Lifeguards, Ski Patrol, and Other Recreational Protective Service Workers pay in the U.S.
$34,470avg. a year
$16.57 an hour · 157,550 employed
Lifeguards, Ski Patrol, and Other Recreational Protective Service Workers in the U.S. earn an average of $34,470 a year and a median of $33,580. Pay is highest in District of Columbia ($58,460) and lowest in Louisiana ($24,230).
$33,580Median pay
$16.57Average hourly
+27%Avg. pay since 2020
157,550Jobs in the U.S.
Top-paying states for lifeguards, ski patrol, and other recreational protective service workers
Average pay by state. Swipe to see the top 10.
1290 jobs
District of Columbia
$58,460
$28.11 an hour
2720 jobs
Hawaii
$55,150
$26.51 an hour
322,620 jobs
California
$44,380
$21.34 an hour
44,720 jobs
Washington
$39,940
$19.20 an hour
5270 jobs
Montana
$39,910
$19.19 an hour
62,640 jobs
Massachusetts
$37,930
$18.24 an hour
78,740 jobs
New York
$37,800
$18.17 an hour
81,510 jobs
Connecticut
$37,050
$17.81 an hour
95,430 jobs
Colorado
$36,900
$17.74 an hour
10310 jobs
Vermont
$36,720
$17.65 an hour
Why people trust JobPayFacts
Official government dataEvery number comes from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics wage survey of employers, not self-reported salaries.
Every state and city830 jobs across all 50 states, D.C. and 199 large metro areas.
Updated every yearNew figures each spring when BLS releases them. This site uses May 2025 data.
Lifeguards, Ski Patrol, and Other Recreational Protective Service Workers pay, charted
Pay over time
United States, annual wage, May of each year
AverageMedian
Where the jobs are
Employment by state, May 2025
Average pay by state
May 2025 · tap a state
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Under $28k$28k–$32k$32k–$36k$36k+
Top-paying metro areas
Average pay, May 2025 (areas with 100+ jobs)
| Metro area | Avg. pay | Hourly |
|---|---|---|
| Kahului-Wailuku, HI | $60,740 | $29.20 |
| Bozeman, MT | $50,890 | $24.46 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | $46,780 | $22.49 |
| San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA | $45,230 | $21.75 |
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | $43,270 | $20.81 |
| Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA | $42,460 | $20.41 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | $42,070 | $20.23 |
| Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA | $41,840 | $20.12 |
Related jobs
- Security Guards$42,470
- Crossing Guards and Flaggers$43,350
- Protective Service Workers, All Other$48,070
- School Bus Monitors$35,150
- Transportation Security Screeners$64,310
- Private Detectives and Investigators$60,150
Average U.S. pay, May 2025
Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS
Lifeguards, Ski Patrol, and Other Recreational Protective Service Workers pay in every state
States without a figure had too few jobs or too little survey data for BLS to publish.
| State | Avg. pay | Median | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | $27,390 | $28,130 | 1,080 |
| Alaska | $34,390 | $34,540 | 340 |
| Arizona | $35,010 | $35,380 | 3,950 |
| Arkansas | $27,780 | $27,000 | 530 |
| California | $44,380 | $42,720 | 22,620 |
| Colorado | $36,900 | $35,640 | 5,430 |
| Connecticut | $37,050 | $35,960 | 1,510 |
| Delaware | $32,570 | $31,930 | 360 |
| District of Columbia | $58,460 | $60,400 | 290 |
| Florida | $35,510 | $35,040 | 9,460 |
| Georgia | $30,840 | $30,880 | 2,840 |
| Hawaii | $55,150 | $52,630 | 720 |
| Idaho | $28,450 | $28,770 | 750 |
| Illinois | $34,230 | $33,710 | 5,880 |
| Indiana | $28,590 | $28,640 | 3,290 |
| Iowa | $25,890 | $25,460 | 1,410 |
| Kansas | $27,000 | $27,220 | 1,750 |
| Kentucky | $27,610 | $28,520 | 1,820 |
| Louisiana | $24,230 | $22,240 | 660 |
| Maine | $36,510 | $34,320 | 340 |
| Maryland | $34,970 | $34,520 | 4,160 |
| Massachusetts | $37,930 | $36,650 | 2,640 |
| Michigan | $33,670 | $29,760 | 3,770 |
| Minnesota | $32,330 | $31,870 | 2,130 |
| Mississippi | $25,220 | $24,440 | 330 |
| Missouri | $30,500 | $29,260 | 3,100 |
| Montana | $39,910 | $37,750 | 270 |
| Nebraska | $30,680 | $29,100 | 1,250 |
| Nevada | $31,440 | $30,830 | 2,630 |
| New Hampshire | $34,850 | $32,100 | 280 |
| New Jersey | $36,280 | $34,760 | 5,460 |
| New Mexico | $31,510 | $28,590 | 760 |
| New York | $37,800 | $36,590 | 8,740 |
| North Carolina | $29,100 | $27,310 | 4,850 |
| North Dakota | $28,090 | $28,430 | 580 |
| Ohio | $28,820 | $27,770 | 6,450 |
| Oklahoma | $26,170 | $25,250 | 650 |
| Oregon | $35,640 | $35,030 | 1,860 |
| Pennsylvania | $30,020 | $29,480 | 5,450 |
| Rhode Island | $36,150 | $35,770 | 370 |
| South Carolina | $27,170 | $26,210 | 1,900 |
| South Dakota | $31,370 | $30,990 | 490 |
| Tennessee | $28,400 | $28,200 | 2,330 |
| Texas | $30,380 | $29,450 | 11,320 |
| Utah | $30,990 | $28,720 | 2,550 |
| Vermont | $36,720 | $36,030 | 310 |
| Virginia | $31,700 | $30,070 | 8,920 |
| Washington | $39,940 | $37,770 | 4,720 |
| West Virginia | $25,430 | $24,670 | 450 |
| Wisconsin | $29,710 | $28,570 | 3,350 |
| Wyoming | $31,780 | $29,030 | 500 |
Metro areas with the most jobs
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA
$46,780
11,640 jobsNew York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ$38,200
9,610 jobsChicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN$34,330
4,960 jobsWashington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV
$36,370
4,600 jobsDallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX
$29,920
3,930 jobsSeattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA
$41,580
3,060 jobsOrlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL
$32,800
2,980 jobsPhiladelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD
$32,170
2,980 jobsQuestions and answers
How much do lifeguards, ski patrol, and other recreational protective service workers make?
The average is $34,470 a year across the U.S. Half earn more than $33,580 and half earn less (the median).
What is the hourly pay?
The average hourly wage is $16.57, and the median is $16.14 an hour.
Which state pays lifeguards, ski patrol, and other recreational protective service workers the most?
District of Columbia, with an average of $58,460 a year. The best-paying metro area is Kahului-Wailuku, HI at $60,740.
What is the pay range?
The lowest-paid 10% earn under $25,780 a year, and the top 10% earn over $43,970.
Sources and notes. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 (trend: May 2020–May 2025), occupation code 33-9092. Wages are gross pay before taxes and don't include overtime premiums, tips, bonuses or benefits; self-employed workers aren't included. Year-to-year changes can partly reflect survey method changes, so treat the trend as a guide. How we use the data. JobPayFacts isn't affiliated with BLS.