Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics
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Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2023
39-9032 Recreation Workers
Conduct recreation activities with groups in public, private, or volunteer agencies or recreation facilities. Organize and promote activities, such as arts and crafts, sports, games, music, dramatics, social recreation, camping, and hobbies, taking into account the needs and interests of individual members.
National estimates for Recreation Workers
Industry profile for Recreation Workers
Geographic profile for Recreation Workers
National estimates for Recreation Workers:
Employment estimate and mean wage estimates for Recreation Workers:
| Employment (1) |
Employment
RSE (3) |
Mean hourly
wage |
Mean annual
wage (2) |
Wage RSE (3) |
| 281,750 |
0.9 % |
$ 17.44 |
$ 36,270 |
0.5 % |
Percentile wage estimates for Recreation Workers:
| Percentile |
10% |
25% |
50%
(Median) |
75% |
90% |
| Hourly Wage |
$ 11.56 |
$ 14.00 |
$ 16.55 |
$ 19.15 |
$ 23.89 |
| Annual Wage (2) |
$ 24,040 |
$ 29,120 |
$ 34,410 |
$ 39,840 |
$ 49,690 |
Industry profile for Recreation Workers:
Industries with the highest published employment and wages for Recreation Workers are provided.
For a list of all industries with employment in Recreation Workers, see the Create Customized Tables function.
Industries with the highest levels of employment in Recreation Workers:
| Industry |
Employment (1) |
Percent of industry employment |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Local Government, excluding Schools and Hospitals (OEWS Designation) |
90,130 |
1.64 |
$ 17.84 |
$ 37,100 |
| Nursing Care Facilities (Skilled Nursing Facilities) |
33,340 |
2.42 |
$ 17.08 |
$ 35,520 |
| Civic and Social Organizations |
24,440 |
7.39 |
$ 16.46 |
$ 34,230 |
| Other Amusement and Recreation Industries |
24,440 |
1.79 |
$ 15.53 |
$ 32,310 |
| Continuing Care Retirement Communities and Assisted Living Facilities for the Elderly |
24,270 |
2.63 |
$ 18.01 |
$ 37,460 |
Industries with the highest concentration of employment in Recreation Workers:
| Industry |
Employment (1) |
Percent of industry employment |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| RV (Recreational Vehicle) Parks and Recreational Camps |
5,060 |
7.85 |
$ 17.32 |
$ 36,030 |
| Civic and Social Organizations |
24,440 |
7.39 |
$ 16.46 |
$ 34,230 |
| Continuing Care Retirement Communities and Assisted Living Facilities for the Elderly |
24,270 |
2.63 |
$ 18.01 |
$ 37,460 |
| Nursing Care Facilities (Skilled Nursing Facilities) |
33,340 |
2.42 |
$ 17.08 |
$ 35,520 |
| Other Amusement and Recreation Industries |
24,440 |
1.79 |
$ 15.53 |
$ 32,310 |
Top paying industries for Recreation Workers:
| Industry |
Employment (1) |
Percent of industry employment |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Federal, State, and Local Government, excluding State and Local Government Schools and Hospitals and the U.S. Postal Service (OEWS Designation) |
1,830 |
0.09 |
$ 31.20 |
$ 64,900 |
| Performing Arts Companies |
350 |
0.26 |
$ 24.07 |
$ 50,070 |
| State Government, excluding Schools and Hospitals (OEWS Designation) |
2,030 |
0.10 |
$ 21.53 |
$ 44,790 |
| Psychiatric and Substance Abuse Hospitals |
600 |
0.26 |
$ 21.29 |
$ 44,280 |
| Promoters of Performing Arts, Sports, and Similar Events |
500 |
0.31 |
$ 20.66 |
$ 42,960 |
Geographic profile for Recreation Workers:
States and areas with the highest published employment, location quotients, and wages for Recreation Workers are provided.
For a list of all areas with employment in Recreation Workers, see the Create Customized Tables function.
States with the highest employment level in Recreation Workers:
| State |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| California |
44,480 |
2.48 |
1.34 |
$ 19.67 |
$ 40,910 |
| Florida |
18,040 |
1.89 |
1.02 |
$ 17.13 |
$ 35,620 |
| Texas |
16,990 |
1.25 |
0.68 |
$ 15.11 |
$ 31,430 |
| New York |
16,850 |
1.79 |
0.97 |
$ 20.84 |
$ 43,340 |
| Illinois |
11,230 |
1.87 |
1.01 |
$ 17.27 |
$ 35,920 |
States with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in Recreation Workers:
| State |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Utah |
5,470 |
3.26 |
1.76 |
$ 16.32 |
$ 33,940 |
| New Hampshire |
2,000 |
2.97 |
1.60 |
$ 17.08 |
$ 35,530 |
| Arizona |
9,060 |
2.89 |
1.56 |
$ 18.56 |
$ 38,590 |
| Massachusetts |
9,690 |
2.66 |
1.43 |
$ 19.49 |
$ 40,540 |
| Vermont |
760 |
2.52 |
1.36 |
$ 18.86 |
$ 39,220 |
Top paying states for Recreation Workers:
| State |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Alaska |
260 |
0.83 |
0.45 |
$ 23.68 |
$ 49,260 |
| District of Columbia |
450 |
0.64 |
0.34 |
$ 21.66 |
$ 45,050 |
| Washington |
4,390 |
1.26 |
0.68 |
$ 21.15 |
$ 43,980 |
| New York |
16,850 |
1.79 |
0.97 |
$ 20.84 |
$ 43,340 |
| South Dakota |
690 |
1.55 |
0.84 |
$ 20.57 |
$ 42,780 |
Metropolitan areas with the highest employment level in Recreation Workers:
| Metropolitan area |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA |
16,910 |
2.73 |
1.47 |
$ 19.06 |
$ 39,650 |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA |
16,750 |
1.76 |
0.95 |
$ 20.70 |
$ 43,050 |
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI |
8,380 |
1.86 |
1.00 |
$ 17.70 |
$ 36,820 |
| Boston-Cambridge-Nashua, MA-NH |
7,380 |
2.67 |
1.44 |
$ 19.60 |
$ 40,760 |
| Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale, AZ |
6,440 |
2.81 |
1.52 |
$ 18.91 |
$ 39,330 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA |
5,820 |
2.40 |
1.29 |
$ 22.24 |
$ 46,260 |
| Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL |
5,600 |
2.06 |
1.11 |
$ 18.05 |
$ 37,540 |
| Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD |
4,930 |
1.74 |
0.94 |
$ 17.24 |
$ 35,870 |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV |
4,370 |
1.41 |
0.76 |
$ 19.75 |
$ 41,080 |
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX |
4,330 |
1.09 |
0.59 |
$ 16.19 |
$ 33,670 |
Metropolitan areas with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in Recreation Workers:
| Metropolitan area |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Ann Arbor, MI |
3,070 |
14.26 |
7.69 |
$ 16.62 |
$ 34,560 |
| Lawrence, KS |
310 |
6.21 |
3.35 |
$ 15.36 |
$ 31,940 |
| Flagstaff, AZ |
390 |
6.18 |
3.33 |
$ 19.36 |
$ 40,270 |
| Chico, CA |
480 |
6.15 |
3.32 |
$ 17.29 |
$ 35,960 |
| Gadsden, AL |
190 |
5.97 |
3.22 |
$ 12.04 |
$ 25,050 |
| Pittsfield, MA |
170 |
4.45 |
2.40 |
$ 18.04 |
$ 37,530 |
| Rocky Mount, NC |
240 |
4.36 |
2.35 |
$ 12.66 |
$ 26,330 |
| Ocean City, NJ |
170 |
4.25 |
2.29 |
$ 16.78 |
$ 34,910 |
| Dover-Durham, NH-ME |
210 |
4.21 |
2.27 |
$ 15.73 |
$ 32,720 |
| Waterbury, CT |
270 |
4.11 |
2.22 |
$ 15.86 |
$ 32,980 |
Top paying metropolitan areas for Recreation Workers:
| Metropolitan area |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Fairbanks, AK |
40 |
1.16 |
0.63 |
$ 27.04 |
$ 56,240 |
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA |
2,150 |
1.89 |
1.02 |
$ 24.07 |
$ 50,060 |
| Kahului-Wailuku-Lahaina, HI |
50 |
0.60 |
0.32 |
$ 22.89 |
$ 47,610 |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA |
2,370 |
1.14 |
0.62 |
$ 22.69 |
$ 47,180 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA |
5,820 |
2.40 |
1.29 |
$ 22.24 |
$ 46,260 |
| Anchorage, AK |
120 |
0.70 |
0.38 |
$ 21.95 |
$ 45,650 |
| Kingston, NY |
160 |
2.79 |
1.50 |
$ 21.23 |
$ 44,160 |
| Rapid City, SD |
90 |
1.26 |
0.68 |
$ 20.95 |
$ 43,570 |
| Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA |
1,280 |
1.06 |
0.57 |
$ 20.71 |
$ 43,080 |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA |
16,750 |
1.76 |
0.95 |
$ 20.70 |
$ 43,050 |
Nonmetropolitan areas with the highest employment in Recreation Workers:
Nonmetropolitan areas with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in Recreation Workers:
Top paying nonmetropolitan areas for Recreation Workers:
About May 2023 National, State, Metropolitan, and Nonmetropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates
These estimates are calculated with data collected from employers in all industry sectors, all metropolitan and nonmetropolitan areas, and all states and the District of Columbia.
The top employment and wage figures are provided above. The complete list is available in the downloadable XLS files.
The percentile wage estimate is the value of a wage below which a certain percent of workers fall.
The median wage is the 50th percentile wage estimate—50 percent of workers earn less than the median and 50 percent of workers earn more than the median.
More about percentile wages.
(1) Estimates for detailed occupations do not sum to the totals because the totals include occupations not shown separately. Estimates do not include self-employed workers.
(2) Annual wages have been calculated by multiplying the hourly mean wage by a "year-round, full-time" hours figure of 2,080 hours;
for those occupations where there is not an hourly wage published, the annual wage has been directly calculated from the reported survey data.
(3) The relative standard error (RSE) is a measure of the reliability of a survey statistic. The smaller the relative standard error, the more precise the estimate.
(9) The location quotient is the ratio of the area concentration of occupational employment to the national average concentration.
A location quotient greater than one indicates the occupation has a higher share of employment than average, and a location quotient less than one indicates the occupation is less prevalent in the area than average.
Other OEWS estimates and related information:
May 2023 National Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates
May 2023 State Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates
May 2023 Metropolitan and Nonmetropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates
May 2023 National Industry-Specific Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates
May 2023 Occupation Profiles
Technical Notes
Last Modified Date: April 3, 2024
United States Department of Labor
