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

What is a recreation facility manager and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

Quoted expert

Ariel Rodríguez Ph.D., CPRP

There is more than meets the eye when it comes to being a recreation facility manager. For example, did you know that they make an average of $22.37 an hour? That's $46,535 a year! 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 recreation facility manager?

Ariel Rodríguez Ph.D., CPRP

Associate Professor, Recreation Management Program Director, Springfield College

Be open, flexible, and willing to learn. I realize that after graduating from college, many individuals may feel as if they are mentally and emotionally done with learning, but the truth is that graduation is really just the beginning of lifelong learning as a recreation professional. If graduates are looking to work in parks and recreation, I would recommend applying for the Certified Park and Recreation Professional (CPRP) certification when they are eligible and feel ready to take on the CPRP exam.

If a recent graduate is unable to immediately crack into the field, I would recommend either volunteering in a recreation specialization they are interested in or perhaps looking at job descriptions for recreation positions they are interested in and find jobs that help to give them experience in the requested knowledge, skills, and abilities so that they can better position themselves as a future candidate.

ScoreRecreation Facility ManagerUS Average

Salary

3.6

Avg. Salary $46,535

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

9.1

Growth rate 10%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

10.0

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.76%

Asian 5.38%

Black or African American 12.59%

Hispanic or Latino 14.34%

Unknown 5.88%

White 61.05%

Gender

female 35.29%

male 64.71%

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 recreation facility manager

Explore recreation facility manager education requirements

Most common recreation facility manager degrees

Bachelor's

69.7 %

Master's

15.2 %

Associate

9.8 %

Start to develop specific recreation facility manager skills

Skills	Percentages
CPR	33.96%
Recreation Programs	13.08%
Facility Management	8.19%
Equipment Inventory	7.54%
Facility Rentals	6.90%

Complete relevant recreation facility manager training and internships

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

Research recreation facility manager duties and responsibilities

Manage recreation staff and programming for assist living and rehabilitation and skil nursing facilities.
Order chemicals, lifeguard equipment, concession products, and all other require resources.
Examine injure persons and administer first aid or cardiopulmonary resuscitation, if necessary, using training and medical supplies and equipment.
Manage updated JCC social media, including Facebook.

Apply for recreation facility manager jobs

Now it's time to start searching for a recreation facility 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