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The differences between therapeutic recreation specialists and recreational therapy technicians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 6-12 months to become both a therapeutic recreation specialist and a recreational therapy technician. Additionally, a therapeutic recreation specialist has an average salary of $46,477, which is higher than the $45,332 average annual salary of a recreational therapy technician.
The top three skills for a therapeutic recreation specialist include patients, CTRS and interdisciplinary. The most important skills for a recreational therapy technician are developmental disabilities, , and .
| Therapeutic Recreation Specialist | Recreational Therapy Technician | |
| Yearly salary | $46,477 | $45,332 |
| Hourly rate | $22.34 | $21.79 |
| Growth rate | 4% | 4% |
| Number of jobs | 38,571 | 16,487 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 82% | Bachelor's Degree, 73% |
| Average age | 43 | 43 |
| Years of experience | 12 | 12 |
Therapeutic recreation specialists and recreational therapy technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Therapeutic Recreation Specialist | Recreational Therapy Technician | |
| Average salary | $46,477 | $45,332 |
| Salary range | Between $31,000 And $68,000 | Between $30,000 And $67,000 |
| Highest paying City | New York, NY | - |
| Highest paying state | California | - |
| Best paying company | LCMC Health | - |
| Best paying industry | Manufacturing | - |
There are a few differences between a therapeutic recreation specialist and a recreational therapy technician in terms of educational background:
| Therapeutic Recreation Specialist | Recreational Therapy Technician | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 82% | Bachelor's Degree, 73% |
| Most common major | Rehabilitation Science | Psychology |
| Most common college | California State University - Long Beach | California State University - Long Beach |
Here are the differences between therapeutic recreation specialists' and recreational therapy technicians' demographics:
| Therapeutic Recreation Specialist | Recreational Therapy Technician | |
| Average age | 43 | 43 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 18.9% Female, 81.1% | Male, 35.7% Female, 64.3% |
| 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, 6.5% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 10.2% Asian, 3.3% White, 74.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8% |
| LGBT Percentage | 9% | 9% |