Umpires, Referees, and Other Sports Officials
Umpires, Referees, and Other Sports Officials is a dynamic career path with diverse opportunities. The field has seen strong growth, with employment increasing by 12.7% over recent years. Professionals in this field are primarily employed in industries such as Cross-industry and Cross-industry, Private Ownership only.
Key Statistics
Employment
Employment and salary information for the Umpires, Referees, and Other Sports Officials workforce.
Employment Over Time
2,830 Workforce in 2023
The Umpires, Referees, and Other Sports Officials workforce has been growing over time.
Historical employment trends for Umpires, Referees, and Other Sports Officials.
Yearly Wage Ranking
$66,530 Average Wage
In 2023, Umpires, Referees, and Other Sports Officials earned an average of $66,530.
Wage ranking compared to other occupations.
Wage Distribution
This chart shows the distribution of average salaries by income buckets for Umpires, Referees, and Other Sports Officials.
Salary distribution for Umpires, Referees, and Other Sports Officials.
Employment Growth Projections
10.5% Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR)
17,659 Projected Employment (5 years)
Projected growth: 64.7%
29,092 Projected Employment (10 years)
Projected growth: 171.4%
This occupation is projected to grow at 10.5% annually, indicating strong future demand.
Historical employment trends and future projections for Umpires, Referees, and Other Sports Officials.
Industry
Information on the industries that employ Umpires, Referees, and Other Sports Officials and on wages for those in the field.
Occupations by Industries
This graphic shows the share of Umpires, Referees, and Other Sports Officials employed by various industries.
Industry distribution for Umpires, Referees, and Other Sports Officials.
Wage Trends by Industry
99.9% Average Annual Wage Growth Rate
Historical wage growth trends by industry for Umpires, Referees, and Other Sports Officials.
Geographic Distribution
Employment and wage information by geographic location for Umpires, Referees, and Other Sports Officials.
Metropolitan employment on this page is from the California OEWS extract. Area names omit state codes; all listed metros are in California, so the state chart shows California totals (not a multi-state ranking).
Top States by Employment
Top States by Employment:
- CA: 2,480 employees, $53,630 avg wage
Top 10 states by employment for Umpires, Referees, and Other Sports Officials.
Top Metropolitan Areas
Top Metropolitan Areas:
- Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale MD: 600 employees, $70,556 avg wage
- Oakland-Fremont-Berkeley MD: 290 employees, $66,651 avg wage
- Anaheim-Santa Ana-Irvine MD: 200 employees, $68,922 avg wage
- San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad MSA: 190 employees, N/A avg wage
- Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario MSA: 170 employees, $70,505 avg wage
- Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom MSA: 170 employees, $71,810 avg wage
- San Francisco-San Mateo-Redwood City MD: 170 employees, $100,160 avg wage
- San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara MSA: 160 employees, N/A avg wage
- Bakersfield-Delano MSA: 130 employees, N/A avg wage
- Stockton-Lodi MSA: 100 employees, $37,574 avg wage
Top 10 metropolitan statistical areas by employment for Umpires, Referees, and Other Sports Officials.
Diversity
Demographic information on Umpires, Referees, and Other Sports Officials in the US.
Gender and Age
The workforce of Umpires, Referees, and Other Sports Officials in 2023 was 2,830 people, with 62.0% women and 38.0% men.
Gender and age distribution for Umpires, Referees, and Other Sports Officials.
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 Umpires, Referees, and Other Sports Officials.
Education & Skills
Data on higher education choices and required skills for Umpires, Referees, and Other Sports Officials.
Majors
The most common majors achieved by Umpires, Referees, and Other Sports Officials in 2023 were Business Administration, Business, Social Sciences.
Common majors for Umpires, Referees, and Other Sports Officials.
Education Levels
The main educational levels achieved by Umpires, Referees, and Other Sports Officials workers.
Education level distribution for Umpires, Referees, and Other Sports Officials.
Skills
Umpires, Referees, and Other Sports Officials need many skills, but most especially Speaking, Critical Thinking, Judgment and Decision Making, Active Listening, Monitoring.
Required skills for Umpires, Referees, and Other Sports Officials.
Knowledge & Abilities
Knowledge areas and abilities required for Umpires, Referees, and Other Sports Officials.
Knowledge Areas
The most important knowledge areas for Umpires, Referees, and Other Sports Officials include English Language, Education and Training, Administration and Management, Customer and Personal Service, Psychology.
Knowledge areas required for Umpires, Referees, and Other Sports Officials.
Abilities
Key abilities needed for Umpires, Referees, and Other Sports Officials include Far Vision, Oral Expression, Oral Comprehension, Near Vision, Problem Sensitivity.
Required abilities for Umpires, Referees, and Other Sports Officials.
Work Activities
Common work activities performed by Umpires, Referees, and Other Sports Officials.
Daily Activities
Umpires, Referees, and Other Sports Officials spend their time on activities such as Getting Information, Making Decisions and Solving Problems, Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge, Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events, Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates.
Most important work activities for Umpires, Referees, and Other Sports Officials.
About
Umpires, Referees, and Other Sports Officials
The average yearly wage for Umpires, Referees, and Other Sports Officials was $66,530 in 2023.
SOC Code
27-2023 - Umpires, Referees, and Other Sports Officials
Insights and Analysis
Compensation snapshot: Umpires, Referees, and Other Sports Officials reports an average salary of $66,530.
Labor market presence: The current workforce is approximately 2,830 workers, indicating sustained demand.
Forward outlook: Projected annual growth is 10.5%, 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.