Pay by state · 53 states
Recreation Worker Salary by State (2026)
Recreation Workers earn the most in District of Columbia at $46,460 a year and the least in Puerto Rico at $22,210 (BLS OEWS, May 2025). The national median is $36,560. All 53 states and territories with reported data are ranked below, with a cost-of-living adjusted column.
- Highest median
- $46,460District of Columbia
- National median
- $36,560BLS OEWS, May 2025
- Lowest median
- $22,210Puerto Rico
- States reporting
- 53of 54 OEWS areas
All states
Recreation Worker salary in every state
Sort by any column. Employment is the number of recreation workers OEWS estimates in that state; blank cells are estimates BLS suppressed because the sample was too small.
| # | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | DCDistrict of Columbia | $46,460 | $38,420 | $50,080 | 470 | $42,274 |
| 2 | WAWashington | $44,890 | $37,420 | $50,150 | 6,380 | $41,948 |
| 3 | SDSouth Dakota | $42,270 | $35,900 | $48,630 | 650 | $47,716 |
| 4 | HIHawaii | $41,000 | $39,270 | $41,000 | 1,590 | $37,289 |
| 5 | CACalifornia | $39,780 | $37,320 | $46,550 | 48,560 | $35,928 |
| 6 | OROregon | $39,610 | $35,620 | $47,780 | 4,640 | $38,322 |
| 7 | COColorado | $38,820 | $34,320 | $44,050 | 6,100 | $37,670 |
| 8 | MAMassachusetts | $38,540 | $36,040 | $45,010 | 11,280 | $36,442 |
| 9 | NYNew York | $38,040 | $34,900 | $46,070 | 24,790 | $35,248 |
| 10 | AKAlaska | $37,510 | $36,950 | $47,410 | 630 | $36,646 |
| 11 | MNMinnesota | $37,510 | $33,220 | $44,770 | 7,940 | $38,034 |
| 12 | MEMaine | $37,450 | $32,650 | $46,400 | 1,260 | $38,588 |
| 13 | VTVermont | $37,450 | $36,120 | $43,620 | 840 | $38,231 |
| 14 | NDNorth Dakota | $37,310 | $30,380 | $47,190 | 730 | $41,941 |
| 15 | MDMaryland | $37,200 | $34,960 | $44,370 | 4,350 | $35,442 |
| 16 | NHNew Hampshire | $37,040 | $31,890 | $45,520 | 2,030 | $35,559 |
| 17 | NJNew Jersey | $36,880 | $33,650 | $42,360 | 7,550 | $33,896 |
| 18 | CTConnecticut | $36,610 | $34,670 | $44,110 | 5,000 | $35,334 |
| 19 | RIRhode Island | $36,340 | $35,740 | $42,110 | 770 | $35,530 |
| 20 | VAVirginia | $36,120 | $31,370 | $44,100 | 9,260 | $35,726 |
| 21 | AZArizona | $35,800 | $33,040 | $39,480 | 12,650 | $35,559 |
| 22 | PAPennsylvania | $35,710 | $29,630 | $43,740 | 9,850 | $36,599 |
| 23 | WIWisconsin | $35,530 | $31,200 | $42,290 | 6,840 | $37,760 |
| 24 | FLFlorida | $35,490 | $31,680 | $39,490 | 18,010 | $34,318 |
| 25 | ILIllinois | $35,480 | $31,840 | $39,800 | 17,650 | $35,495 |
| 26 | MIMichigan | $35,090 | $31,290 | $39,970 | 10,850 | $36,470 |
| 27 | MTMontana | $35,090 | $30,730 | $43,180 | 800 | $37,075 |
| 28 | NENebraska | $34,590 | $31,400 | $41,250 | 1,510 | $38,389 |
| 29 | MOMissouri | $34,320 | $29,850 | $38,600 | 5,380 | $37,790 |
| 30 | DEDelaware | $33,790 | $31,200 | $37,320 | 1,230 | $33,855 |
| 31 | IAIowa | $33,700 | $28,790 | $38,100 | 2,870 | $38,399 |
| 32 | TNTennessee | $33,580 | $29,540 | $40,040 | 3,420 | $36,552 |
| 33 | VIU.S. Virgin Islands | $33,400 | $28,980 | $41,620 | 30 | N/A |
| 34 | UTUtah | $32,890 | $28,510 | $38,080 | 5,760 | $33,268 |
| 35 | NCNorth Carolina | $32,720 | $26,450 | $41,100 | 9,520 | $34,688 |
| 36 | TXTexas | $32,720 | $28,170 | $41,520 | 18,660 | $33,712 |
| 37 | GAGeorgia | $32,540 | $25,810 | $40,310 | 8,160 | $33,793 |
| 38 | OHOhio | $32,420 | $28,680 | $37,300 | 12,340 | $34,945 |
| 39 | KYKentucky | $32,400 | $28,180 | $37,110 | 3,290 | $35,937 |
| 40 | NMNew Mexico | $31,900 | $26,510 | $40,680 | 870 | $34,594 |
| 41 | KSKansas | $31,760 | $26,780 | $36,580 | 2,990 | $35,262 |
| 42 | OKOklahoma | $31,580 | $23,380 | $38,160 | 2,380 | $35,951 |
| 43 | SCSouth Carolina | $31,420 | $26,790 | $38,710 | 5,270 | $33,515 |
| 44 | WYWyoming | $30,720 | $26,170 | $37,290 | 790 | $33,142 |
| 45 | INIndiana | $30,190 | $26,980 | $36,100 | 8,050 | $32,348 |
| 46 | NVNevada | $30,150 | $26,930 | $35,410 | 2,570 | $30,156 |
| 47 | IDIdaho | $30,100 | $26,710 | $38,590 | 2,080 | $31,520 |
| 48 | WVWest Virginia | $29,710 | $26,610 | $37,270 | 1,410 | $33,197 |
| 49 | LALouisiana | $28,580 | $22,920 | $36,390 | 2,830 | $32,401 |
| 50 | ALAlabama | $28,360 | $22,410 | $36,280 | 4,700 | $31,929 |
| 51 | MSMississippi | $28,060 | $21,940 | $33,670 | 2,220 | $32,270 |
| 52 | ARArkansas | $27,770 | $24,580 | $35,830 | 1,740 | $31,943 |
| 53 | PRPuerto Rico | $22,210 | $21,840 | $24,650 | 850 | N/A |
Method
How the cost-of-living adjustment works
The adjusted column divides each state median by that state's BEA Regional Price Parity (RPP) and multiplies by 100. RPPs measure how much a fixed basket of goods, services and rents costs in one state relative to the national average, so the result restates local pay in national-average dollars.
For Recreation Workers, that changes the ranking: District of Columbia leads on raw pay at $46,460, while South Dakota leads once prices are taken into account at $47,716.
Source: BEA Regional Price Parities by State, 2024 (public domain). The adjustment is NueCareer's calculation, not a BLS or BEA published statistic.
Questions
Recreation Worker pay by state: FAQ
Which state pays Recreation Workers the most?
District of Columbia reports the highest median wage for Recreation Workers at $46,460 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025), followed by Washington ($44,890) and South Dakota ($42,270).
Which state pays Recreation Workers the least?
Puerto Rico reports the lowest median for Recreation Workers at $22,210 a year, $24,250 below the highest-paying state (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
Where do Recreation Workers earn the most after cost of living?
Dividing each state median by that state's BEA Regional Price Parity puts South Dakota first at $47,716 in national-average dollars, from a raw median of $42,270. BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024.