Recreational Therapists Salary
Recreational Therapists in Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX make a median of $61,000 a year, or about $29.33 an hour. The range runs from $41K at the entry level to $99K for experienced workers. Adjusted for local prices (RPP 103.09), that's roughly $59,172 in purchasing power. A 2-bedroom apartment runs $1,931/month, about 45.6% of take-home, which is tight.
So what does $61K get you in Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington?
Groceries, utilities, transportation, and healthcare scaled from national averages by Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington’s Regional Price Parity (103.09). Rent from HUD Fair Market Rents. Taxes estimated for single filer, standard deduction. * Healthcare is the employee-paid share only (premiums + out-of-pocket). Actual costs vary by coverage type: employer-sponsored, ACA marketplace, or uninsured.
About recreational therapists
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What this looks like in Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington
Recreational therapists pay in Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington tracks closely to the national median, $61K locally vs. $62K nationwide, a 2% difference. The catch: housing math doesn't keep up. A 2-bedroom at the HUD median rents for $1,931/month, which is 45.4% of the median worker's take-home, past the 30% guideline most planners use. Cost of living (RPP 103.09) is near the national average, so spending patterns here track the typical American budget fairly closely. Use the affordability calculator above to model your specific situation.
Compared to nearby metros
Median pay for recreational therapists in metros near Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, adjusted for local cost of living.
| Metro | Median pay | COL-adjusted |
|---|---|---|
| San Antonio-New Braunfels | $61K | $64K |
| Baton Rouge | $48K | $53K |
| Oklahoma City | $62K | $68K |
COL-adjusted = median salary ÷ (BEA Regional Price Parity ÷ 100). Expresses purchasing power in national-average dollars.
Compensation breakdown
Annual earnings by percentile, Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX
Entry-level recreational therapists (10th percentile) start around $41K. Mid-career wages sit at $61K. Top earners bring in $99K or more, a $59K spread from bottom to top.
Recreational Therapists pay across states
Median income ranked highest to lowest, compared to the national figure
View Recreational Therapists salary in all states
| State | Median salary | vs. national | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| California | $98K | +58% | 1,920 |
| District of Columbia | $96K | +54% | 50 |
| New Hampshire | $82K | +33% | 70 |
| Nevada | $79K | +27% | 400 |
| Washington | $78K | +26% | 240 |
| Minnesota | $76K | +23% | 250 |
| Colorado | $67K | +7% | 200 |
| Oregon | $67K | +7% | 250 |
| New York | $66K | +6% | 1,230 |
| Hawaii | $65K | +4% | 40 |
| Maryland | $64K | +4% | 290 |
| Vermont | $63K | +2% | 40 |
| Connecticut | $63K | +2% | 380 |
| Nebraska | $63K | +2% | 150 |
| Massachusetts | $63K | +1% | 210 |
| Arizona | $63K | +1% | 170 |
| Texas | $62K | +1% | 800 |
| Michigan | $62K | -0% | 590 |
| Virginia | $61K | -1% | 570 |
| Ohio | $61K | -2% | 310 |
| New Jersey | $60K | -3% | 430 |
| Wisconsin | $59K | -4% | 350 |
| Kentucky | $59K | -4% | 100 |
| Pennsylvania | $59K | -5% | 720 |
| Missouri | $59K | -5% | 140 |
| North Dakota | $58K | -6% | 80 |
| Florida | $58K | -6% | 640 |
| Maine | $58K | -7% | 40 |
| Alabama | $57K | -7% | 160 |
| Utah | $57K | -9% | 210 |
| Iowa | $56K | -9% | 230 |
| Illinois | $55K | -11% | 440 |
| Indiana | $54K | -13% | 190 |
| Georgia | $52K | -16% | 530 |
| Tennessee | $52K | -16% | 150 |
| Louisiana | $51K | -17% | 190 |
| Delaware | $51K | -18% | 70 |
| Montana | $51K | -18% | 40 |
| North Carolina | $51K | -18% | 440 |
| Oklahoma | $50K | -19% | 120 |
| Idaho | $50K | -20% | 90 |
| New Mexico | $49K | -21% | 100 |
| West Virginia | $49K | -21% | 130 |
| South Carolina | $49K | -21% | 190 |
| South Dakota | $47K | -24% | 40 |
| Arkansas | $43K | -31% | 70 |
| Kansas | $40K | -35% | 710 |
| Mississippi | $40K | -36% | 140 |
Showing 1–10 of 48 states
BLS does not publish data for every state when sample sizes are too small
Track recreational therapists salary changes
BLS updates this data quarterly. We'll email you when Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington numbers change.
Related careers in Healthcare
Frequently asked questions
Can a recreational therapist afford a 2BR apartment alone in Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington?
It’s a stretch — at the median salary of $61K, rent takes 45.4% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $1,931/month. The 30% guideline puts the comfortable ceiling at roughly $1,300/month in rent — so roommates or a 1-bedroom would ease the math significantly.
What’s the entry-level salary for recreational therapists in Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington?
The 10th-percentile wage — what new recreational therapists typically earn — is $41K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $2,434/month. At HUD’s $1,931/month FMR, rent would take 79% of that take-home — above the 30% guideline, so a 1-bedroom or shared housing is likely necessary starting out.
Is recreational therapist a high-paying job in Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington?
Pay here is roughly in line with the national average — $61K locally vs. $62K nationally, a 2% difference.
How does Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington compare to the national average for recreational therapists?
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington pays $61K median vs. the U.S. average of $62K — that’s -2%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 103.09), the purchasing-power equivalent is $59K — below the national median.
How much do recreational therapists make in Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX?
The median is $61,000 a year, that works out to about $29 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $40,560, and experienced recreational therapists can clear $99,260. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.
Is $61K enough to live in Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington?
On that salary, you'd take home roughly $4,254/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $1,931/month, which eats 45.4% of your paycheck. That's above the 30% rule of thumb, housing will be a stretch at the median salary, though you can manage with roommates or a smaller place.
How far does a recreational therapists salary go in Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington?
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington has a Regional Price Parity of 103.09 (100 is the national average). Prices are above average here, so your dollar buys less than the same salary would in a cheaper metro. After cost-of-living adjustment, the median recreational therapists salary is worth about $59,172 in national-average purchasing power.
Where do recreational therapists get paid the most?
The table above ranks every state by median pay for this role. Keep in mind that the highest-paying states tend to have the highest costs of living, so the top salary doesn't always mean the most money in your pocket.