Find a Job You Really Want In
Camp Counselors are one of the most common jobs in America. Additionally, a significant number of people work as camp counselors in every state in the union — it’s not like they are all just concentrated in California or the South.
Since camp counselors are such a prominent occupation, we at Zippia wanted to look at where camp counselors have it the best: where there are plenty of jobs to go around and people get paid what they deserve during every phase of their career.
To that end, we dove into the numbers from the BLS to figure out which states have the best opportunities for camp counselors.
After all the numbers had been crunched, we were left with this list of the best of best for America’s camp counselors:
So there you have it — Recreation Workers is the best of the best when it comes to being a camp counselor.
How did Recreation Workers end up here and does it really deserve this ranking? Read on to see how we completed our research on the best states for camp counselors and for more on the top ten states.
If youâre interested, you can read more about the job scene here:
How we determined the best states to be a camp counselor
Here at Zippia, we talk to a lot of people of all different backgrounds looking for jobs. Our research has concluded that there are two common things people want in a job:
- Availability of jobs
- Higher Pay
So in order to find out the best states for camp counselors in America we needed to figure out where the jobs are and how well camp counselors get paid. This led to the following criteria taken from the Bureau of Labor Statistics’s Occupational Employment Statistics for 2016:
- Location quotient. A measure of how common a job is a given state.
- Average annual salary.
- Average annual salary for entry level work.
- Average annual salary for experienced professionals.
To make all the salary numbers more apples to apples across states, we compared the salary data relative to the state’s cost of living.
Applying this standardization allows us to account for that fact that it costs more to live in certain in states. For example, the average salary for camp counselors in California is $29,660 and the average salary in Illinois is $25,570, but the Illinois salary actually goes further in paying for life’s essentials.
In order to develop and overall ranking, we ranked each state for each criteria from 1 to 50 where 1 was the best.
We then averaged all the rankings for a state into a Job Score with the state having the lowest overall Job Score earning the distinction of being the best state for camp counselors in America.
So without further ado, let’s get into just what made each state so great for camp counselors.
1. Alaska
Total Jobs: 590
Average Annual Salary: $47,160
Average Entry Level Salary: $26,490
Average Experienced Salary: $77,950
Location Quotient: 0.76
2. Washington
Total Jobs: 6,120
Average Annual Salary: $30,940
Average Entry Level Salary: $21,220
Average Experienced Salary: $48,480
Location Quotient: 0.83
3. Michigan
Total Jobs: 11,160
Average Annual Salary: $24,880
Average Entry Level Salary: $18,240
Average Experienced Salary: $37,480
Location Quotient: 1.1
4. Minnesota
Total Jobs: 8,010
Average Annual Salary: $28,390
Average Entry Level Salary: $19,340
Average Experienced Salary: $41,610
Location Quotient: 1.19
5. Wyoming
Total Jobs: 690
Average Annual Salary: $26,430
Average Entry Level Salary: $16,860
Average Experienced Salary: $43,560
Location Quotient: 1.04
6. North Dakota
Total Jobs: 860
Average Annual Salary: $30,820
Average Entry Level Salary: $18,600
Average Experienced Salary: $44,730
Location Quotient: 0.84
7. Iowa
Total Jobs: 4,140
Average Annual Salary: $25,690
Average Entry Level Salary: $17,000
Average Experienced Salary: $38,090
Location Quotient: 1.12
8. Illinois
Total Jobs: 21,230
Average Annual Salary: $25,570
Average Entry Level Salary: $18,220
Average Experienced Salary: $39,430
Location Quotient: 1.5
9. Idaho
Total Jobs: 1,270
Average Annual Salary: $27,870
Average Entry Level Salary: $16,940
Average Experienced Salary: $48,890
Location Quotient: 0.79
10. Mississippi
Total Jobs: 1,660
Average Annual Salary: $25,600
Average Entry Level Salary: $16,680
Average Experienced Salary: $39,270
Location Quotient: 0.62
There You Have It – The Best States To Be A Camp Counselor
If you’re looking to start out your career as a camp counselor these are the states that should be at the top of your list. You’ll find high pay, available jobs, and chances for career advancement.
If you’re curious, here are the worst states to be a camp counselor in America:
Detailed List Of The Best States For camp counselors
| Rank | State | Average Salary |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alaska | $47,160 |
| 2 | Washington | $30,940 |
| 3 | Michigan | $24,880 |
| 4 | Minnesota | $28,390 |
| 5 | Wyoming | $26,430 |
| 6 | North Dakota | $30,820 |
| 7 | Iowa | $25,690 |
| 8 | Illinois | $25,570 |
| 9 | Idaho | $27,870 |
| 10 | Mississippi | $25,600 |
| 11 | Utah | $25,910 |
| 12 | Virginia | $27,890 |
| 13 | Missouri | $25,380 |
| 14 | Kansas | $24,430 |
| 15 | Ohio | $25,680 |
| 16 | Nevada | $32,140 |
| 17 | North Carolina | $28,030 |
| 18 | South Dakota | $30,540 |
| 19 | Kentucky | $25,520 |
| 20 | Oklahoma | $24,900 |
| 21 | Colorado | $28,060 |
| 22 | Montana | $26,250 |
| 23 | Delaware | $27,890 |
| 24 | Georgia | $25,000 |
| 25 | Texas | $25,030 |
| 26 | Nebraska | $24,850 |
| 27 | Pennsylvania | $27,380 |
| 28 | Vermont | $30,880 |
| 29 | Tennessee | $23,590 |
| 30 | West Virginia | $24,730 |
| 31 | Arizona | $26,230 |
| 32 | Florida | $25,540 |
| 33 | South Carolina | $26,170 |
| 34 | Indiana | $23,310 |
| 35 | Wisconsin | $24,070 |
| 36 | Alabama | $23,340 |
| 37 | Connecticut | $31,940 |
| 38 | New Hampshire | $29,690 |
| 39 | Arkansas | $21,870 |
| 40 | New York | $30,440 |
| 41 | New Mexico | $22,570 |
| 42 | Oregon | $28,100 |
| 43 | Massachusetts | $29,000 |
| 44 | California | $29,660 |
| 45 | New Jersey | $27,900 |
| 46 | Hawaii | $30,360 |
| 47 | Maine | $26,310 |
| 48 | Maryland | $27,670 |
| 49 | Louisiana | $22,100 |
| 50 | Rhode Island | $26,570 |
Author
Chris Kolmar is a co-founder of Zippia and the editor-in-chief of the Zippia career advice blog. He has hired over 50 people in his career, been hired five times, and wants to help you land your next job. His research has been featured on the New York Times, Thrillist, VOX, The Atlantic, and a host of local news. More recently, he's been quoted on USA Today, BusinessInsider, and CNBC.
