Recreation Workers pay in the U.S.
$38,520avg. a year
$18.52 an hour · 331,490 employed
Recreation Workers in the U.S. earn an average of $38,520 a year and a median of $36,560. Pay is highest in District of Columbia ($50,330) and lowest in Mississippi ($29,170).
$36,560Median pay
$18.52Average hourly
+24%Avg. pay since 2020
331,490Jobs in the U.S.
Top-paying states for recreation workers
Average pay by state. Swipe to see the top 10.
1470 jobs
District of Columbia
$50,330
$24.20 an hour
26,380 jobs
Washington
$45,940
$22.09 an hour
3630 jobs
Alaska
$45,510
$21.88 an hour
4650 jobs
South Dakota
$44,200
$21.25 an hour
548,560 jobs
California
$43,530
$20.93 an hour
64,640 jobs
Oregon
$42,990
$20.67 an hour
724,790 jobs
New York
$41,790
$20.09 an hour
811,280 jobs
Massachusetts
$41,320
$19.87 an hour
94,350 jobs
Maryland
$41,280
$19.84 an hour
106,100 jobs
Colorado
$41,210
$19.81 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.
Recreation 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 $35k$35k–$37k$37k–$40k$40k+
Top-paying metro areas
Average pay, May 2025 (areas with 100+ jobs)
| Metro area | Avg. pay | Hourly |
|---|---|---|
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | $54,750 | $26.32 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | $48,810 | $23.47 |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | $47,840 | $23.00 |
| Bend, OR | $46,360 | $22.29 |
| Bellingham, WA | $45,900 | $22.07 |
| Napa, CA | $45,860 | $22.05 |
| Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA | $45,460 | $21.86 |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV | $45,450 | $21.85 |
Related jobs
Average U.S. pay, May 2025
Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS
Recreation 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 | $30,350 | $28,360 | 4,700 |
| Alaska | $45,510 | $37,510 | 630 |
| Arizona | $39,380 | $35,800 | 12,650 |
| Arkansas | $31,030 | $27,770 | 1,740 |
| California | $43,530 | $39,780 | 48,560 |
| Colorado | $41,210 | $38,820 | 6,100 |
| Connecticut | $41,150 | $36,610 | 5,000 |
| Delaware | $35,900 | $33,790 | 1,230 |
| District of Columbia | $50,330 | $46,460 | 470 |
| Florida | $37,620 | $35,490 | 18,010 |
| Georgia | $34,690 | $32,540 | 8,160 |
| Hawaii | $41,170 | $41,000 | 1,590 |
| Idaho | $34,190 | $30,100 | 2,080 |
| Illinois | $37,790 | $35,480 | 17,650 |
| Indiana | $32,710 | $30,190 | 8,050 |
| Iowa | $34,740 | $33,700 | 2,870 |
| Kansas | $32,720 | $31,760 | 2,990 |
| Kentucky | $34,010 | $32,400 | 3,290 |
| Louisiana | $31,220 | $28,580 | 2,830 |
| Maine | $40,310 | $37,450 | 1,260 |
| Maryland | $41,280 | $37,200 | 4,350 |
| Massachusetts | $41,320 | $38,540 | 11,280 |
| Michigan | $37,240 | $35,090 | 10,850 |
| Minnesota | $39,840 | $37,510 | 7,940 |
| Mississippi | $29,170 | $28,060 | 2,220 |
| Missouri | $36,210 | $34,320 | 5,380 |
| Montana | $38,520 | $35,090 | 800 |
| Nebraska | $36,890 | $34,590 | 1,510 |
| Nevada | $34,780 | $30,150 | 2,570 |
| New Hampshire | $38,950 | $37,040 | 2,030 |
| New Jersey | $39,660 | $36,880 | 7,550 |
| New Mexico | $36,620 | $31,900 | 870 |
| New York | $41,790 | $38,040 | 24,790 |
| North Carolina | $35,250 | $32,720 | 9,520 |
| North Dakota | $38,340 | $37,310 | 730 |
| Ohio | $34,350 | $32,420 | 12,340 |
| Oklahoma | $33,320 | $31,580 | 2,380 |
| Oregon | $42,990 | $39,610 | 4,640 |
| Pennsylvania | $38,120 | $35,710 | 9,850 |
| Rhode Island | $39,840 | $36,340 | 770 |
| South Carolina | $33,940 | $31,420 | 5,270 |
| South Dakota | $44,200 | $42,270 | 650 |
| Tennessee | $35,150 | $33,580 | 3,420 |
| Texas | $35,620 | $32,720 | 18,660 |
| Utah | $34,700 | $32,890 | 5,760 |
| Vermont | $40,020 | $37,450 | 840 |
| Virginia | $38,870 | $36,120 | 9,260 |
| Washington | $45,940 | $44,890 | 6,380 |
| West Virginia | $34,510 | $29,710 | 1,410 |
| Wisconsin | $37,400 | $35,530 | 6,840 |
| Wyoming | $34,060 | $30,720 | 790 |
Metro areas with the most jobs
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ
$42,620
21,900 jobsLos Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA$41,900
17,850 jobsChicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN$38,300
13,670 jobsPhoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ$39,920
9,200 jobsBoston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH$41,710
8,720 jobsSan Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA$48,810
6,510 jobsMiami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL$37,490
5,610 jobsDallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX$35,670
5,160 jobsQuestions and answers
How much do recreation workers make?
The average is $38,520 a year across the U.S. Half earn more than $36,560 and half earn less (the median).
What is the hourly pay?
The average hourly wage is $18.52, and the median is $17.58 an hour.
Which state pays recreation workers the most?
District of Columbia, with an average of $50,330 a year. The best-paying metro area is San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA at $54,750.
What is the pay range?
The lowest-paid 10% earn under $27,600 a year, and the top 10% earn over $50,410.
Sources and notes. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 (trend: May 2020–May 2025), occupation code 39-9032. 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.