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The differences between recreational therapy aides and occupational therapists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 6-12 months to become both a recreational therapy aide and an occupational therapist. Additionally, an occupational therapist has an average salary of $75,707, which is higher than the $50,346 average annual salary of a recreational therapy aide.
The top three skills for a recreational therapy aide include recreational therapy, patients and CPR. The most important skills for an occupational therapist are patients, rehabilitation, and home health.
| Recreational Therapy Aide | Occupational Therapist | |
| Yearly salary | $50,346 | $75,707 |
| Hourly rate | $24.20 | $36.40 |
| Growth rate | 4% | 14% |
| Number of jobs | 50,591 | 78,315 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 4 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 61% | Bachelor's Degree, 55% |
| Average age | 43 | 40 |
| Years of experience | 12 | 12 |
Recreational therapy aides and occupational therapists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Recreational Therapy Aide | Occupational Therapist | |
| Average salary | $50,346 | $75,707 |
| Salary range | Between $35,000 And $71,000 | Between $58,000 And $97,000 |
| Highest paying City | - | Salinas, CA |
| Highest paying state | - | California |
| Best paying company | - | Waters |
| Best paying industry | - | Professional |
There are a few differences between a recreational therapy aide and an occupational therapist in terms of educational background:
| Recreational Therapy Aide | Occupational Therapist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 61% | Bachelor's Degree, 55% |
| Most common major | Rehabilitation Science | Occupational Therapy |
| Most common college | Duke University | Duke University |
Here are the differences between recreational therapy aides' and occupational therapists' demographics:
| Recreational Therapy Aide | Occupational Therapist | |
| Average age | 43 | 40 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 23.9% Female, 76.1% | Male, 16.8% Female, 83.2% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 6.5% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 10.2% Asian, 3.3% White, 74.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8% | Black or African American, 4.8% Unknown, 3.7% Hispanic or Latino, 6.2% Asian, 9.6% White, 75.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% |
| LGBT Percentage | 9% | 14% |