Recreational Therapist vs Occupational Therapist: pay, outlook, education and work, side by side.
Every row comes from one named source and says which career leads on that one dimension. There is no overall score.
Recreational Therapist vs Occupational Therapist: BLS classifies them as different occupations (SOC 29-1125 and 29-1122). The national median annual wage is $61,960 for recreational therapists and $100,330 for occupational therapists (BLS, May 2025). BLS projects national employment to change +4.8% for recreational therapists and +14.8% for occupational therapists from 2025 to 2035. Typical entry-level education: Bachelor's degree vs Master's degree. Which fits better depends on what you value; the table shows who leads on each dimension, with no overall winner.
Side by side
Data Differences smaller than a stated threshold read “About the same” (pay 5%, growth 2 points, openings 10%, one education level, ORS 10 points, O*NET 0.2).
Pick what matters to you; the matching rows are highlighted. Nothing is combined into a score.
| Dimension · source | Recreational TherapistSOC 29-1125 | Occupational TherapistSOC 29-1122 | Leads on this dimension |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median annual wageBLS OEWS, May 2025 (national) | $61,960 | $100,330 | Occupational Therapist |
| EmploymentBLS OEWS, May 2025 | 14,930 | 162,450 | Not ranked |
| Projected employment change, 2025–35BLS Employment Projections (national) | +4.8% | +14.8% | Occupational Therapist |
| Projected numeric change in jobs, 2025–35BLS Employment Projections (national) · A count, not a rate: it scales with the size of the occupation. | +800 jobs | +25,200 jobs | Not ranked |
| Projected openings (annual average)BLS Employment Projections, 2025–35 | 1,400 a year | 10,000 a year | Occupational Therapist |
| Typical entry-level educationBLS Employment Projections · typical, not a legal requirement | Bachelor's degree | Master's degree | Recreational Therapist |
| Typical work experience in a related occupationBLS Employment Projections | None | None | About the same |
| Typical on-the-job trainingBLS Employment Projections | None | None | Not ranked |
| Pressure level (O*NET, 1–5; lower = less)O*NET® 31.0 work context | 3.28 | 3.13 | About the same |
| Social-contact level (O*NET, 1–5)O*NET® 31.0 work context · not ranked: neither direction is better | 4.55 | 4.44 | Not ranked |
| Freedom to make decisions (O*NET, 1–5)O*NET® 31.0 work context | 4.26 | 4.41 | About the same |
| Work styles O*NET rates most importantO*NET® 31.0 work styles (occupation ratings, not a personality test) | Empathy, Cooperation, Optimism | Empathy, Cooperation, Attention to Detail | Not ranked |
Choose based on what matters to you
Data Each line restates a measured difference from the table; nothing here predicts how you will feel about a job.
- a shorter typical education path matters (Bachelor's degree vs Master's degree)
- higher median pay matters most ($100,330 vs $61,960)
- faster projected national growth matters (+14.8% vs +4.8%)
Which skills each one leans on
Data O*NET 31.0 skill ratings: level (0–7) and importance.
Skill-profile match: 85% (similarity of the two O*NET skill profiles, importance × level; 100% = identical).
- Persuasion (+0.6 on O*NET's 0–7 skill-level scale)
- Equipment Selection (+0.4 on O*NET's 0–7 skill-level scale)
- Service Orientation (+0.2 on O*NET's 0–7 skill-level scale)
- Operation and Control (+0.2 on O*NET's 0–7 skill-level scale)
- Science (+1.0 on O*NET's 0–7 skill-level scale)
- Judgment and Decision Making (+0.8 on O*NET's 0–7 skill-level scale)
- Time Management (+0.8 on O*NET's 0–7 skill-level scale)
- Active Learning (+0.6 on O*NET's 0–7 skill-level scale)
What each career involves
Data Core tasks from O*NET 31.0.
Recreational Therapist
- Instruct patient in activities and techniques, such as sports, dance, music, art, or relaxation techniques, designed to meet their specific physical or psychological needs.
- Conduct therapy sessions to improve patients' mental and physical well-being.
- Plan, organize, direct, and participate in treatment programs and activities to facilitate patients' rehabilitation, help them integrate into the community, and prevent further medical problems.
- Observe, analyze, and record patients' participation, reactions, and progress during treatment sessions, modifying treatment programs as needed.
Occupational Therapist
- Test and evaluate patients' physical and mental abilities and analyze medical data to determine realistic rehabilitation goals for patients.
- Complete and maintain necessary records.
- Plan and implement programs and social activities to help patients learn work or school skills and adjust to handicaps.
- Select activities that will help individuals learn work and life-management skills within limits of their mental or physical capabilities.
Largest employing industries
Data Share of all jobs in each occupation, BLS Employment Matrix 2025.
Recreational Therapist
- Hospitals; state, local, and private (41.7% of all jobs in this occupation)
- Government, excluding state and local education and hospitals (21.4% of all jobs in this occupation)
- Nursing and residential care facilities (19.6% of all jobs in this occupation)
Occupational Therapist
- Ambulatory healthcare services (41.9% of all jobs in this occupation)
- Hospitals; state, local, and private (26.3% of all jobs in this occupation)
- Educational services; state, local, and private (13.4% of all jobs in this occupation)
Moving between these careers
Data The comparison shows which; the career-change guides show how.
- Recreational Therapist → Occupational Therapist: skills to build: Science, Judgment and Decision Making, Time Management.
- Occupational Therapist → Recreational Therapist: skills to build: Persuasion. Careers after Occupational Therapist
Go deeper
Occupational Therapist career hub · Occupational Therapist salary · Occupational Therapist how to become · Occupational Therapist career change
Common questions
Which pays more, Recreational Therapist or Occupational Therapist?
Which is growing faster?
Which is better?
How this page is built
BLS classifies them as different occupations (SOC 29-1125 and 29-1122). Pay: BLS OEWS May 2025 national median for each occupation's SOC code. Outlook: BLS Employment Projections 2025–35 (growth, numeric change and annual openings are separate metrics). Requirements rows: 2025 preliminary BLS Occupational Requirements Survey, shown only when both roles have detailed-occupation estimates. Work environment: O*NET 31.0 work context. This page includes information from the O*NET® 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. TryHired has modified all or some of this information. USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications. Searches this page answers include “recreational therapist vs occupational therapist”, “occupational therapist vs recreational therapist” (Ahrefs, U.S.).
- Any one employer's pay, schedule or culture.
- Job security, ease of hiring or work-life balance: these are not measured here.
- Which career you will prefer: the rows describe the occupations, not you.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 estimates (public domain).
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections program, 2025–35 national projections (growth, openings, typical entry-level education and experience).
- O*NET 31.0 Database, U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under the CC BY 4.0 license. TryHired selected, ranked and combined the data; O*NET is not responsible for these pages.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Requirements Survey, 2025 estimates (preliminary: two of the third wave's samples, collected August 2023 to July 2025; released January 16, 2026), public domain.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections program, 2025–35 National Employment Matrix (all jobs, including self-employed).