What are the main factors that influence a Recreational Therapy Aide's salary?

The primary factors are: 1) Experience Level, 2) Geographic Location, 3) Education/Skills, 4) Company Size & Industry

How does experience change A Recreational Therapy Aide's salary?

A Recreational Therapy Aide's salary grows with experience: starting around $76,936 for beginners, reaching about $80,095 at mid-level, and approach $85,536 for experts.

What are the highest paying cities for a Recreational Therapy Aide?

Recreational Therapy Aide salary varies significantly by city. The top 3 highest paying cities in North Carolina for Recreational Therapy Aide roles are San Jose $111,569, San Francisco $110,472, Oakland $108,022.

How much do different types of Recreational Therapy Aide roles make?

Salaries for Recreational Therapy Aide level roles vary by specialization: Director of Recreational Therapy: $91,900; Recreational Therapy Director: $91,812; Speech Therapy Aide: $81,311; Recreational Therapist: $67,955; Recreational Therapy Assistant: $67,554.

What specialized skills increase a Recreational Therapy Aide's salary?

Skills with high demand and low supply, such as Attention to Detail (up to 6% premium), Interviewing (up to 5% premium), Coaching (up to 5% premium), directly translate to higher compensation. Employers pay more for these capabilities to gain a competitive edge.

Recreational Therapy Aide Salary in Staley, NC

How much does a Recreational Therapy Aide make in Staley, NC?

As of January 01, 2026, the average salary for a Recreational Therapy Aide in Staley, NC is $82,069 per year, which breaks down to an hourly rate of $39.

However, a Recreational Therapy Aide's salary can vary significantly. Here’s a look at the typical salary range:

Top Earners (90th percentile): $111,414
Majority Range (25th-75th percentile): $67,856 to $97,429
Entry-Level (10th percentile): $54,915

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Recreational Therapy Aide Salaries by Percentile

	Annual Salary	Monthly Pay	Weekly Pay	Hourly Wage
75th Percentile	$97,429	$8,119	$1,874	$47
Average	$82,069	$6,839	$1,578	$39
25th Percentile	$67,856	$5,655	$1,305	$33

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Key Factors That Influence Recreational Therapy Aide Salaries

A Recreational Therapy Aide's salary isn't a fixed number. It's shaped by several important factors. Below, we'll explore how your years of experience, geographic location, skills and company size can directly affect your earning potential.

How Experience Level Affects Recreational Therapy Aide Salaries?

Experience is a primary driver of a Recreational Therapy Aide's salary. As you build your skills and take on more complex tasks, your compensation generally increases. Here's how the average salary grows at different career stages:

Entry-Level (less than 1 year): $76,936
Early Career (1-2 years): $78,121
Mid-Level (2-4 years): $80,095
Senior-Level (5-8 years): $82,069
Expert (over 8 years): $85,536

Levels	Salary
Entry Level Recreational Therapy Aide	$76,936
Intermediate Level Recreational Therapy Aide	$78,121
Senior Level Recreational Therapy Aide	$80,095
Specialist Level Recreational Therapy Aide	$82,069
Expert Level Recreational Therapy Aide	$85,536

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Top Paying Cities for Recreational Therapy Aides

Salaries can also vary between different cities. Major metropolitan areas or cities with a high demand for technicians often offer more competitive pay. Here are a few examples of average annual salaries in different U.S. cities:

San Jose: $111,569
San Francisco: $110,472
Oakland: $108,022

San Jose, CA $111,569

San Francisco, CA $110,472

Oakland, CA $108,022

New York, NY $102,511

Queens Village, NY $101,847

Paramus, NJ $101,140

Passaic, NJ $101,051

Bergenfield, NJ $100,963

Stamford, CT $100,830

Huntington, NY $100,742

Newark, NJ $100,167

Bridgeport, CT $99,990

New Brunswick, NJ $99,698

Vallejo, CA $99,512

Middlesex, NJ $99,459

Somerset, NJ $99,380

Petaluma, CA $99,176

Santa Cruz, CA $98,831

Boston, MA $98,654

Monterey, CA $98,212

Fairbanks, AK $98,150

Los Angeles, CA $97,982

Washington, DC $97,938

Seattle, WA $97,778

Santa Rosa, CA $97,761

Juneau, AK $97,504

Orange, CA $97,212

Anchorage, AK $97,053

Anaheim, CA $96,991

Santa Ana, CA $96,859

Nassau, NY $96,805

Long Beach, CA $96,770

Danbury, CT $96,744

Santa Maria, CA $96,443

Everett, WA $96,425

Bremerton, WA $95,992

Trenton, NJ $95,824

Sacramento, CA $95,788

San Diego, CA $95,744

Brockton, MA $95,709

Tacoma, WA $95,673

Santa Barbara, CA $95,549

Lowell, MA $95,196

New Suffolk, NY $95,160

Nashua, NH $95,054

Lompoc, CA $94,913

Ventura, CA $94,824

Stockton, CA $94,798

New Haven, CT $94,621

Atlantic City, NJ $94,391

Hartford, CT $94,196

Modesto, CA $94,152

Poughkeepsie, NY $93,957

New Britain, CT $93,913

Olympia, WA $93,789

Kennewick, WA $93,789

New London, CT $93,771

Norwich, CT $93,745

Lawrence, MA $93,701

Bakersfield, CA $93,453

Riverside, CA $93,329

New Bedford, MA $93,329

Richland, WA $93,241

Portsmouth, NH $93,170

Vineland, NJ $93,152

San Bernardino, CA $93,082

Boulder, CO $92,834

Worcester, MA $92,763

Portland, OR $92,683

Saint Paul, MN $92,577

Minneapolis, MN $92,577

Philadelphia, PA $92,453

Honolulu, HI $91,985

Springfield, MA $91,675

Providence, RI $91,666

Chicago, IL $91,410

Bellingham, WA $91,304

Baltimore, MD $91,206

Chico, CA $90,985

Wilmington, DE $90,835

Pittsfield, MA $90,746

Manchester, NH $90,578

Spokane, WA $90,189

Denver, CO $90,180

Albany, NY $89,764

Troy, NY $89,729

Schenectady, NY $89,543

Burlington, VT $89,349

Portland, ME $89,039

Salem, OR $88,968

Yakima, WA $88,951

Ann Arbor, MI $88,924

Rochester, MN $88,676

Fresno, CA $88,632

Reno, NV $88,632

Milwaukee, WI $88,553

Detroit, MI $88,464

Allentown, PA $88,438

Carson City, NV $88,429

Houston, TX $88,296

Colorado Springs, CO $88,287

Syracuse, NY $88,243

Eugene, OR $88,075

Bismarck, ND $87,969

Gary, IN $87,969

Galveston, TX $87,969

Springfield, OR $87,898

Medford, OR $87,686

Fort Collins, CO $87,650

Austin, TX $87,580

Mesa, AZ $87,394

Phoenix, AZ $87,376

Dallas, TX $87,350

Reading, PA $87,297

Saint Cloud, MN $87,261

Concord, NH $87,182

Madison, WI $87,146

Utica, NY $86,907

Raleigh, NC $86,837

Las Vegas, NV $86,828

Rochester, NY $86,766

Des Moines, IA $86,757

Atlanta, GA $86,615

Battle Creek, MI $86,589

Salt Lake City, UT $86,562

Lancaster, PA $86,430

Champaign, IL $86,412

Harrisburg, PA $86,306

Durham, NC $86,226

Kansas City, MO $86,217

Kansas City, KS $86,200

Fort Worth, TX $86,191

Boca Raton, FL $86,155

Cleveland, OH $86,147

Columbus, OH $86,129

Pittsburgh, PA $86,120

Richmond, VA $86,085

Indianapolis, IN $86,067

Cincinnati, OH $85,952

Petersburg, VA $85,819

Billings, MT $85,625

Lansing, MI $85,625

Huntsville, AL $85,625

Lebanon, PA $85,616

Dayton, OH $85,607

Pueblo, CO $85,607

Appleton, WI $85,581

Buffalo, NY $85,545

Racine, WI $85,501

Charlotte, NC $85,492

Saint Louis, MO $85,466

Springfield, IL $85,430

Elkhart, IN $85,412

York, PA $85,412

Gastonia, NC $85,404

Benton Harbor, MI $85,404

Beaumont, TX $85,351

Lorain, OH $85,333

Toledo, OH $85,297

Binghamton, NY $85,253

Rock Hill, SC $85,244

Rockford, IL $85,200

Fargo, ND $85,156

Elyria, OH $85,156

Flagstaff, AZ $85,094

Fort Lauderdale, FL $85,041

Miami, FL $84,988

Duluth, MN $84,846

Bangor, ME $84,731

Cedar Rapids, IA $84,634

Louisville, KY $84,590

Grand Rapids, MI $84,572

Hialeah, FL $84,563

Casper, WY $84,439

Scranton, PA $84,333

New Orleans, LA $84,307

Virginia Beach, VA $84,298

Akron, OH $84,254

Peoria, IL $84,139

Sarasota, FL $84,121

Green Bay, WI $84,059

Baton Rouge, LA $84,015

Charleston, SC $83,997

Nashville, TN $83,971

Jamestown, NY $83,953

Davenport, IA $83,953

Tucson, AZ $83,909

Cheyenne, WY $83,882

Saint Petersburg, FL $83,856

Tampa, FL $83,838

Omaha, NE $83,820

Port Arthur, TX $83,785

Evansville, IN $83,785

Bradenton, FL $83,749

Santa Fe, NM $83,590

Orlando, FL $83,502

Clearwater, FL $83,405

Canton, OH $83,219

La Crosse, WI $83,219

Grand Forks, ND $83,192

Albuquerque, NM $83,166

Tulsa, OK $83,166

Newport News, VA $83,157

High Point, NC $83,130

Ogden, UT $83,095

Corpus Christi, TX $83,024

Laramie, WY $82,971

Norfolk, VA $82,971

Rock Island, IL $82,918

Saginaw, MI $82,900

Jacksonville, FL $82,891

Salisbury, NC $82,874

Memphis, TN $82,856

Moline, IL $82,812

Fort Myers, FL $82,785

Waterloo, IA $82,670

Spartanburg, SC $82,582

Lincoln, NE $82,538

Fort Wayne, IN $82,520

Birmingham, AL $82,423

Cedar Falls, IA $82,405

Provo, UT $82,396

Springfield, OH $82,387

San Antonio, TX $82,370

Greensboro, NC $82,334

South Bend, IN $82,325

Winston Salem, NC $82,317

Boise, ID $82,290

Savannah, GA $82,228

Muskegon, MI $82,069

Lima, OH $81,963

Lake Charles, LA $81,927

Anderson, IN $81,910

Lexington, KY $81,883

Augusta, GA $81,857

Greenville, SC $81,857

Wichita, KS $81,777

Tuscaloosa, AL $81,777

Columbia, SC $81,697

Bloomington, IN $81,476

Roanoke, VA $81,423

Asheville, NC $81,308

Knoxville, TN $81,158

Shreveport, LA $81,149

Wilmington, NC $81,034

Frankfort, KY $80,866

Oklahoma City, OK $80,804

Chillicothe, OH $80,769

Longview, TX $80,760

Topeka, KS $80,733

Mobile, AL $80,600

Terre Haute, IN $80,565

Erie, PA $80,556

Altoona, PA $80,512

Melbourne, FL $80,485

Amarillo, TX $80,450

Killeen, TX $80,424

Fayetteville, AR $80,353

Sioux Falls, SD $80,291

Chattanooga, TN $80,238

Idaho Falls, ID $80,229

Gainesville, FL $80,043

Portsmouth, OH $79,999

Little Rock, AR $79,981

Lynchburg, VA $79,981

Lafayette, LA $79,946

Youngstown, OH $79,946

Temple, TX $79,911

Daytona Beach, FL $79,893

Clarksville, TN $79,884

Pensacola, FL $79,875

Hopkinsville, KY $79,610

Charleston, WV $79,601

Florence, SC $79,557

Sioux City, IA $79,504

Macon, GA $79,247

Tallahassee, FL $79,238

Fayetteville, NC $79,221

Waco, TX $79,203

Wichita Falls, TX $79,203

Pine Bluff, AR $79,167

Vincennes, IN $78,999

Lubbock, TX $78,964

Great Falls, MT $78,911

Alamogordo, NM $78,902

Abilene, TX $78,831

Rapid City, SD $78,716

Monroe, LA $78,716

Albany, GA $78,663

Huntington, WV $78,654

Jackson, MS $78,646

Greenville, MS $78,637

Parkersburg, WV $78,548

Montgomery, AL $78,531

Johnstown, PA $78,513

Springfield, MO $78,442

Biloxi, MS $78,398

Sumter, SC $78,212

Columbus, GA $78,203

Twin Falls, ID $78,150

Pascagoula, MS $78,035

Kingsport, TN $77,805

Gulfport, MS $77,779

Alexandria, LA $77,487

Fort Smith, AR $77,266

El Paso, TX $77,027

Helena, MT $76,912

Las Cruces, NM $76,629

Harlingen, TX $76,381

Pocatello, ID $76,302

Florence, AL $76,275

Brownsville, TX $76,257

Dothan, AL $76,116

Mcallen, TX $76,072

Columbus, MS $75,417

Altus, OK $75,010

Lawton, OK $74,842

Pierre, SD $74,524

What Skills Can Increase a Recreational Therapy Aide's Salary?

Demanded Skills for the Role:

Leadership (Mentioned in 12.62% Job Postings): Knowledge of and ability to employ effective strategies that motivate and guide other members within our business to achieve optimum results.
Assisted Living (Mentioned in 0.97% Job Postings): Assisted living exemplifies the shift from "care as service" to "care as business" in the broader health care arena predicted more than three decades ago. A consumer-driven industry, assisted living offers a wide range of options, levels of care, and diversity of services (Lockhart, 2009) and is subject to state rather than federal regulatory oversight. "Assisted living" means depends on both the state and provider in question: variations in state regulatory definitions are significant and provider variables include everything from philosophy, geographic location and auspice, to organizational size and structure.
Quality Assurance (Mentioned in 0.73% Job Postings): Verifying the adherence of product with required specifications and expectations to track and resolve deficiencies prior to product release.

See More Skills

Skills	Demand Percentage
Leadership	12.62%
Assisted Living	0.97%
Quality Assurance	0.73%

What skills can make your compensation higher?

Mastering certain specialized skills can lead to a significant increase in pay. Here are examples of skills and the potential impact they can have on a Recreational Therapy Aide's salary.

Attention to Detail: Can increase your salary by up to 6%.
Interviewing: Can increase your salary by up to 5%.
Coaching: Can increase your salary by up to 5%.

Skill	Salary	Salary % Increase
Attention to Detail	$86,993	6%
Interviewing	$86,172	5%
Coaching	$86,172	5%
Long Term Care	$85,352	4%
Planning	$85,352	4%
Leadership	$85,352	4%

Get Latest Data

Recreational Therapy Aide Salary: Hourly Rate, Weekly Pay, and Monthly Pay

Understanding how a Recreational Therapy Aide's annual salary breaks down can help with budgeting. Below, you can see the average hourly rate, weekly pay, and monthly pay for this role. Use the buttons to switch between different pay periods.

Last Updated on January 01, 2026

$67,856

Average $82,069/year

$97,429

$5,655

Average $6,839/month

$8,119

$1,305

Average $1,578/week

$1,874

$33

Average $39/hour

$47

	Annual Salary	Monthly Pay	Weekly Pay	Hourly Wage
75th Percentile	$97,429	$8,119	$1,874	$47
Average	$82,069	$6,839	$1,578	$39
25th Percentile	$67,856	$5,655	$1,305	$33

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