Personal Care and Service Occupations
BLS May 2025 wages High openings flow SOC 39-9032

Recreation Workers

About 68,100 projected annual openings shape how to read Recreation Workers against First-Line Supervisors of Gambling Services Workers, Motion Picture Projectionists, Exercise Trainers and Group Fitness Instructors, First-Line Supervisors of Entertainment and Recreation Workers, Except Gambling Services.

Full salary details → About this data

Same-major-group titles next to Recreation Workers: First-Line Supervisors of Gambling Services Workers ($64K) , Motion Picture Projectionists ($38K) , Exercise Trainers and Group Fitness Instructors ($47K) , First-Line Supervisors of Entertainment and Recreation Workers, Except Gambling Services ($49K) . Hash-ordered per card so residual SOC siblings do not share an identical peer sentence.

What Recreation Workers publish as work

O*NET task statements for SOC 39-9032 - occupation-level descriptions, not every employer's posting. Sibling cards diverge here because the task set is entity-keyed.

  1. 1. Enforce rules and regulations of recreational facilities to maintain discipline and ensure safety
  2. 2. Organize, lead, and promote interest in recreational activities, such as arts, crafts, sports, games, camping, and hobbies
  3. 3. Assess the needs and interests of individuals and groups and plan activities accordingly, given the available equipment or facilities
  4. 4. Manage the daily operations of recreational facilities
  5. 5. Administer first aid according to prescribed procedures and notify emergency medical personnel when necessary
  6. 6. Complete and maintain time and attendance forms and inventory lists
  7. 7. Explain principles, techniques, and safety procedures to participants in recreational activities and demonstrate use of materials and equ…
  8. 8. Serve as liaison between park or recreation administrators and activity instructors
  9. 9. Direct special activities or events, such as aquatics, gymnastics, or performing arts
  10. 10. Supervise and coordinate the work activities of personnel, such as training staff members and assigning work duties
  11. 11. Evaluate recreation areas, facilities, and services to determine if they are producing desired results
  12. 12. Schedule maintenance and use of facilities

Recreation Workers: O*NET ranks Active Listening first

Importance-ranked O*NET profile for SOC 39-9032 - lead skill Active Listening at 4.0 ; lead knowledge English Language. Sibling cards diverge here even when peer titles overlap.

Top skills

  1. 1. Active Listening 4.0
  2. 2. Speaking 4.0
  3. 3. Social Perceptiveness 4.0
  4. 4. Coordination 4.0
  5. 5. Service Orientation 4.0
  6. 6. Monitoring 3.8
  7. 7. Instructing 3.8
  8. 8. Critical Thinking 3.3

Knowledge areas

  1. 1. English Language 4.1
  2. 2. Public Safety and Security 3.8
  3. 3. Customer and Personal Service 3.6
  4. 4. Education and Training 3.5
  5. 5. Law and Government 3.4
  6. 6. Psychology 3.2
Projected annual openings
68,100
growth + transfers + exits
National median $36,560/yr
$37K
National median
↑ +4%
Growth 2024-2034
331,490
Estimated US jobs
First-Line Supervisors of Gambling Services Workers
Highest-pay peer · $64K

Typical Entry and Preparation Assignments

Entry education High school diploma or equivalent

Top Paying States for Recreation Workers

1. Washington $44,890
2. Alaska $37,510
3. Colorado $38,820
4. Hawaii $41,000
5. Massachusetts $38,540
6. Oregon $39,610
7. District of Columbia $46,460
8. California $39,780
9. New York $38,040
10. South Dakota $42,270

Other Personal Care and Service Occupations titles

  1. 1. Exercise Trainers and Group Fitness Instructors $47,160
  2. 2. Motion Picture Projectionists $38,270
  3. 3. First-Line Supervisors of Entertainment and Recreation Workers, Except Gambling Services $48,560
  4. 4. Concierges $38,950
  5. 5. Personal Care and Service Workers, All Other $41,600
  6. 6. First-Line Supervisors of Gambling Services Workers $63,820

Roughly 68,100 projected annual openings (growth, transfers, exits) are the scale signal for Recreation Workers. Median pay is $36,560 in Personal Care and Service Occupations.

Employment Projections expect +4% change between 2024 and 2034 (about as fast as average vs baseline 3.1%). BLS assigns High school diploma or equivalent as typical education needed for entry. These are occupation-level assignments, not universal requirements. BLS does not publish a separate occupation-specific safety rate for this role; its broad SOC-group rate is excluded from this career card's grade.

Highest published state median in this ranking: Washington at $44,890. The table records differences without proving causes. Highest-pay peer shown here: First-Line Supervisors of Gambling Services Workers at $63,820. Compare the same statistic in the relevant local wage area before treating the national median as a personal benchmark; OEWS excludes employer benefits.

Recreation Workers pay-rank #19 in Personal Care and Service Occupations

Recreation Workers sits at pay-rank #19 of 32 detailed Personal Care and Service Occupations, the middle third of the major-group median table. ROW_NUMBER on median; title breaks ties.

Other mid-table titles · closest medians

Full Salary Details Compare this role

Data from U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025. Projections from BLS Employment Projections program, 2024-2034.

A high-volume role means the state map matters more than the national median. Compare Recreation Workers against a named state, a tighter-labor peer, or another SOC.

Recreation Workers salary map

State, metro, and percentile for SOC 39-9032

Washington · top state for Recreation Workers

$45K published median

Alaska · #2 state pay

$38K · behind Washington

First-Line Supervisors of Gambling Services Workers

Highest-pay peer vs Recreation Workers · $64K

Motion Picture Projectionists

Lower-pay peer beside Recreation Workers · $38K

Compare Recreation Workers

Head-to-head OEWS medians with another SOC
Compare Recreation Workers with another occupation →

Openings and labor-flow next reads

Most Openings Rankings

Labor-flow scale across occupations

Compare openings side-by-side

Head-to-head with another role

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Recreation Workers mid-table among Personal Care and Service Occupations? ▼
Yes: pay-rank #19 of 32 detailed Personal Care and Service Occupations, the middle third. Mid-table neighbors: Gambling Service Workers, All Other ($36K), Locker Room, Coatroom, and Dressing Room Attendants ($36K), Baggage Porters and Bellhops ($37K), Hairdressers, Hairstylists, and Cosmetologists ($36K). ROW_NUMBER on median; title breaks ties.
What do recreation workers do day to day? ▼
O*NET lists published task statements for Recreation Workers. Leading ones include: Enforce rules and regulations of recreational facilities to maintain discipline and ensure safety; Organize, lead, and promote interest in recreational activities, such as arts, crafts, sports, games, camping, and hobbies; Assess the needs and interests of individuals and groups and plan activities accordingly, given the available equipment or facilities; Manage the daily operations of recreational facilities. These are occupation-level task descriptions, not every employer's job description.
Which O*NET skills rank highest for recreation workers? ▼
For SOC 39-9032, O*NET importance scores lead with Active Listening (4.0), Speaking (4.0), Social Perceptiveness (4.0), Coordination (4.0). Knowledge areas emphasize English Language, Public Safety and Security, Customer and Personal Service. These are occupation-level profiles, not a hiring checklist for every employer.
What is the OEWS national median for Recreation Workers? ▼
May 2025 OEWS reports $36,560 as the national median for Recreation Workers. The published 10th-90th range is $27,600 to $50,410. Beside First-Line Supervisors of Gambling Services Workers ($63,820), this is the occupation-level national figure, not a local offer.
What employment change does BLS publish for Recreation Workers? ▼
The 2024-2034 projection for Recreation Workers is +4%. Projected annual openings: about 68,100. Relative to the current all-occupations baseline of 3.1%: about as fast as average.
Which three states show the highest OEWS medians for Recreation Workers? ▼
Washington ($44,890), Alaska ($37,510), Colorado ($38,820) lead this ranking. The table does not identify why those state estimates differ.

Source data and WageDex calculations are identified in context on this page. Wage and state figures use BLS OEWS May 2025; growth and education use BLS Employment Projections for 2024-2034; safety fields cite BLS CFOI/SOII; task statements cite O*NET where shown. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.

Disclaimer: Wage and outlook figures on this page are provided for informational purposes only and do not constitute career, financial, or salary-negotiation advice. Actual pay varies by employer, experience, and local conditions; consult a career counselor or the hiring employer for guidance specific to your situation.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OES Occupational wage estimates by area and industry · 2025

Federal sources on this Recreation Workers card
  • BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS / OES) - national median and percentiles for SOC 39-9032. bls.gov/oes
  • O*NET OnLine - task and skill statements for Recreation Workers. onetcenter.org
  • BLS Employment Projections - 2024-2034 change and openings for this occupation. bls.gov/emp
  • U.S. Census Bureau ACS - demographic and labor-force context for state and metro geography. census.gov/programs-surveys/acs
  • IRS Statistics of Income (SOI) - payroll-tax aggregate context for wage comparisons. irs.gov/statistics