Recreational Therapists Salary
Recreational Therapists in Jacksonville, FL make a median of $58,710 a year, or about $28.23 an hour. The range runs from $43K at the entry level to $72K for experienced workers. Adjusted for local prices (RPP 99.48), that's roughly $59,017 in purchasing power. A 2-bedroom apartment runs $1,658/month, about 40.7% of take-home, which is tight.
So what does $59K get you in Jacksonville?
Groceries, utilities, transportation, and healthcare scaled from national averages by Jacksonville’s Regional Price Parity (99.48). 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 Jacksonville
Recreational therapists pay in Jacksonville tracks closely to the national median, $59K locally vs. $62K nationwide, a 5% difference. The catch: housing math doesn't keep up. A 2-bedroom at the HUD median rents for $1,658/month, which is 40.4% of the median worker's take-home, past the 30% guideline most planners use. Cost of living (RPP 99.48) 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 Jacksonville, adjusted for local cost of living.
| Metro | Median pay | COL-adjusted |
|---|---|---|
| Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach | $58K | $51K |
| Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater | $62K | $62K |
| Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford | $57K | $56K |
| Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell | $61K | $61K |
COL-adjusted = median salary ÷ (BEA Regional Price Parity ÷ 100). Expresses purchasing power in national-average dollars.
Compensation breakdown
Annual earnings by percentile, Jacksonville, FL
Entry-level recreational therapists (10th percentile) start around $43K. Mid-career wages sit at $59K. Top earners bring in $72K or more, a $29K 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 quarterly. We'll email you when Jacksonville numbers change.
Related careers in Healthcare
Frequently asked questions
Can a recreational therapist afford a 2BR apartment alone in Jacksonville?
It’s a stretch — at the median salary of $59K, rent takes 40.4% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $1,658/month. The 30% guideline puts the comfortable ceiling at roughly $1,200/month in rent — so roommates or a 1-bedroom would ease the math significantly.
What’s the entry-level salary for recreational therapists in Jacksonville?
The 10th-percentile wage — what new recreational therapists typically earn — is $43K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $2,583/month. At HUD’s $1,658/month FMR, rent would take 64% 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 Jacksonville?
Pay here is roughly in line with the national average — $59K locally vs. $62K nationally, a 5% difference.
How does Jacksonville compare to the national average for recreational therapists?
Jacksonville pays $59K median vs. the U.S. average of $62K — that’s -5%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 99.48), the purchasing-power equivalent is $59K — below the national median.
How much do recreational therapists make in Jacksonville, FL?
The median is $58,710 a year, that works out to about $28 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $43,050, and experienced recreational therapists can clear $72,090. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.
Is $59K enough to live in Jacksonville?
On that salary, you'd take home roughly $4,101/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $1,658/month, which eats 40.4% 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 Jacksonville?
Jacksonville has a Regional Price Parity of 99.48 (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 $59,017 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.