Recreational Therapists in Ohio
May 2025 wages · tax year 2026
You keep
$50,054
after federal, FICA and Ohio tax
Tax takes
$10,716
17.6% of the whole
Worth, in national money
$54,518
Ohio costs less than average
On that salary you would be around the 25th percentile for this work in Ohio — roughly, since only five points along the band are published.
One filer, standard deduction, no dependants and nothing paid in before tax — the same household the rest of this page uses, so the comparison holds. City and school-district income taxes are not included.
Median here
$60,770
Kept after tax
$50,054
Worth in national money
$54,518
State rank
20
of 48 states
What this pays, and what it is worth
- Ohio sits in the middle of the pack for recreational therapists. The median is $60,770, ranking 20 of 48 states with figures. Close enough to the national middle that where you live matters more than the headline suggests.
- Middle of the local pack. Of 494 occupations Ohio reports figures for, this is number 225.
- Ohio is cheaper than average, and that shows up here. From $60,770 the take-home is $50,054; adjusted for what things actually cost, it goes as far as $54,518 would nationally. The average comes to $62,290, above the middle, thanks to the top of the range.
- Ohio occupies the middle band for recreational therapists: a median of $60,770, ranking 20 of 48. Where nominal pay is close to the national figure, the tax and price adjustments below carry proportionally more weight in determining the real outcome.
- In Ohio's occupational distribution, recreational therapists sits at 225 of 494 — neither quartile. This local position is what a resident compares against, and it is determined by the state's own labor market rather than by national patterns for this occupation.
- Post-tax income for recreational therapists in Ohio, on $60,770, is $50,054 — equivalent to $54,518 once regional price parity is applied. ⚠️ The adjustment uses a statewide index that describes no particular address; within-state price variation, concentrated in housing, routinely exceeds the difference between two states. At $62,290 the mean overshoots the median — the usual right-skewed shape.
Compare this career across states
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Pay band: Recreational Therapists
The state median for this job
| Lowest tenth earn under | $46,440 |
|---|---|
| Half earn under | $60,770 |
| Top tenth earn over | $84,910 |
| This salary | $60,770 |
Positions between the published tenth, quarter, half, three-quarter and ninetieth points are estimated by straight line.
The same pay, somewhere else
The state median for this job
| Take-home in Ohio | $50,054 |
|---|---|
| Take-home in Texas | $51,009 |
| Once local prices are leveledBEA price parity | −$2,026 |
The raise and the real gain point in opposite directions here.
State income tax and state price levels only. No city income tax, and no housing market.
What you would need there
The state median for this job
| To match take-home only | $59,582 |
|---|---|
| Raise you would need | +$2,451 |
| Prices in Texas | 97 vs 92 |
State taxes and state price levels only. No city tax, and no housing market.
Sources and assumptions
- A median is the middle, not an offer. Half of recreational therapists in Ohio earn under $60,770 and half over. The published range runs $46,440 at the tenth percentile to $84,910 at the ninetieth. Experience and employer move an individual a long way inside that.
- One filer, no dependants, no pension contributions — that is the household behind Ohio's $50,054, worked from $60,770. That is on purpose. It lets states be compared with each other, not with each other's family circumstances. Local city taxes are left out. Locally this work ranks 225 of 494.
- One number stands for prices across all of Ohio, which is a simplification — big cities cost far more than small towns. Read $54,518, the adjusted value of that $60,770 median, as a way to compare states fairly, not as a quote for any particular place. The two datasets are also from different years. This job sits at 225 of 494 in the state.
- Figures are distribution medians for recreational therapists in Ohio, not entry or offer rates. The published band runs $46,440 to $84,910; within-state dispersion of that width routinely exceeds the dispersion between states, so tenure, employer and metropolitan area predict an individual's pay better than geography does.
- The Ohio take-home of $50,054, on $60,770 for work ranking 225 of 494 locally, models the simplest household deliberately: holding it constant is what makes the interstate comparison meaningful. It also means the absolute figure overstates liability for most real filers, and municipal income taxes are outside the model entirely. The occupation ranks 225 of 494 in the state.
- Price deflation uses one statewide parity for Ohio, so $54,518 — the adjusted value of that $60,770 median — establishes comparability between states rather than accuracy within one. The wage and parity series are dated independently, each following its own publication cycle, and neither is projected forward. This occupation sits at 225 of 494 locally.
Questions people ask
How much does pay for this job actually vary?
Less than you might expect. The bottom tenth earn $46,440 and the top tenth $84,910, so most people doing this work in Ohio sit within a fairly tight band.
What does this pay actually buy where I live?
Further than the number implies. Ohio is cheaper than the national average, so this take-home behaves like $54,518 in national terms.
Where does the difference between the wage and my paycheck go?
Four deductions, stacked. The federal layer and the two payroll taxes apply wherever you work; Ohio then takes its own share, leaving $50,054.
Why is this job missing from some states?
The survey withholds small samples rather than publish an unreliable number. Pay appears for 48 states here, and a missing state means too few reports, not no jobs.
What is the dispersion of this occupation's wage distribution?
The tenth-to-ninetieth percentile span ($46,440 to $84,910) sits at or below the family's median dispersion, indicating relatively standardized compensation. Percentiles are published per state, so this dispersion is specific to Ohio rather than a national figure.
What is this occupation's price-adjusted compensation in this state?
Ohio's regional price parity is at or below the national average, so nominal wages understate purchasing power. Take-home deflated by the state price level is $54,518 in national-average terms. The adjustment uses an all-items index and does not isolate housing.
What accounts for the gap between gross wage and take-home here?
Take-home of $50,054 reflects federal income tax, OASDI, Medicare and Ohio income tax for a single filer with no adjustments. The state layer is levied in addition to the federal one; only its rate and base differ between states.
Why does this occupation lack published estimates in every state?
BLS suppresses estimates failing disclosure or reliability criteria. This occupation has published state-level estimates in 48 of the fifty-one jurisdictions. Suppression reflects sample size and confidentiality rules, and cannot be read as an absence of employment.