Home / Apprenticeships / Occupations / Recreational Therapists
Recreational Therapists: apprenticeship hours and pay
O*NET-SOC 29-1125.00
Approved apprenticeship titles
One apprenticeship title on the Department of Labor's approved list fall under Recreational Therapists, trained competency-based, hybrid, time-based. The shortest approved term is 3,000 hours, for Therapeutic Riding Instructor (competency-based).
| Title | RAPIDS code | Approach and term |
|---|---|---|
| Therapeutic Riding Instructor | 3062 | Competency-Based: 3,000 hours Hybrid: 3,000 to 3,750 hours Time-Based: 3,000 hours |
Time-based programs count hours on the job; competency-based programs move on when the apprentice shows the skills; hybrid programs use both, within a range of hours (29 CFR 29.5(b)(2)). Each registered program sets its own term inside what the approved title allows.
What recreational therapists earn, by state
California has the highest state median for recreational therapists ($98,170) and Puerto Rico the lowest ($28,140), across the 49 states with a published figure.
| State | Median pay | Hourly | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| California | $98,170 | $47.20 | 1,920 |
| District of Columbia | $95,640 | $45.98 | 50 |
| New Hampshire | $82,280 | $39.56 | 70 |
| Nevada | $78,730 | $37.85 | 400 |
| Washington | $77,860 | $37.44 | 240 |
| Minnesota | $76,360 | $36.71 | 250 |
| Colorado | $66,580 | $32.01 | 200 |
| Oregon | $66,530 | $31.99 | 250 |
| New York | $65,520 | $31.50 | 1,230 |
| Hawaii | $64,500 | $31.01 | 40 |
| Maryland | $64,300 | $30.91 | 290 |
| Vermont | $63,380 | $30.47 | 40 |
| Connecticut | $63,240 | $30.40 | 380 |
| Nebraska | $62,980 | $30.28 | 150 |
| Massachusetts | $62,820 | $30.20 | 210 |
| Arizona | $62,610 | $30.10 | 170 |
| Texas | $62,490 | $30.04 | 800 |
| Michigan | $61,700 | $29.66 | 590 |
| Virginia | $61,270 | $29.46 | 570 |
| Ohio | $60,770 | $29.22 | 310 |
| New Jersey | $60,400 | $29.04 | 430 |
| Wisconsin | $59,350 | $28.54 | 350 |
| Kentucky | $59,240 | $28.48 | 100 |
| Pennsylvania | $58,940 | $28.34 | 720 |
| Missouri | $58,620 | $28.18 | 140 |
| North Dakota | $58,370 | $28.06 | 80 |
| Florida | $57,980 | $27.87 | 640 |
| Maine | $57,560 | $27.67 | 40 |
| Alabama | $57,360 | $27.58 | 160 |
| Utah | $56,640 | $27.23 | 210 |
| Iowa | $56,140 | $26.99 | 230 |
| Illinois | $54,910 | $26.40 | 440 |
| Indiana | $53,770 | $25.85 | 190 |
| Georgia | $52,010 | $25.00 | 530 |
| Tennessee | $51,910 | $24.96 | 150 |
| Louisiana | $51,150 | $24.59 | 190 |
| Delaware | $51,110 | $24.57 | 70 |
| Montana | $51,110 | $24.57 | 40 |
| North Carolina | $51,030 | $24.53 | 440 |
| Oklahoma | $50,480 | $24.27 | 120 |
| Idaho | $49,720 | $23.90 | 90 |
| New Mexico | $49,210 | $23.66 | 100 |
| West Virginia | $49,010 | $23.56 | 130 |
| South Carolina | $48,880 | $23.50 | 190 |
| South Dakota | $46,850 | $22.53 | 40 |
| Arkansas | $42,670 | $20.52 | 70 |
| Kansas | $40,010 | $19.24 | 710 |
| Mississippi | $39,560 | $19.02 | 140 |
| Puerto Rico | $28,140 | $13.53 | 80 |
Finding a program
The public sponsor file names the organizations that run registered apprenticeships but not the occupations each one trains, so this guide names no sponsor. Search apprenticeship.gov's Apprenticeship Finder for this title, or ask your American Job Center which local programs train it.
Apprenticeship sponsors by state (25,633) · All approved occupations
Sources: apprenticeship.gov approved occupations list (Last-Modified October 8, 2026); BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 (all industries; blanks are figures BLS does not publish).