Recreational Therapists Salary
Recreational Therapists in Harrisburg-Carlisle, PA make a median of $39,260 a year, or about $18.88 an hour. The range runs from $36K at the entry level to $61K for experienced workers. Adjusted for local prices (RPP 98.65), that's roughly $39,797 in purchasing power. A 2-bedroom apartment runs $1,493/month, about 54.8% of take-home, which is tight.
Where the paycheck goes
What $39K actually covers in Harrisburg-Carlisle, month by month
Groceries, utilities, transportation, and healthcare scaled from national averages by Harrisburg-Carlisle’s Regional Price Parity (98.65). 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 Harrisburg-Carlisle
Pay for recreational therapists in Harrisburg-Carlisle runs about 37% below the U.S. median of $62K. The catch: housing math doesn't keep up. A 2-bedroom at the HUD median rents for $1,493/month, which is 55.3% of the median worker's take-home, past the 30% guideline most planners use. Cost of living (RPP 98.65) is near the national average, so spending patterns here track the typical American budget fairly closely. That combination, below-market pay with high housing costs, makes this a financially demanding market for recreational therapists.
Compared to nearby metros
Median pay for recreational therapists in metros near Harrisburg-Carlisle, adjusted for local cost of living.
| Metro | Median pay | COL-adjusted |
|---|---|---|
| Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington | $59K | $58K |
| Pittsburgh | $61K | $65K |
| Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton | $48K | $48K |
| Lancaster | $53K | $54K |
COL-adjusted = median salary ÷ (BEA Regional Price Parity ÷ 100). Expresses purchasing power in national-average dollars.
Compensation breakdown
Annual earnings by percentile, Harrisburg-Carlisle, PA
Entry-level recreational therapists (10th percentile) start around $36K. Mid-career wages sit at $39K. Top earners bring in $61K or more, a $25K 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 with published data
BLS does not publish data for every state when sample sizes are too small
Track recreational therapists salary changes
BLS updates this data annually. We'll email you when Harrisburg-Carlisle numbers change.
Related careers in Healthcare
Quick answers
The stuff people actually ask about this job
Can a recreational therapist afford a 2BR apartment alone in Harrisburg-Carlisle?
It’s a stretch — at the median salary of $39K, rent takes 55.3% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $1,493/month. The 30% guideline puts the comfortable ceiling at roughly $800/month in rent — so roommates or a 1-bedroom would ease the math significantly.
What’s the entry-level salary for recreational therapists in Harrisburg-Carlisle?
The 10th-percentile wage — what new recreational therapists typically earn — is $36K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $2,506/month. At HUD’s $1,493/month FMR, rent would take 60% 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 Harrisburg-Carlisle?
Local pay runs 37% below the national median — $39K here vs. $62K nationally.
How does Harrisburg-Carlisle compare to the national average for recreational therapists?
Harrisburg-Carlisle pays $39K median vs. the U.S. average of $62K — that’s -37%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 98.65), the purchasing-power equivalent is $40K — below the national median.
How much do recreational therapists make in Harrisburg-Carlisle, PA?
The median is $39,260 a year, that works out to about $19 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $36,280, and experienced recreational therapists can clear $60,960. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.
Is $39K enough to live in Harrisburg-Carlisle?
On that salary, you'd take home roughly $2,698/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $1,493/month, which eats 55.3% 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 Harrisburg-Carlisle?
Harrisburg-Carlisle has a Regional Price Parity of 98.65 (100 is the national average). That's below average, your money stretches further here than the raw salary number suggests. After cost-of-living adjustment, the median recreational therapists salary is worth about $39,797 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.