Runs the day-to-day and game-day operations of a stadium or arena, from crowd management and security to cleaning, staffing, and event changeovers. BLS does not publish separate figures for entertainment and recreation managers, except gambling; it counts them within entertainment and recreation manager, except gambling (SOC 11-9072), whose median pay is $79,520 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025). Typical entry-level education: Bachelor's degree.
- SOC 11-9072
- Management
- Last updated October 9, 2026
At a glance
Stadium Operations Manager in four numbers
- Median pay
- $79,520a year, or $38.23/hrBLS OEWS, May 2025Lowest 10% $46KTop 10% $139K
US median, all jobs: $50,980
- Projected growth
- +6.0%Faster than averageBLS EP, 2025–2035This career+6%All jobs+3.5%
Projected employment change, 2025–2035 Item Value This career +6% All jobs +3.5% - Openings a year
- 5,10043,900 jobs todayBLS EP, 2025–2035
- Jobs in 202543.9K
- Projected 203546.5K
Employment, 2025–2035 Item Value Jobs in 2025 43.9K Projected 2035 46.5K - Typical education
- Bachelor'sneeded to enterBLS EP, 2025–2035; mix: O*NET
Also advertised as: Arena Operations Manager, Director of Stadium Operations, Venue Operations Manager, Event Operations Manager, Facility Operations Manager (Sports).
Pay
How much do Entertainment and Recreation Managers, Except Gambling make?
Every stadium operations manager in the US, by percentile of annual wage
Median
$79,520
Middle half earn $61,060 to $104,770
- 10th
- $46,270
- 25th
- $61,060
- 75th
- $104,770
- 90th
- $139,110
All US occupations: $50,980
| Percentile | Value |
|---|---|
| 10th | $46,270 |
| 25th | $61,060 |
| Median | $79,520 |
| 75th | $104,770 |
| 90th | $139,110 |
| All US occupations | $50,980 |
Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025
- Median annual wage
- $79,520
- Median hourly wage
- $38.23/hr
- Mean annual wage
- $89,750
- People employed
- 37,980
Versus all US occupations
At $79,520, Entertainment and Recreation Managers, Except Gambling earn 56% above the $50,980 median across all US occupations, a difference of $28,540 a year.
Versus management occupations
Inside the Management group, where the middle occupation pays $126,060, this is 37% below the group median.
Pay range
The top 10% earn $139,110 or more while the bottom 10% earn $46,270, a gap of 3.0×. That is an unusually wide spread, which usually tracks specialisation, employer type and years of experience.
Rank in the bank
This median pays more than 59% of the 1,741 occupations in the NueCareer career bank.
Cost of living
District of Columbia posts the highest raw median ($113,930), but once local prices are taken into account Minnesota leads at $109,165 in national-average dollars.
Pay by state
Which states pay Entertainment and Recreation Managers, Except Gambling the most?
State medians come from the same OEWS release as the national figures. The cost-of-living column divides each state median by that state's BEA Regional Price Parity, restating pay in national-average dollars so a high-cost state and a low-cost one can be compared directly.
| State | Median | COL-adjusted | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1District of Columbia | $113,930 | $103,666 | 30 |
| 2Minnesota | $107,660 | $109,165 | 480 |
| 3New York | $98,390 | $91,169 | 1,330 |
| 4Colorado | $97,000 | $94,127 | 940 |
| 5Washington | $96,790 | $90,447 | 630 |
| 6Idaho | $95,020 | $99,504 | 110 |
| 7Vermont | $92,320 | $94,244 | 270 |
| 8New Jersey | $89,590 | $82,340 | 2,260 |
| 9Massachusetts | $89,450 | $84,581 | 1,030 |
| 10Wyoming | $88,790 | $95,791 | 70 |
Job outlook
Is Stadium Operations Manager a growing career?
Employment change over 2025–2035, against every US occupation
Faster than average. +6.0% projected growth vs 3.5% for all occupations.
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Entertainment and Recreation Managers, Except Gambling | +6% |
| All US occupations | +3.5% |
Source: BLS EP, 2025–2035
Faster than average
BLS projects employment of Entertainment and Recreation Managers, Except Gambling to change 6.0% over 2025–2035, against 3.5% projected for all occupations. That is 2,700 more jobs.
Annual openings
About 5,100 openings are projected each year, 11.6% of the 43,900 jobs that existed in 2025. Most come from workers leaving the occupation, not from growth alone.
Getting in
How to become a Stadium Operations Manager
Most managers have a bachelor's degree in sport management, hospitality, facility management, or business. Many start in event staffing, guest services, or operations internships at college athletics departments, minor league teams, or venue management companies such as ASM Global and Oak View Group.
The International Association of Venue Managers (IAVM) offers the Certified Venue Professional (CVP) and Certified Facilities Executive (CFE) credentials and runs the Venue Management School. The Stadium Managers Association (SMA) holds an annual seminar for professionals in the field. Training in crowd safety and security planning, such as FEMA and Department of Homeland Security courses for large venues, is also valued.
- 1
Typical entry-level education
Bachelor's degree
- 2
Work experience in a related occupation
Less than 5 years
- 3
Typical on-the-job training
None
- 4
Preparation needed (O*NET job zone)
Medium preparation
BLS Employment Projections, 2025–2035; job zone from O*NET 31.0 Database.
The work
What does a Stadium Operations Manager do?
Stadium operations managers make sure a venue opens on time, runs safely, and resets for the next event. They plan staffing for ushers, security, parking, and cleaning crews, coordinate with police, fire, and medical services, and manage the changeover from a basketball game to a hockey game or a concert stage.
Between events they oversee maintenance of seating, mechanical systems, and video boards, manage contracts with vendors, and plan for emergencies such as severe weather and evacuations. On event days they work from a command center, solving problems in real time with the security, guest services, and production teams.
Day-to-day tasks
- Plan staffing and schedules for event-day security, ushers, parking, and cleaning
- Coordinate with police, fire, and emergency medical services
- Manage changeovers between sports, concerts, and other events
- Oversee maintenance of seating, systems, and building infrastructure
- Develop and drill emergency and evacuation plans
- Manage vendor contracts and operating budgets
- Resolve guest and event problems from the command center
Typical tasks, researched by NueCareer from the sources below.
Working conditions and hours
Managers work at the venue, splitting time between an office and the building's concourses, field, and loading docks. Hours follow the event calendar, with frequent nights, weekends, and holidays, and long days during busy seasons. Event days involve constant walking and quick decisions.
Where the work happens
Indoors, climate-controlled
NeverEvery dayOutdoors in all weather
NeverEvery day
Physical demands
Sitting
NeverAlmost all the timeStanding
NeverAlmost all the timeBending or twisting
NeverAlmost all the time
Working with people
Contact with other people
NoneConstantConstant contact with other people.
Face-to-face discussions
NeverEvery dayFace-to-face discussions every day.
Dealing with the public
Not importantExtremely importantDealing with customers or the public is very important.
Pressure and stakes
Strict deadlines
NeverEvery dayConflict situations
NeverEvery dayCost of a mistake
Not seriousExtremely serious
Autonomy
Freedom to decide
NoneA lotA lot of freedom to make decisions without checking first.
Conditions: O*NET Work Context survey. Each item has its own scale, so each dot is read against the two answers that end its own line.
Core skills
O*NET importance, 1 to 5
- Reading Comprehension3.9
- Active Listening3.9
- Speaking3.9
- Critical Thinking3.8
- Monitoring3.8
- Writing3.5
- Active Learning3.3
- Learning Strategies3.1
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Reading Comprehension | 3.9 |
| Active Listening | 3.9 |
| Speaking | 3.9 |
| Critical Thinking | 3.8 |
| Monitoring | 3.8 |
| Writing | 3.5 |
| Active Learning | 3.3 |
| Learning Strategies | 3.1 |
Source: O*NET 31.0 Database
Transferable skills
O*NET importance, 1 to 5
- Social Perceptiveness3.9
- Coordination3.8
- Judgment and Decision Making3.8
- Time Management3.8
- Instructing3.6
- Service Orientation3.6
- Persuasion3.3
- Complex Problem Solving3.3
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Social Perceptiveness | 3.9 |
| Coordination | 3.8 |
| Judgment and Decision Making | 3.8 |
| Time Management | 3.8 |
| Instructing | 3.6 |
| Service Orientation | 3.6 |
| Persuasion | 3.3 |
| Complex Problem Solving | 3.3 |
Source: O*NET 31.0 Database
Tools and software
- Accounting software · in demand
- Analytical or scientific software · in demand
- Cloud-based data access and sharing software · in demand
- Customer relationship management CRM software · in demand
- Data base user interface and query software · in demand
- Development environment software · in demand
- Document management software · in demand
- Electronic mail software · in demand
- Enterprise resource planning ERP software · in demand
- Office suite software · in demand
- Operating system software · in demand
- Presentation software · in demand
“In demand” marks an O*NET Employer-Based Hot Technology, software named in real job postings for this occupation.
Personality fit
What personality type suits a Stadium Operations Manager?
NueCareer estimate (Holland code ECR) built on O*NET's Entertainment and Recreation Manager, Except Gambling profile, scored 1 to 7
| Axis | Stadium Operations Manager |
|---|---|
| Realistic | 4 |
| Investigative | 2 |
| Artistic | 2 |
| Social | 4 |
| Enterprising | 6 |
| Conventional | 5 |
Source: O*NET 31.0 Database
What the work is built around
Day to day this is work built around leading, persuading, selling and making decisions, combined with organising, following procedures and working precisely with data.
- Enterprising6.3
- Conventional5.2
- Social3.9
- Realistic3.9
- Artistic2.0
- Investigative2.0
Closest MBTI types
NueCareer fit scores: cosine similarity between each MBTI type's interest vector and this occupation's O*NET interest profile. Not a BLS or O*NET figure; the method is documented on our methodology page.
Explore further
Careers related to Stadium Operations Manager
O*NET related occupations
- Management
Entertainment and Recreation Manager, Except Gambling
$79,520median a year
Most earn $46K to $139K
+6.0%Bachelor's - Personal Care and Service
- Management
- Healthcare Practitioners and Technical
- Life, Physical, and Social Science
- Management
More management careers
Median annual pay, with entertainment and recreation managers, except gambling highlighted
- IT Manager$175,140
- Marketing Manager$166,790
- Financial Manager$166,570
- Human Resources Manager$149,280
- Sales Manager$148,270
- Construction Manager$114,990
- Supply Chain Manager$107,230
- Stadium Operations Manager$79,520
- Property, Real Estate, and Community Association Manager$69,990
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| IT Manager | $175,140 |
| Marketing Manager | $166,790 |
| Financial Manager | $166,570 |
| Human Resources Manager | $149,280 |
| Sales Manager | $148,270 |
| Construction Manager | $114,990 |
| Supply Chain Manager | $107,230 |
| Stadium Operations Manager | $79,520 |
| Property, Real Estate, and Community Association Manager | $69,990 |
Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025
Lists Stadium Operations Manager appears on
Questions
Stadium Operations Manager: frequently asked questions
How much do Entertainment and Recreation Managers, Except Gambling make?
BLS does not publish a separate wage for entertainment and recreation managers, except gambling. It counts them within entertainment and recreation manager, except gambling, whose median pay is $79,520 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025). The middle half of that occupation earn between $61,060 and $104,770, and the top 10% earn $139,110 or more.
Do you need a degree to become a Stadium Operations Manager?
Yes. BLS reports a bachelor's degree as the typical entry-level education for Entertainment and Recreation Managers, Except Gambling, and O*NET rates the preparation needed as medium preparation. Employers typically expect less than 5 years of related work experience first.
Is Stadium Operations Manager a growing career?
Yes. Employment is projected to grow 6.0% over 2025–2035, faster than the 3.5% average for all occupations (BLS EP, 2025–2035). BLS still projects about 5,100 openings a year, mostly from workers retiring or moving to other work.
What does a Stadium Operations Manager do?
Stadium operations managers make sure a venue opens on time, runs safely, and resets for the next event. A typical task: plan staffing and schedules for event-day security, ushers, parking, and cleaning. Employers most often ask for Accounting software, Analytical or scientific software, Cloud-based data access and sharing software.
Which states pay Entertainment and Recreation Managers, Except Gambling the most?
The highest state medians for Entertainment and Recreation Managers, Except Gambling are District of Columbia ($113,930), Minnesota ($107,660), New York ($98,390) (BLS OEWS, May 2025). Adjusted for local prices using BEA Regional Price Parities, Minnesota moves to the top at $109,165.
What personality type suits a Stadium Operations Manager?
O*NET scores Entertainment and Recreation Managers, Except Gambling highest on the Enterprising, Conventional and Social interest areas, so the work mixes leading, persuading, selling and making decisions with organising, following procedures and working precisely with data. On NueCareer's MBTI-to-interest mapping the closest types are ESFJ, ESTJ. Personality is a fit signal, not a gate. The free NueCareer quiz scores your own profile against all 1,731 careers in the bank.