Recreational Therapists · SOC 29-1125

Highest-Paying Metro Areas for Recreational Therapistss

Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025U.S. metropolitan areas

Metro areas ranked by published median annual wage for recreational therapists. Areas where BLS suppressed the median are not ranked (1 such areas are excluded here). Higher medians often track higher living costs — this is a pay comparison, not a ranking of where the job is “best”.

Top 25 of 84 metro areas

Recreational Therapists: metro areas with the highest published median annual wages, May 2025
#	Metro area	Median annual	Employment	Per 1,000 jobs
1	Stockton-Lodi, CA	$115,330	50	0.2
2	Vallejo, CA	$115,330	50	0.3
3	Napa, CA	$107,810	150	1.9
4	San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA	$102,420	190	0.1
5	San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA	$101,670	60	0.1
6	San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA	$98,530	90	0.1
7	Fresno, CA	$98,160	150	0.3
8	Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA	$98,120	340	0.2
9	Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA	$91,790	90	0.1
10	Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA	$91,740	380	0.1
11	Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA	$82,660	140	0.1
12	Mankato, MN	$81,950	30	0.6
13	Las Vegas-Henderson-North Las Vegas, NV	$78,730	340	0.3
14	Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI	$73,980	150	0.1
15	Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA	$72,390	60	0.0
16	Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV	$71,050	380	0.1
17	Ann Arbor, MI	$70,960	110	0.5
18	Cleveland, OH	$67,390	50	0.1
19	Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO	$66,840	130	0.1
20	New Haven, CT	$66,740	60	0.2
21	New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ	$66,050	1,090	0.1
22	Spokane-Spokane Valley, WA	$65,940	50	0.2
23	Buffalo-Cheektowaga, NY	$65,080	60	0.1
24	Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD	$64,700	160	0.1
25	Urban Honolulu, HI	$64,500	40	0.1

Full state and metro tables, the national distribution, and the pay map are on the Recreational Therapists overview.

About this data. Estimates are from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics program, May 2025 release, retrieved from bls.gov/oes/tables.htm on July 24, 2026. OEWS estimates describe metropolitan/nonmetropolitan areas and states — not city limits — and are not designed for year-over-year comparisons. See BLS methodology, our plain-English methodology, and sources. CitySalaryData is independent and not affiliated with BLS.