How To Become A Park Superintendent: What It Is and Career Path

What is a park superintendent and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

2 min read

Quoted expert

Dr. Elizabeth Perry Ph.D.

There is more than meets the eye when it comes to being a park superintendent. For example, did you know that they make an average of $18.97 an hour? That's $39,457 a year! Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow 5% and produce 1,800 job opportunities across the U.S.

What general advice would you give to a park superintendent?

Dr. Elizabeth Perry Ph.D.

Assistant Professor in Protected Areas and Natural Resources Recreation Management, Michigan State University

The visitor side of parks and rec and the impacts of climate change on the visitor experience and park and rec resources continue to increase in importance. We have more people visiting parks than ever (a good thing!), and with that comes needed strategies and practices to manage changing use levels, use patterns, and use types. This also requires solid communication skills, which cannot be overstated in parks and rec. Furthermore, as climate change continues to shift expected conditions in parks, a basic understanding about climate change and local impacts is necessary. If there are more visitors seeking out water resources in the summer, unexpected numbers of visitors in the shoulder seasons, and fewer snow-dependent activity opportunities in the winter - for example - understanding how to still help visitors find a quality and safe experience and protect park resources is needed.

ScorePark SuperintendentUS Average

Salary

3.1

Avg. Salary $39,457

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

7.6

Growth rate 5%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

7.1

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 1.07%

Asian 1.40%

Black or African American 0.72%

Hispanic or Latino 2.40%

Unknown 2.87%

White 91.53%

Gender

female 8.59%

male 91.41%

Age - 41

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 41

Stress level

7.6

Stress level is high

7.1 - high

Complexity level

8.2

Complexity level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work life balance

7.2

Work life balance is good

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a park superintendent

Explore park superintendent education requirements

Most common park superintendent degrees

Bachelor's

70.9 %

Associate

16.4 %

Master's

5.5 %

Start to develop specific park superintendent skills

Skills	Percentages
Grounds Maintenance	15.66%
Equipment Maintenance	10.17%
Patrol	7.09%
Trail Maintenance	6.90%
Budget Preparation	6.45%

Complete relevant park superintendent training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 6-12 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New park superintendents learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a park superintendent based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real park superintendent resumes.

Research park superintendent duties and responsibilities

Provide leadership and supervision by managing day-to-day operations for a county park facility.
Operate equipment such as chain saws, tractors, mowers, weed trimmers, and blowers to facilitate park operations.
Approve and/or prepare revenue reports, expenditure reports, purchasing documents, and payroll.
Operate farm tractor with attachments, mowers, string line trimmers and various power hand tools.

Apply for park superintendent jobs

Now it's time to start searching for a park superintendent job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

Browse job boards for relevant postings
Consult your professional network
Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
Watch out for job scams