Athletes and Sports Competitors Salary: $nan Median Pay (2026 stats)
TL;DR
About 14,370 athletes and sports competitors nationally earn a mean of $nan. Employment in the series shown rose about 27% from the first to the last year; projections imply about 2.9% annual growth.
Key Statistics
Athletes and Sports Competitors: what the data shows
Common questions about athletes and sports competitors careers, answered from BLS OEWS and O*NET in this repository.
What is a athletes and sports competitors?
Athletes and Sports Competitors is tracked by the Bureau of Labor Statistics under SOC 27-2021.
U.S. employment in our OEWS extract is about 14,370 workers.
What does a athletes and sports competitors do?
O*NET work activities rated highest for this occupation include Getting Information, Making Decisions and Solving Problems, Analyzing Data or Information, Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events, Performing General Physical Activities, Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships, and related tasks. See Work Activities for the full list.
How much does a athletes and sports competitors make?
BLS national median annual wage: $62,360 (May 2024 in our extract).
What education do you need?
For Athletes and Sports Competitors, O*NET incumbent surveys in our extract most often report: Some college (29%), High School or Equivalent (27%), Bachelors Degree (22%).
These are education levels of current workers, not minimum legal requirements.
What skills do you need?
O*NET ratings for this occupation emphasize skills such as Speaking, Critical Thinking, Active Listening, Coordination, Monitoring, Judgment and Decision Making, and knowledge areas including Administration and Management, English Language, Customer and Personal Service, Personnel and Human Resources. See Education & Skills for detail.
Is athletes and sports competitors in demand?
Historical employment trend in our series implies about 2.9% annual growth (compound rate in the extract).
Five-year projected employment change: 15.1%.
Ten-year projected employment change: 32.6%.
Current U.S. headcount: 14,370.
We report federal series only—compare wages, growth, and openings against your target market.
Where do athletes and sports competitorss work?
Top industries by employment share in our OEWS industry extract:
| Industry | Employment | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Cross-industry | 14,370 | 20.0% |
| Cross-industry, Private Ownership only | 14,090 | 19.6% |
| Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation | 13,850 | 19.2% |
| Performing Arts, Spectator Sports, and Related Industries | 12,770 | 17.7% |
| Spectator Sports | 12,600 | 17.5% |
| Amusement, Gambling, and Recreation Industries | 1,080 | 1.5% |
See Industry for charts.
What degrees lead to this career?
Common majors for Athletes and Sports Competitors in O*NET:
See Related degrees.
What careers are related?
Other occupations linked through shared degree pathways in our mapping:
| Occupation | U.S. employment | Median wage |
|---|---|---|
| Area, Ethnic, and Cultural Studies Teachers, Postsecondary | 11,430 | $84,290 |
| Gambling and Sports Book Writers and Runners | 7,600 | $30,460 |
| Umpires, Referees, and Other Sports Officials | 15,080 | $38,820 |
| Recreation and Fitness Studies Teachers, Postsecondary | 12,680 | $75,890 |
| Computer Hardware Engineers | 75,710 | $155,020 |
| Railroad Brake, Signal, and Switch Operators and Locomotive Firers | 12,460 | $65,480 |
| Home Health Aides | — | — |
Employment
Employment and salary information for the Athletes and Sports Competitors workforce.
Employment Over Time
14,370 Workforce in 2023
The Athletes and Sports Competitors workforce has been growing over time.
Historical employment trends for Athletes and Sports Competitors.
Yearly Wage Ranking
$nan Average Wage
In 2023, Athletes and Sports Competitors earned an average of $nan.
Wage ranking compared to other occupations.
Wage Distribution
This chart shows the distribution of average salaries by income buckets for Athletes and Sports Competitors.
Salary distribution for Athletes and Sports Competitors.
Employment Growth Projections
2.9% Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR)
1,934 Projected Employment (5 years)
Projected growth: 15.1%
2,227 Projected Employment (10 years)
Projected growth: 32.6%
This occupation is projected to grow at 2.9% annually, indicating strong future demand.
Historical employment trends and future projections for Athletes and Sports Competitors.
Industry
Information on the industries that employ Athletes and Sports Competitors and on wages for those in the field.
Occupations by Industries
This graphic shows the share of Athletes and Sports Competitors employed by various industries.
Industry distribution for Athletes and Sports Competitors.
Wage Trends by Industry
-30.6% Average Annual Wage Growth Rate
Total, All Industry: -57.1% growth (Current: $716,646)
Historical wage growth trends by industry for Athletes and Sports Competitors.
Geographic Distribution
Employment and wage information by geographic location for Athletes and Sports Competitors.
State employment and wages are from the U.S. BLS OEWS May 2024 state extract. Metropolitan areas use the national MSA file when available.
Top States by Employment
Top States by Employment:
- GA: 2,390 employees, $229,340 avg wage
- TX: 1,380 employees, $321,640 avg wage
- FL: 990 employees, $63,560 avg wage
- NC: 950 employees, N/A avg wage
- IL: 690 employees, N/A avg wage
- OH: 630 employees, $59,890 avg wage
- CA: 610 employees, N/A avg wage
- CO: 460 employees, N/A avg wage
- PA: 420 employees, $74,940 avg wage
- MO: 420 employees, $500,220 avg wage
Top 10 states by employment for Athletes and Sports Competitors.
Top Metropolitan Areas
Top Metropolitan Areas:
- Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA: 1,860 employees, $241,110 avg wage
- Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN: 640 employees, N/A avg wage
- New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ: 570 employees, $209,330 avg wage
- Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX: 490 employees, $320,410 avg wage
- Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX: 450 employees, $262,680 avg wage
- Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC: 420 employees, N/A avg wage
- Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO: 340 employees, N/A avg wage
- Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD: 300 employees, $93,860 avg wage
- Gainesville, GA: 290 employees, $207,240 avg wage
- Raleigh-Cary, NC: 280 employees, N/A avg wage
Top 10 metropolitan statistical areas by employment for Athletes and Sports Competitors.
Diversity
Demographic information on Athletes and Sports Competitors in the US.
Gender and Age
The workforce of Athletes and Sports Competitors in 2023 was 14,370 people, with 62.0% women and 38.0% men.
Gender and age distribution for Athletes and Sports Competitors.
Races
Racial and ethnic shares when present in the career dataset. If the chart area shows a notice instead, occupational race/ethnicity fields are not yet populated for this extract.
Race and ethnicity distribution for Athletes and Sports Competitors.
Education & Skills
Data on higher education choices and required skills for Athletes and Sports Competitors.
Majors
The most common majors achieved by Athletes and Sports Competitors in 2023 were Business Administration, Business, Social Sciences.
Common majors for Athletes and Sports Competitors.
Education Levels
The main educational levels achieved by Athletes and Sports Competitors workers.
Education level distribution for Athletes and Sports Competitors.
Skills
Athletes and Sports Competitors need many skills, but most especially Speaking, Critical Thinking, Active Listening, Coordination, Monitoring.
Required skills for Athletes and Sports Competitors.
Knowledge & Abilities
Knowledge areas and abilities required for Athletes and Sports Competitors.
Knowledge Areas
The most important knowledge areas for Athletes and Sports Competitors include Administration and Management, English Language, Customer and Personal Service, Personnel and Human Resources, Communications and Media.
Knowledge areas required for Athletes and Sports Competitors.
Abilities
Key abilities needed for Athletes and Sports Competitors include Oral Comprehension, Static Strength, Oral Expression, Problem Sensitivity, Stamina.
Required abilities for Athletes and Sports Competitors.
Work Activities
Common work activities performed by Athletes and Sports Competitors.
Daily Activities
Athletes and Sports Competitors spend their time on activities such as Getting Information, Making Decisions and Solving Problems, Analyzing Data or Information, Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events, Performing General Physical Activities.
Most important work activities for Athletes and Sports Competitors.
About
Athletes and Sports Competitors
The average yearly wage for Athletes and Sports Competitors was $nan in 2023.
SOC Code
27-2021 - Athletes and Sports Competitors
Insights and Analysis
Compensation snapshot: Athletes and Sports Competitors reports an average salary of $nan.
Labor market presence: The current workforce is approximately 14,370 workers, indicating sustained demand.
Forward outlook: Projected annual growth is 2.9%, which should inform long-term career planning.
Data Sources
This page uses data from the following sources:
- College Scorecard - U.S. Department of Education
- Institutional characteristics, costs, completion rates, and earnings data
- Data years: 2015-2024
- Source: collegescorecard.ed.gov
- Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS)
- Employment and wage data by occupation
- Latest data: May 2024
- Source: bls.gov/oes
- O*NET Online - U.S. Department of Labor
- Occupational skills, knowledge, abilities, and work activities
- Database version: 28.0 (August 2023)
- Source: onetcenter.org
- IPEDS (Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System) - National Center for Education Statistics
- Institutional data, completions, enrollment, and financial aid
- Data years: 2015-2024
- Source: nces.ed.gov/ipeds
- Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS)
- Demographic and workforce data
- Latest data: 2023 ACS 5-Year Estimates
- Source: census.gov/acs
Data Processing: All data has been processed, cleaned, and aggregated for presentation. Where specific data points are unavailable, estimates are based on available data and clearly marked.
Last Updated: Data reflects the most recent available information as of January 2025.
Methodology
Data for this profile is sourced from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS), and O*NET Online.
All wage figures represent annual averages and may vary by location, industry, and experience level.