BLS metro-level wage data places Recreational Therapists pay in New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ at a median of $66,050 per year ($31.75/hr/hour), drawn from the OEWS May 2025 release for this Metropolitan Statistical Area. Compared to the national median of $61,960, New York-Newark-Jersey City pays +7% above, signaling either concentrated employer demand, a cost-of-living premium, or both. Approximately 1,090 recreational therapistss are employed across the New York-Newark-Jersey City MSA in SOC 29-1125.

The New York-Newark-Jersey City pay distribution spans from $50,250 at the 10th percentile to $95,830 at the 90th — a 1.9× spread that reflects experience tenure, specialization, employer size, and the difference between public-sector, nonprofit, and private-sector compensation inside the metro. The 25th percentile sits at $55,890 and the 75th at $79,560, so half of New York-Newark-Jersey City-based recreational therapistss earn within that middle band.

Metro figures capture where you actually work, not just where you live — which matters for commuters. BLS draws metro boundaries from the OMB MSA definitions, so New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ covers the central city plus outlying counties tied to the metro economically. Remember that OEWS wages reflect base pay only: employer-provided health insurance, retirement matches, stock options, signing bonuses, overtime, and tips are excluded and can add 20-40% to real total compensation. Before using this metro median as a negotiation anchor, triangulate against the same occupation's national profile (linked below), its state-wide NY data, and peer-metro comparisons — a median is a starting point, not a ceiling.