How To Become A Parks And Recreation Manager: What It Is and Career Path

What is a parks and recreation manager and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

Quoted expert

Dr. Doug Kennedy CPRP

The average parks and recreation manager salary is $43,857. The most common degree is a bachelor's degree degree with an business major. It usually takes 2-4 years of experience to become a parks and recreation manager. Parks and recreation managers with a OSHA Safety Certificate certification earn more money. Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow 10% and produce 28,100 job opportunities across the U.S.

What general advice would you give to a parks and recreation manager?

Dr. Doug Kennedy CPRP

Professor, Virginia Wesleyan University

On a daily basis recreation managers must be skilled at a variety of responsibilities. Primarily these include personnel management, program planning, marketing and facility management. Recreation managers must ensure that leisure-time opportunities are available for everyone in a wide variety of locations. These include community recreation facilities, outdoor recreation areas, sporting venues, aquatic facilities and more. New professionals are key to recreation management. They tend to be a bit more focused than experienced managers who juggle a lot of balls in the workplace. Still, new professionals typically will be focused on providing programs and guaranteeing that facilities are safe and ready.

ScoreParks And Recreation ManagerUS Average

Salary

3.4

Avg. Salary $43,857

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

9.1

Growth rate 10%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

9.8

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.67%

Asian 5.12%

Black or African American 11.02%

Hispanic or Latino 15.49%

Unknown 5.58%

White 62.13%

Gender

female 28.10%

male 71.90%

Age - 43

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 - 43

Stress level

9.1

Stress level is very high

7.1 - high

Complexity level

7.9

Complexity level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work life balance

7.5

Work life balance is good

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a parks and recreation manager

Explore parks and recreation manager education requirements

Most common parks and recreation manager degrees

Bachelor's

36.6 %

High School Diploma

35.8 %

Associate

14.6 %

Start to develop specific parks and recreation manager skills

Skills	Percentages
Front Desk	18.42%
CPR	13.90%
Mowing	11.67%
Lifeguard	7.50%
Recreational Facilities	4.90%

Complete relevant parks and recreation manager training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 1-3 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New parks and recreation managers 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 parks and recreation manager based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real parks and recreation manager resumes.

Research parks and recreation manager duties and responsibilities

Manage activity and progress reports including statistical data require by regulators, initial assessments, MDS and IDC documentation.
Trash pick up, grass cutting, edging, weed eater, use blowers, trimming fixing sprinklers
Hire and train lifeguard staff and conduct staff inservices.
Prepare to use certify CPR in case of emergency.

Apply for parks and recreation manager jobs

Now it's time to start searching for a parks and recreation manager 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