 1.12 $35.61 $74,070
Hawaii 30 0.05 0.40 $30.71 $63,870
Washington 240 0.07 0.55 $29.69 $61,750
Connecticut 320 0.19 1.47 $29.45 $61,250





Metropolitan areas with the highest employment level in this occupation:

Metropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA 1,360 0.14 1.08 $28.72 $59,750
Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD 620 0.22 1.66 $21.34 $44,380
Boston-Cambridge-Nashua, MA-NH 600 0.21 1.65 $28.47 $59,210
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI 590 0.13 0.98 $23.41 $48,700
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA 510 0.08 0.63 $34.97 $72,740
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX 480 0.13 1.01 $20.28 $42,190
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV 390 0.12 0.94 $27.00 $56,170
Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX 370 0.12 0.92 $22.14 $46,050
Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI 330 0.17 1.28 $23.89 $49,700
Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD 260 0.19 1.48 $19.88 $41,350




Metropolitan areas with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in this occupation:

Metropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Alexandria, LA 50 0.80 6.15 $21.04 $43,760
San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles-Arroyo Grande, CA 90 0.73 5.62 $40.19 $83,590
Salem, OR 100 0.60 4.61 $26.67 $55,460
La Crosse-Onalaska, WI-MN 40 0.57 4.40 $21.19 $44,070
Topeka, KS 50 0.47 3.65 $20.52 $42,690
Jefferson City, MO 30 0.47 3.60 $20.18 $41,980
Ann Arbor, MI 100 0.44 3.42 $25.05 $52,110
Worcester, MA-CT 120 0.43 3.28 $19.49 $40,540
Columbus, GA-AL 50 0.43 3.31 $14.60 $30,360
Provo-Orem, UT 100 0.41 3.13 $20.47 $42,570




Top paying metropolitan areas for this occupation:

Metropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles-Arroyo Grande, CA 90 0.73 5.62 $40.19 $83,590
San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA 60 0.05 0.39 $39.81 $82,800
Fresno, CA 60 0.15 1.17 $39.50 $82,170
Salinas, CA 30 0.18 1.35 $38.72 $80,550
Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA 170 0.11 0.85 $38.36 $79,780
Sacramento--Roseville--Arden-Arcade, CA 60 0.06 0.43 $36.32 $75,550
San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA 120 0.05 0.37 $35.67 $74,200
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA 510 0.08 0.63 $34.97 $72,740
New Haven, CT 50 0.17 1.28 $33.22 $69,090
Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA 130 0.07 0.51 $32.78 $68,180

Nonmetropolitan areas with the highest employment in this occupation:

Nonmetropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Kansas nonmetropolitan area 150 0.38 2.93 $15.95 $33,180
South Central Wisconsin nonmetropolitan area 60 0.28 2.13 $22.02 $45,800
Balance of Lower Peninsula of Michigan nonmetropolitan area 60 0.20 1.56 $20.70 $43,050
Western Wisconsin nonmetropolitan area 50 0.36 2.76 $23.20 $48,260
Middle Georgia nonmetropolitan area 50 0.37 2.85 (8) (8)

Nonmetropolitan areas with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in this occupation:

Nonmetropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Kansas nonmetropolitan area 150 0.38 2.93 $15.95 $33,180
Central New Hampshire nonmetropolitan area 40 0.37 2.81 $23.53 $48,940
Middle Georgia nonmetropolitan area 50 0.37 2.85 (8) (8)
Western Wisconsin nonmetropolitan area 50 0.36 2.76 $23.20 $48,260
Nevada nonmetropolitan area 30 0.32 2.48 $17.94 $37,320

Top paying nonmetropolitan areas for this occupation:

Nonmetropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Southern Ohio non-metropolitan area 30 0.21 1.62 $28.59 $59,460
Western Pennsylvania nonmetropolitan area 50 0.31 2.36 $24.87 $51,740
Central New Hampshire nonmetropolitan area 40 0.37 2.81 $23.53 $48,940
Western Wisconsin nonmetropolitan area 50 0.36 2.76 $23.20 $48,260
South Central Wisconsin nonmetropolitan area 60 0.28 2.13 $22.02 $45,800


About May 2019 National, State, Metropolitan, and Nonmetropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

These estimates are calculated with data collected from employers in all industry sectors, all metropolitan and nonmetropolitan areas, and all states and the District of Columbia. The top employment and wage figures are provided above. The complete list is available in the downloadable XLS files.

The percentile wage estimate is the value of a wage below which a certain percent of workers fall. The median wage is the 50th percentile wage estimate--50 percent of workers earn less than the median and 50 percent of workers earn more than the median. More about percentile wages.


(1) Estimates for detailed occupations do not sum to the totals because the totals include occupations not shown separately. Estimates do not include self-employed workers.

(2) Annual wages have been calculated by multiplying the hourly mean wage by a "year-round, full-time" hours figure of 2,080 hours; for those occupations where there is not an hourly wage published, the annual wage has been directly calculated from the reported survey data.

(3) The relative standard error (RSE) is a measure of the reliability of a survey statistic. The smaller the relative standard error, the more precise the estimate.

(7) The value is less than .005 percent of industry employment.

(8) Estimate not released.

(9) The location quotient is the ratio of the area concentration of occupational employment to the national average concentration. A location quotient greater than one indicates the occupation has a higher share of employment than average, and a location quotient less than one indicates the occupation is less prevalent in the area than average.


Other OES estimates and related information:

May 2019 National Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2019 State Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2019 Metropolitan and Nonmetropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2019 National Industry-Specific Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2019 Occupation Profiles

Technical Notes

 

Last Modified Date: July 6, 2020