Recreational Therapists · SOC 29-1125
Recreational Therapists Salary in the Wichita Metro Area
Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025Wichita, KS metro area
Figures describe the Wichita, KS metropolitan statistical area as defined by BLS/OMB — the whole multi-county metro region, not Wichita city limits.
Recreational Therapists in the Wichita, KS metro area earned a median of $36,780 per year ($17.68 per hour) as of the May 2025 BLS OEWS estimates. Pay ranged from $29,670 at the 10th percentile to $57,600 at the 90th. BLS estimates 140 people work in this occupation in the area.
Pay distribution
Half of Recreational Therapists in the Wichita metro area earn more than $36,780 per year, half earn less; the middle half earn between $31,830 and $46,140.
| Wage | 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Annual | $29,670 | $31,830 | $36,780 | $46,140 | $57,600 |
| Hourly | $14.27 | $15.30 | $17.68 | $22.18 | $27.69 |
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
- Wichita metro areathis metro area$36,780 median for Wichita metro area; middle half earns $31,830 to $46,140
- Kansasstate (KS)$40,010 median for Kansas; middle half earns $34,880 to $50,370
- 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 −8% vs Kansas overall and −41% 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 Wichita metro area has the 83rd-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 Kansas
Metro areas in the same state with published May 2025 medians for recreational therapists, highest first. Areas without published estimates are not listed.
- Wichita metro areathis page$36,780 median for Wichita metro area; middle half earns $31,830 to $46,140
- $42,180 median for Topeka metro area; middle half earns $36,680 to $53,810
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 Wichita 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.