Umpires, Referees, and Other Sports Officials pay in the U.S.
$53,010avg. a year
Annual salary · 15,780 employed
Umpires, Referees, and Other Sports Officials in the U.S. earn an average of $53,010 a year and a median of $40,710. Pay is highest in Louisiana ($68,800) and lowest in Mississippi ($28,810).
$40,710Median pay
$53,010Average yearly
+32%Avg. pay since 2020
15,780Jobs in the U.S.
Top-paying states for umpires, referees, and other sports officials
Average pay by state. Swipe to see the top 10.
1310 jobs
Louisiana
$68,800
a year
2180 jobs
North Dakota
$64,260
a year
3420 jobs
New Jersey
$62,870
a year
4250 jobs
Massachusetts
$62,540
a year
5300 jobs
Wisconsin
$59,190
a year
6200 jobs
Connecticut
$58,430
a year
7690 jobs
Illinois
$57,360
a year
8320 jobs
Pennsylvania
$56,580
a year
91,950 jobs
California
$53,960
a year
10260 jobs
Virginia
$52,580
a year
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.
Umpires, Referees, and Other Sports Officials 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 $38k$38k–$45k$45k–$54k$54k+
Top-paying metro areas
Average pay, May 2025 (areas with 100+ jobs)
| Metro area | Avg. pay | Hourly |
|---|---|---|
| Baton Rouge, LA | $99,980 | – |
| Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI | $64,300 | – |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | $62,190 | – |
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN | $58,540 | – |
| Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH | $57,500 | – |
| Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA | $55,230 | – |
| Cleveland, OH | $55,070 | – |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | $54,910 | – |
Related jobs
- Coaches and Scouts$60,160
- Producers and Directors$113,300
- Actors$58.29/hr
- Musicians and Singers$60.46/hr
- Entertainers and Performers, Sports and Related Workers, All Other$30.70/hr
- Athletes and Sports Competitors$206,180
Average U.S. pay, May 2025
Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS
Umpires, Referees, and Other Sports Officials 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Arizona | $47,840 | $46,440 | 210 |
| California | $53,960 | $44,530 | 1,950 |
| Colorado | $47,710 | $44,230 | 1,120 |
| Connecticut | $58,430 | $39,530 | 200 |
| Florida | $44,270 | $37,070 | 280 |
| Georgia | $35,640 | $28,360 | 280 |
| Idaho | $34,720 | $32,250 | 170 |
| Illinois | $57,360 | $49,070 | 690 |
| Indiana | $41,720 | $46,140 | 170 |
| Iowa | $52,480 | $43,040 | 190 |
| Kansas | $37,270 | $25,780 | – |
| Louisiana | $68,800 | $50,080 | 310 |
| Massachusetts | $62,540 | $48,400 | 250 |
| Michigan | $41,220 | $34,560 | 340 |
| Mississippi | $28,810 | $27,060 | 60 |
| Missouri | $36,860 | $33,140 | 1,240 |
| Montana | $40,950 | $36,370 | 60 |
| Nebraska | $37,660 | $31,390 | 40 |
| New Jersey | $62,870 | $67,600 | 420 |
| North Carolina | $34,980 | $26,540 | 400 |
| North Dakota | $64,260 | $63,920 | 180 |
| Ohio | $49,030 | $55,040 | 580 |
| Oklahoma | $30,050 | $21,900 | 220 |
| Oregon | $41,550 | $38,730 | 170 |
| Pennsylvania | $56,580 | $44,200 | 320 |
| South Carolina | $49,960 | $61,290 | 50 |
| South Dakota | $38,730 | $35,260 | 80 |
| Texas | $44,740 | $42,920 | 650 |
| Utah | $35,090 | $31,430 | 1,100 |
| Vermont | $45,570 | $46,080 | 80 |
| Virginia | $52,580 | $40,840 | 260 |
| Washington | $44,730 | $41,350 | 400 |
| West Virginia | $45,370 | $46,490 | 50 |
| Wisconsin | $59,190 | $57,000 | 300 |
Metro areas with the most jobs
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA
$54,910
550 jobsChicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN
$58,540
540 jobsSt. Louis, MO-IL
$39,050
520 jobsDenver-Aurora-Centennial, CO
$46,250
490 jobsKansas City, MO-KS
$43,670
490 jobsSalt Lake City-Murray, UT
$34,390
450 jobsProvo-Orem-Lehi, UT
$33,410
420 jobsDallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX
$46,120
310 jobsQuestions and answers
How much do umpires, referees, and other sports officials make?
The average is $53,010 a year across the U.S. Half earn more than $40,710 and half earn less (the median).
Which state pays umpires, referees, and other sports officials the most?
Louisiana, with an average of $68,800 a year. The best-paying metro area is Baton Rouge, LA at $99,980.
What is the pay range?
The lowest-paid 10% earn under $26,540 a year, and the top 10% earn over $82,960.
Sources and notes. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 (trend: May 2020–May 2025), occupation code 27-2023. 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.