PublicPay

Recreation/Creative Arts Therapist federal salary series 0638

Full-time federal employees in the Recreation/Creative Arts Therapist series earned a median of $92,107 in annualized adjusted basic pay in September 2026, 16% below the all-federal median of $109,641. The middle half earned between $85,484 and $102,744.

Median pay
$92,107
full-time, September 2026
Middle 50%
$85,484–$102,744
25th–75th percentile
Employees
1,058
in this series, all schedules
Change in median
+1%
vs. September 2025
Pay distribution, full-time employees with published pay, September 2026
Recreation/Creative Arts Therapist
All federal (full-time)

What shapes recreation/creative arts therapist pay

The most common grade with published pay is GS-11 (842 employees, median $90,068). The largest employer of this series with published pay is the Department of Veterans Affairs (1,008 employees). Among states with at least 30 full-time employees with published pay, the median is highest in California ($108,921) and lowest in Arizona ($87,832), a gap that partly reflects locality pay differences. Federal pay depends mostly on grade and step, plus a locality adjustment for where the job is located; see the GS pay scale explainer.

Recreation/Creative Arts Therapist pay by grade

Grades with at least 30 full-time employees with published pay. GS grades are listed first; other pay plans follow.

Recreation/Creative Arts Therapist pay by grade
Pay plan–grade Employees Median pay Middle 50%
GS-11 842 $90,068 $84,638–$97,087
GS-12 132 $107,737 $102,045–$113,181
GS-13 42 $125,638 $119,101–$134,337

middle 50% (25th–75th percentile) 10th–90th percentile median all-federal median ($109,641)

Recreation/Creative Arts Therapist pay by agency

Recreation/Creative Arts Therapist pay by agency
Agency Employees Median pay Middle 50%
Department of Veterans Affairs 1,008 $92,107 $85,488–$102,850

middle 50% (25th–75th percentile) 10th–90th percentile median all-federal median ($109,641)

Recreation/Creative Arts Therapist pay by state

The 10 states with the most employees in this series and published pay.

Recreation/Creative Arts Therapist pay by state
State Employees Median pay Middle 50%
Florida 93 $92,107 $84,638–$103,399
California 84 $108,921 $101,706–$118,259
Texas 76 $94,029 $85,882–$100,833
New York 64 $99,742 $89,932–$108,771
Pennsylvania 46 $90,083 $84,638–$100,435
Illinois 44 $92,107 $89,476–$105,454
Ohio 39 $92,956 $85,776–$96,144
Arizona 38 $87,832 $84,961–$95,698
North Carolina 37 $90,617 $85,783–$96,707
Minnesota 32 $94,988 $86,844–$101,774

middle 50% (25th–75th percentile) 10th–90th percentile median all-federal median ($109,641)

Compare recreation/creative arts therapist pay across all states and agencies →

Change since September 2025

The median moved +1.0% from $91,187 in September 2025 to $92,107 in September 2026. Headcount went from 1,102 to 1,058 (−4.0%). A change in the median reflects both pay adjustments and who joined or left the workforce, so it is not the same as a pay raise.

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