Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
The differences between therapeutic recreation assistants and activity assistants can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 2-4 years to become a therapeutic recreation assistant, becoming an activity assistant takes usually requires 6-12 months. Additionally, an activity assistant has an average salary of $29,611, which is higher than the $25,481 average annual salary of a therapeutic recreation assistant.
The top three skills for a therapeutic recreation assistant include patients, autism and compassion. The most important skills for an activity assistant are patients, home health, and rehabilitation.
| Therapeutic Recreation Assistant | Activity Assistant | |
| Yearly salary | $25,481 | $29,611 |
| Hourly rate | $12.25 | $14.24 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 12% |
| Number of jobs | 3,873 | 25,038 |
| Job satisfaction | 5 | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 65% | Bachelor's Degree, 41% |
| Average age | 42 | 43 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 12 |
Therapeutic recreation assistants and activity assistants have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Therapeutic Recreation Assistant | Activity Assistant | |
| Average salary | $25,481 | $29,611 |
| Salary range | Between $16,000 And $39,000 | Between $23,000 And $37,000 |
| Highest paying City | - | Washington, DC |
| Highest paying state | - | Maine |
| Best paying company | - | Smithsonian Institution |
| Best paying industry | - | - |
There are a few differences between a therapeutic recreation assistant and an activity assistant in terms of educational background:
| Therapeutic Recreation Assistant | Activity Assistant | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 65% | Bachelor's Degree, 41% |
| Most common major | Psychology | Business |
| Most common college | Duke University | California State University - Fullerton |
Here are the differences between therapeutic recreation assistants' and activity assistants' demographics:
| Therapeutic Recreation Assistant | Activity Assistant | |
| Average age | 42 | 43 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 26.0% Female, 74.0% | Male, 16.8% Female, 83.2% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 14.2% Unknown, 5.6% Hispanic or Latino, 14.4% Asian, 5.0% White, 60.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% | Black or African American, 10.6% Unknown, 5.2% Hispanic or Latino, 18.4% Asian, 6.0% White, 57.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 2.1% |
| LGBT Percentage | 8% | 11% |