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.
- O*NET-SOC code
29-1125.00 - Preparation Job Zone Four: Considerable Preparation Needed
Wages
Median annual wage, U.S.$61,960
Employment, U.S.14,930
Median hourly wage$29.79
| 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $40,990 | $50,240 | $61,960 | $79,930 | $100,420 |
By state (48)
| State | Employment | Median annual | Location quotient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | 160 | $57,360 | 0.77 |
| Arizona | 170 | $62,610 | 0.53 |
| Arkansas | 70 | $42,670 | 0.60 |
| California | 1,920 | $98,170 | 1.10 |
| Colorado | 200 | $66,580 | 0.73 |
| Connecticut | 380 | $63,240 | 2.30 |
| Delaware | 70 | $51,110 | 1.61 |
| District of Columbia | 50 | $95,640 | 0.79 |
| Florida | 640 | $57,980 | 0.67 |
| Georgia | 530 | $52,010 | 1.12 |
| Hawaii | 40 | $64,500 | 0.65 |
| Idaho | 90 | $49,720 | 1.13 |
| Illinois | 440 | $54,910 | 0.75 |
| Indiana | 190 | $53,770 | 0.62 |
| Iowa | 230 | $56,140 | 1.55 |
| Kansas | 710 | $40,010 | 5.11 |
| Kentucky | 100 | $59,240 | 0.51 |
| Louisiana | 190 | $51,150 | 1.02 |
| Maine | 40 | $57,560 | 0.58 |
| Maryland | 290 | $64,300 | 1.09 |
| Massachusetts | 210 | $62,820 | 0.61 |
| Michigan | 590 | $61,700 | 1.39 |
| Minnesota | 250 | $76,360 | 0.89 |
| Mississippi | 140 | $39,560 | 1.26 |
| Missouri | 140 | $58,620 | 0.49 |
| Montana | 40 | $51,110 | 0.75 |
| Nebraska | 150 | $62,980 | 1.57 |
| Nevada | 400 | $78,730 | 2.66 |
| New Hampshire | 70 | $82,280 | 1.11 |
| New Jersey | 430 | $60,400 | 1.03 |
| New Mexico | 100 | $49,210 | 1.18 |
| New York | 1,230 | $65,520 | 1.33 |
| North Carolina | 440 | $51,030 | 0.93 |
| North Dakota | 80 | $58,370 | 1.84 |
| Ohio | 310 | $60,770 | 0.58 |
| Oklahoma | 120 | $50,480 | 0.72 |
| Oregon | 250 | $66,530 | 1.34 |
| Pennsylvania | 720 | $58,940 | 1.24 |
| South Carolina | 190 | $48,880 | 0.84 |
| South Dakota | 40 | $46,850 | 0.99 |
| Tennessee | 150 | $51,910 | 0.49 |
| Texas | 800 | $62,490 | 0.59 |
| Utah | 210 | $56,640 | 1.26 |
| Vermont | 40 | $63,380 | 1.23 |
| Virginia | 570 | $61,270 | 1.43 |
| Washington | 240 | $77,860 | 0.69 |
| West Virginia | 130 | $49,010 | 1.93 |
| Wisconsin | 350 | $59,350 | 1.24 |
Similar occupations
Similarity is our measure: the cosine of importance x level over all 120 O*NET skills, knowledge areas and abilities. It is not an O*NET finding. More.
Circles are the 20 most similar occupations, coloured by Job Zone. Lines join pairs where one is among the other's 10 most similar; darker lines are pairs O*NET also lists as related. Drag a circle to move it out of the way; select one to open it.
| # | Occupation | Job Zone | Similarity |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Occupational Therapists | 5 | 0.976 |
| 2 | Psychiatric Technicians | 3 | 0.975 |
| 3 | Occupational Therapy Assistants | 3 | 0.970 |
| 4 | Physical Therapists | 5 | 0.966 |
| 5 | Community Health Workers | 4 | 0.966 |
| 6 | Substance Abuse and Behavioral Disorder Counselors | 5 | 0.965 |
| 7 | Healthcare Social Workers | 5 | 0.964 |
| 8 | Child, Family, and School Social Workers | 4 | 0.963 |
| 9 | Occupational Therapy Aides | 3 | 0.961 |
| 10 | Social and Human Service Assistants | 4 | 0.958 |
One skill away
Among the 50 occupations most similar to Recreational Therapists, those at the same Job Zone or lower, where exactly one skill rated at least 3 in importance needs a level more than 0.75 points higher (on O*NET's 0-7 level scale). Our definition. Change the thresholds.
| Occupation | Skill to build | Level gap | Similarity |
|---|---|---|---|
| Special Education Teachers, Preschool | Active Learning | 0.87 | 0.957 |
| Special Education Teachers, Secondary School | Learning Strategies | 1.25 | 0.952 |
| Exercise Physiologists | Judgment and Decision Making | 0.88 | 0.950 |
| Career/Technical Education Teachers, Secondary School | Mathematics | 1.12 | 0.939 |
Software to learn next
Software used by at least 3 of the 20 occupations most similar to Recreational Therapists, excluding software Recreational Therapists already lists and any you named. Ranked by how many of them use it, weighted by how much more common it is among them than across all occupations (lift). Our ranking.
| Software | Similar jobs using it | Lift |
|---|---|---|
| Scheduling software | 7 of 20 | 4.6x |
| Screen reader software | 3 of 20 | 15.4x |
| MEDITECH software | 5 of 20 | 3.0x |
| eClinicalWorks EHR software | 4 of 20 | 3.8x |
| Database software | 7 of 20 | 1.9x |
| Electronic medical record EMR software | 3 of 20 | 4.3x |
| Medical procedure coding software | 3 of 20 | 3.1x |
| Microsoft Publisher | 4 of 20 | 2.0x |
| Microsoft Internet Explorer | 3 of 20 | 2.3x |
| Corel WordPerfect Office Suite | 3 of 20 | 2.2x |
Skills
From O*NET data. Importance is rated 1 to 5 and level 0 to 7.
| Skill | Type | Importance | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| Service Orientation | Transferable skill | 4.12 | 4.25 |
| Social Perceptiveness | Transferable skill | 4.00 | 4.12 |
| Active Listening | Essential skill | 4.00 | 4.00 |
| Speaking | Essential skill | 4.00 | 4.00 |
| Coordination | Transferable skill | 4.00 | 3.88 |
| Critical Thinking | Essential skill | 3.88 | 4.00 |
| Reading Comprehension | Essential skill | 3.88 | 4.00 |
| Writing | Essential skill | 3.88 | 4.00 |
| Instructing | Transferable skill | 3.88 | 3.75 |
| Complex Problem Solving | Transferable skill | 3.50 | 3.50 |
| Monitoring | Essential skill | 3.38 | 3.88 |
| Persuasion | Transferable skill | 3.38 | 3.75 |
| Learning Strategies | Essential skill | 3.38 | 3.50 |
| Active Learning | Essential skill | 3.38 | 3.25 |
| Time Management | Transferable skill | 3.25 | 3.12 |
| Judgment and Decision Making | Transferable skill | 3.12 | 3.12 |
| Negotiation | Transferable skill | 3.12 | 3.12 |
| Systems Evaluation | Transferable skill | 3.00 | 3.00 |
| Systems Analysis | Transferable skill | 3.00 | 2.88 |
| Management of Personnel Resources | Transferable skill | 2.75 | 3.00 |
| Operations Analysis | Transferable skill | 2.75 | 3.00 |
| Mathematics | Essential skill | 2.00 | 2.00 |
| Management of Material Resources | Transferable skill | 2.00 | 1.88 |
| Science | Essential skill | 2.00 | 1.75 |
| Management of Financial Resources | Transferable skill | 1.88 | 1.62 |
| Quality Control Analysis | Transferable skill | 1.88 | 1.38 |
| Technology Design | Transferable skill | 1.88 | 1.12 |
| Operations Monitoring | Transferable skill | 1.75 | 1.50 |
| Operation and Control | Transferable skill | 1.75 | 1.25 |
| Programming | Transferable skill | 1.50 | 0.62 |
| Troubleshooting | Transferable skill | 1.50 | 0.50 |
| Equipment Selection | Transferable skill | 1.38 | 0.38 |
| Equipment Maintenance | Transferable skill | 1.00 | not rated |
| Installation | Transferable skill | 1.00 | not rated |
| Repairing | Transferable skill | 1.00 | not rated |
Knowledge (33) and abilities (52)
| Name | Importance | Level |
|---|---|---|
| Psychology | 4.55 | 5.97 |
| Therapy and Counseling | 4.53 | 5.76 |
| Customer and Personal Service | 4.42 | 5.26 |
| Education and Training | 4.16 | 5.21 |
| English Language | 4.08 | 4.53 |
| Sociology and Anthropology | 3.46 | 4.11 |
| Administration and Management | 3.37 | 4.08 |
| Medicine and Dentistry | 3.16 | 3.00 |
| Public Safety and Security | 3.00 | 2.82 |
| Administrative | 2.89 | 3.66 |
| Computers and Electronics | 2.84 | 3.45 |
| Personnel and Human Resources | 2.84 | 3.34 |
| Sales and Marketing | 2.71 | 3.11 |
| Law and Government | 2.68 | 2.50 |
| Philosophy and Theology | 2.55 | 3.47 |
| Fine Arts | 2.55 | 2.45 |
| Communications and Media | 2.53 | 2.68 |
| Transportation | 2.47 | 2.61 |
| Economics and Accounting | 2.24 | 2.13 |
| Biology | 2.21 | 1.95 |
| Mathematics | 2.11 | 2.27 |
| Production and Processing | 2.05 | 1.84 |
| Foreign Language | 2.03 | 1.82 |
| Telecommunications | 2.03 | 1.24 |
| Geography | 1.92 | 1.78 |
| Engineering and Technology | 1.92 | 1.63 |
| History and Archeology | 1.86 | 1.66 |
| Design | 1.73 | 1.32 |
| Food Production | 1.73 | 1.32 |
| Mechanical | 1.66 | 1.24 |
| Chemistry | 1.58 | 1.16 |
| Physics | 1.58 | 1.03 |
| Building and Construction | 1.54 | 0.95 |
| Name | Importance | Level |
|---|---|---|
| Oral Comprehension | 4.00 | 4.12 |
| Oral Expression | 4.00 | 4.00 |
| Speech Clarity | 4.00 | 3.50 |
| Deductive Reasoning | 3.88 | 4.00 |
| Problem Sensitivity | 3.88 | 4.00 |
| Written Comprehension | 3.88 | 4.00 |
| Written Expression | 3.88 | 4.00 |
| Inductive Reasoning | 3.75 | 3.88 |
| Speech Recognition | 3.75 | 3.50 |
| Information Ordering | 3.62 | 3.62 |
| Originality | 3.25 | 3.75 |
| Near Vision | 3.12 | 3.38 |
| Fluency of Ideas | 3.12 | 3.25 |
| Category Flexibility | 3.12 | 3.00 |
| Far Vision | 3.00 | 3.00 |
| Selective Attention | 3.00 | 3.00 |
| Time Sharing | 3.00 | 3.00 |
| Flexibility of Closure | 3.00 | 2.88 |
| Arm-Hand Steadiness | 2.75 | 3.00 |
| Perceptual Speed | 2.75 | 3.00 |
| Trunk Strength | 2.75 | 2.88 |
| Multilimb Coordination | 2.75 | 2.75 |
| Gross Body Coordination | 2.75 | 2.50 |
| Finger Dexterity | 2.62 | 2.50 |
| Visualization | 2.50 | 2.75 |
| Static Strength | 2.50 | 2.62 |
| Stamina | 2.50 | 2.38 |
| Manual Dexterity | 2.38 | 2.12 |
| Auditory Attention | 2.25 | 2.00 |
| Extent Flexibility | 2.12 | 2.38 |
| Memorization | 2.12 | 2.25 |
| Speed of Closure | 2.00 | 2.12 |
| Depth Perception | 2.00 | 2.00 |
| Dynamic Strength | 2.00 | 2.00 |
| Mathematical Reasoning | 2.00 | 2.00 |
| Number Facility | 2.00 | 2.00 |
| Explosive Strength | 2.00 | 1.88 |
| Response Orientation | 2.00 | 1.88 |
| Control Precision | 2.00 | 1.62 |
| Speed of Limb Movement | 2.00 | 1.38 |
| Hearing Sensitivity | 1.88 | 1.75 |
| Gross Body Equilibrium | 1.88 | 1.62 |
| Visual Color Discrimination | 1.88 | 1.50 |
| Reaction Time | 1.88 | 1.38 |
| Spatial Orientation | 1.88 | 1.25 |
| Peripheral Vision | 1.88 | 1.00 |
| Wrist-Finger Speed | 1.62 | 0.75 |
| Rate Control | 1.62 | 0.62 |
| Glare Sensitivity | 1.50 | 0.75 |
| Night Vision | 1.50 | 0.62 |
| Sound Localization | 1.50 | 0.50 |
| Dynamic Flexibility | 1.38 | 0.50 |
Software used
Examples from O*NET data. "Hot" and "in demand" are O*NET flags for technologies often listed in job postings.
- Microsoft Office software in demand
- Microsoft Excel hot
- Microsoft Outlook hot
- Microsoft PowerPoint hot
- Microsoft Word hot
- Avid Technology Sibelius
- Email software
- Hyperscore
- MakeMusic Finale
- Musical instrument digital interface MIDI software
- Patient electronic medical record EMR software
- Speech recognition software
- Steinberg Cubase Pro
- Web browser software
Where it concentrates
Metro areas ranked by BLS location quotient: the occupation's share of the area's jobs divided by its share of all US jobs. Above 1 means more concentrated than the nation. Metros employing fewer than 100 are left out.
| Metro area | Employment | Location quotient | Median annual |
|---|---|---|---|
| Napa, CA | 150 | 19.99 | $107,810 |
| Ann Arbor, MI | 110 | 5.11 | $70,960 |
| Wichita, KS | 140 | 4.87 | $36,780 |
| Fresno, CA | 150 | 3.31 | $98,160 |
| Las Vegas-Henderson-North Las Vegas, NV | 340 | 3.10 | $78,730 |
| Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford, CT | 170 | 2.90 | $63,950 |
| Columbia, SC | 100 | 2.68 | $43,730 |
| Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA | 340 | 2.05 | $98,120 |
| Kansas City, MO-KS | 210 | 2.00 | $45,270 |
| Richmond, VA | 110 | 1.70 | $61,270 |