Recreation Workers Salary: $43,019 Median Pay (2026 stats)
TL;DR
About 309,640 recreation workers nationally earn a mean of $43,019. Employment in the series shown rose about 9% from the first to the last year; projections imply about 2.0% annual growth.
Key Statistics
Recreation Workers: what the data shows
Common questions about recreation workers careers, answered from BLS OEWS and O*NET in this repository.
What is a recreation workers?
Recreation Workers is tracked by the Bureau of Labor Statistics under SOC 39-9032.
U.S. employment in our OEWS extract is about 309,640 workers.
What does a recreation workers do?
O*NET work activities rated highest for this occupation include Getting Information, Thinking Creatively, Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates, Scheduling Work and Activities, Making Decisions and Solving Problems, Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships, and related tasks. See Work Activities for the full list.
How much does a recreation workers make?
BLS national median annual wage: $35,380 (May 2024 in our extract).
Mean annual wage in our occupational extract: $43,019 — higher than the median, which often reflects top earners in the distribution.
Wage percentiles below are from the California OEWS extract (not national unless noted).
| Wage percentile | Annual wage |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $35,131 |
| 25th percentile | $36,715 |
| Median (50th) | $38,648 |
| 75th percentile | $45,827 |
| 90th percentile | $56,039 |
What education do you need?
For Recreation Workers, 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 Coordination, Speaking, Social Perceptiveness, Service Orientation, Active Listening, Instructing, and knowledge areas including English Language, Public Safety and Security, Customer and Personal Service, Education and Training. See Education & Skills for detail.
Is recreation workers in demand?
Historical employment trend in our series implies about 2.0% annual growth (compound rate in the extract).
Five-year projected employment change: 10.4%.
Ten-year projected employment change: 21.9%.
Current U.S. headcount: 309,640.
We report federal series only—compare wages, growth, and openings against your target market.
Where do recreation workerss work?
Top industries by employment share in our OEWS industry extract:
| Industry | Employment | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Cross-industry | 309,640 | 17.6% |
| Cross-industry, Private Ownership only | 183,910 | 10.5% |
| Federal, State, and Local Government, including State and Local Government Schools and Hospitals and the U.S. Postal Service (OEWS Designation) | 125,730 | 7.2% |
| Local Government, including Schools and Hospitals (OEWS Designation) | 113,640 | 6.5% |
| Federal, State, and Local Government, excluding State and Local Government Schools and Hospitals and the U.S. Postal Service (OEWS Designation) | 109,890 | 6.2% |
| Federal, State, and Local Government, excluding State and Local Government Schools and Hospitals and the U.S. Postal Service (OEWS Designation) | 109,890 | 6.2% |
See Industry for charts.
What degrees lead to this career?
Common majors for Recreation Workers 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Amusement and Recreation Attendants | 371,590 | $30,490 |
| Recreation and Fitness Studies Teachers, Postsecondary | 12,680 | $75,890 |
Employment
Employment and salary information for the Recreation Workers workforce.
Employment Over Time
309,640 Workforce in 2023
The Recreation Workers workforce has been growing over time.
Historical employment trends for Recreation Workers.
Yearly Wage Ranking
$43,019 Average Wage
In 2023, Recreation Workers earned an average of $43,019.
Wage ranking compared to other occupations.
Wage Distribution
This chart shows the distribution of average salaries by income buckets for Recreation Workers.
Salary distribution for Recreation Workers.
Employment Growth Projections
2.0% Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR)
213,997 Projected Employment (5 years)
Projected growth: 10.4%
236,226 Projected Employment (10 years)
Projected growth: 21.9%
This occupation is projected to grow at 2.0% annually, indicating strong future demand.
Historical employment trends and future projections for Recreation Workers.
Industry
Information on the industries that employ Recreation Workers and on wages for those in the field.
Occupations by Industries
This graphic shows the share of Recreation Workers employed by various industries.
Industry distribution for Recreation Workers.
Wage Trends by Industry
5.5% Average Annual Wage Growth Rate
Historical wage growth trends by industry for Recreation Workers.
Geographic Distribution
Employment and wage information by geographic location for Recreation Workers.
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:
- CA: 48,580 employees, $41,830 avg wage
- NY: 19,550 employees, $42,120 avg wage
- FL: 16,720 employees, $36,740 avg wage
- TX: 16,590 employees, $34,920 avg wage
- IL: 16,150 employees, $35,940 avg wage
- OH: 12,310 employees, $32,990 avg wage
- AZ: 11,820 employees, $38,410 avg wage
- MI: 11,370 employees, $34,800 avg wage
- MA: 10,730 employees, $40,110 avg wage
- PA: 10,540 employees, $36,310 avg wage
Top 10 states by employment for Recreation Workers.
Top Metropolitan Areas
Top Metropolitan Areas:
- New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ: 19,070 employees, $42,440 avg wage
- Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA: 17,620 employees, $40,150 avg wage
- Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN: 12,260 employees, $36,510 avg wage
- Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ: 8,380 employees, $39,020 avg wage
- Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH: 8,070 employees, $40,420 avg wage
- San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA: 6,330 employees, $46,790 avg wage
- Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD: 5,380 employees, $37,620 avg wage
- Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL: 5,240 employees, $38,970 avg wage
- Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX: 4,630 employees, $36,020 avg wage
- Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV: 4,540 employees, $41,630 avg wage
Top 10 metropolitan statistical areas by employment for Recreation Workers.
Diversity
Demographic information on Recreation Workers in the US.
Gender and Age
The workforce of Recreation Workers in 2023 was 309,640 people, with 62.0% women and 38.0% men.
Gender and age distribution for Recreation Workers.
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 Recreation Workers.
Education & Skills
Data on higher education choices and required skills for Recreation Workers.
Majors
The most common majors achieved by Recreation Workers in 2023 were Business Administration, Business, Social Sciences.
Common majors for Recreation Workers.
Education Levels
The main educational levels achieved by Recreation Workers workers.
Education level distribution for Recreation Workers.
Skills
Recreation Workers need many skills, but most especially Coordination, Speaking, Social Perceptiveness, Service Orientation, Active Listening.
Required skills for Recreation Workers.
Knowledge & Abilities
Knowledge areas and abilities required for Recreation Workers.
Knowledge Areas
The most important knowledge areas for Recreation Workers include English Language, Public Safety and Security, Customer and Personal Service, Education and Training, Law and Government.
Knowledge areas required for Recreation Workers.
Abilities
Key abilities needed for Recreation Workers include Oral Expression, Oral Comprehension, Speech Clarity, Near Vision, Problem Sensitivity.
Required abilities for Recreation Workers.
Work Activities
Common work activities performed by Recreation Workers.
Daily Activities
Recreation Workers spend their time on activities such as Getting Information, Thinking Creatively, Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates, Scheduling Work and Activities, Making Decisions and Solving Problems.
Most important work activities for Recreation Workers.
About
Recreation Workers
The average yearly wage for Recreation Workers was $43,019 in 2023.
SOC Code
39-9032 - Recreation Workers
Insights and Analysis
Compensation snapshot: Recreation Workers reports an average salary of $43,019.
Labor market presence: The current workforce is approximately 309,640 workers, indicating sustained demand.
Forward outlook: Projected annual growth is 2.0%, 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.