Recreational Therapists Salary
Recreational Therapists in Syracuse, NY make a median of $63,370 a year, or about $30.47 an hour. The range runs from $55K at the entry level to $83K for experienced workers. Adjusted for local prices (RPP 95.74), that's roughly $66,190 in purchasing power. A 2-bedroom apartment runs $1,392/month, about 33.6% of take-home, which is tight.
Where the paycheck goes
What $63K actually covers in Syracuse, month by month
Groceries, utilities, transportation, and healthcare scaled from national averages by Syracuse’s Regional Price Parity (95.74). 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 Syracuse
Recreational therapists pay in Syracuse tracks closely to the national median, $63K locally vs. $62K nationwide, a 2% difference. Rent runs $1,392/month for a 2-bedroom (HUD FMR), taking 33.4% of the median take-home. That's within the 30% rule, though not by much. Cost of living (RPP 95.74) is near the national average, so spending patterns here track the typical American budget fairly closely. Pay and costs are both near average, leaving limited margin for savings at the median wage.
Compared to nearby metros
Median pay for recreational therapists in metros near Syracuse, adjusted for local cost of living.
| Metro | Median pay | COL-adjusted |
|---|---|---|
| New York-Newark-Jersey City | $66K | $59K |
| Rochester | $59K | $61K |
| Buffalo-Cheektowaga | $65K | $68K |
| Albany-Schenectady-Troy | $62K | $62K |
COL-adjusted = median salary ÷ (BEA Regional Price Parity ÷ 100). Expresses purchasing power in national-average dollars.
Compensation breakdown
Annual earnings by percentile, Syracuse, NY
Entry-level recreational therapists (10th percentile) start around $55K. Mid-career wages sit at $63K. Top earners bring in $83K 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 annually. We'll email you when Syracuse 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 Syracuse?
It’s a stretch — at the median salary of $63K, rent takes 33.4% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $1,392/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 Syracuse?
The 10th-percentile wage — what new recreational therapists typically earn — is $55K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $3,645/month. At HUD’s $1,392/month FMR, rent would take 38% 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 Syracuse?
Pay here is roughly in line with the national average — $63K locally vs. $62K nationally, a 2% difference.
How does Syracuse compare to the national average for recreational therapists?
Syracuse pays $63K median vs. the U.S. average of $62K — that’s +2%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 95.74), the purchasing-power equivalent is $66K — still ahead of the national median.
How much do recreational therapists make in Syracuse, NY?
The median is $63,370 a year, that works out to about $30 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $54,910, and experienced recreational therapists can clear $83,410. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.
Is $63K enough to live in Syracuse?
On that salary, you'd take home roughly $4,173/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $1,392/month, which eats 33.4% 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 Syracuse?
Syracuse has a Regional Price Parity of 95.74 (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 $66,190 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.