Recreational Therapists · SOC 29-1125
Recreational Therapists Salary in the Durham Metro Area
Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025Durham-Chapel Hill, NC metro area
Figures describe the Durham-Chapel Hill, NC metropolitan statistical area as defined by BLS/OMB — the whole multi-county metro region, not Durham city limits.
Recreational Therapists in the Durham-Chapel Hill, NC metro area earned a median of $53,100 per year ($25.53 per hour) as of the May 2025 BLS OEWS estimates. Pay ranged from $45,020 at the 10th percentile to $90,060 at the 90th. BLS estimates 50 people work in this occupation in the area.
Pay distribution
Half of Recreational Therapists in the Durham metro area earn more than $53,100 per year, half earn less; the middle half earn between $50,510 and $63,860.
| Wage | 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Annual | $45,020 | $50,510 | $53,100 | $63,860 | $90,060 |
| Hourly | $21.64 | $24.28 | $25.53 | $30.70 | $43.30 |
A percentile is a cut point: 25% of workers in this occupation and area earn less than the 25th-percentile wage. The median is the 50th percentile — half earn less, half earn more.
How this area compares
- Durham metro areathis metro area$53,100 median for Durham metro area; middle half earns $50,510 to $63,860
- North Carolinastate (NC)$51,030 median for North Carolina; middle half earns $45,950 to $63,860
- United Statesnational$61,960 median for United States; middle half earns $50,240 to $79,930
Bars span the 25th–75th percentile (the middle half of workers); the tick marks the median.
The median here is +4% vs North Carolina overall and −14% vs the U.S. median for this occupation.
Where this metro sits nationally
Each dot is one metro area with a published median — hover any dot for the name and figure. Metros without published estimates are not drawn.
The Durham metro area has the 64th-highest published median for this occupation among the 84 metro areas where BLS publishes it. Higher medians often track higher living costs — this is a pay comparison, not a ranking of where the job is “best”.
Other metro areas in North Carolina
Metro areas in the same state with published May 2025 medians for recreational therapists, highest first. Areas without published estimates are not listed.
- Durham metro areathis page$53,100 median for Durham metro area; middle half earns $50,510 to $63,860
- $52,170 median for Charlotte metro area; middle half earns $45,100 to $66,260
- $51,780 median for Winston-Salem metro area; middle half earns $48,490 to $65,070
Bars span the 25th–75th percentile (the middle half of workers); the tick marks the median.
Keep exploring
Other occupations in the same SOC group with published medians here, largest employment first:
Highest-paying metro areas for recreational therapistss · Highest-paying occupations in Durham Metro
About this estimate
These figures are survey estimates from the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics program — modeled from employer reports collected over three years and benchmarked to May 2025. They describe what employers in this area currently pay across all industries, not what any individual worker will be offered.
Employment counts wage-and-salary jobs in the occupation (self-employed workers are excluded). Estimates carry sampling error; percentile wages are rounded by BLS. Some values are suppressed by BLS for confidentiality or quality — suppressed values appear here as “not published”, never as zero. Read the full methodology.
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.