Recreation/creative Arts Therapist

What the Numbers Say About Recreation/creative Arts Therapist

Federal agencies employ 1,145 people in the Recreation/creative Arts Therapist occupation (OPM code 638), accounting for 0.1% of the total federal civilian workforce of 2,289,472 for the March 2025 reporting window. Headcount in this occupation moved down by -2.3% versus the prior period, a modest but trackable signal for anyone considering this specialized federal career path.

The average salary for Recreation/creative Arts Therapist is $93,456 per year, placing it 14.9% below the overall federal civilian average of $109,869. Salaries moved up by 2.7% from the prior period, a broad shift as locality pay tables and grade-level adjustments moved through the workforce. Average length of service in this role is 11.1 years, a mid-length average tenure, reflecting a mix of career employees and those who transfer or exit mid-career.

Code 6, the Medical, Hospital, Dental, and Public Health Group family, is where the federal government classifies Recreation/creative Arts Therapist alongside 44 related occupations. Candidates browsing USAJOBS for Recreation/creative Arts Therapist postings should also review these sibling occupations, since federal hiring managers often cross-post positions across closely related codes when recruitment is difficult. All figures here come directly from OPM FedScope Employment Cubes, the same official source referenced in federal workforce planning, budget justifications, and GAO reports.

Recreation/creative Arts Therapist makes up 0.3% of the 356,984 employees across the Medical, Hospital, Dental, and Public Health Group family, ranking #29 of 45 occupations in that family by headcount. Its average salary ranks in the bottom half (40th percentile) of pay among Medical, Hospital, Dental, and Public Health Group occupations.