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Best states for a recreation leader
Quoted expert
Dr. Jon McChesney
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Recreation leader opportunities vary in different parts of the country. In order to help you determine the best states for recreation leaders, we ranked all fifty states from best to worst for recreation leaders.Although there are abundant recreation leader jobs in the United States, a large number of them are in the South. Nebraska is the best state in the country for recreation leader jobs.
To that end, we dove into our dataset of job and salary numbers to figure out which states have the best opportunities for recreation leaders. Nebraska is the best state for recreation leaders, where the median salary is $38,391.We found that the South is best for recreation leaders, and the Northeast is the worst. New York, NY is the best city in the country for recreation leader jobs, where as Nebraska is the best state in the country.
10 best states for recreation leaders in 2025
1. Nebraska
Total recreation leader jobs: 307 Average annual salary: $38,391 Lowest 10 percent earn: $30,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $47,000 Location Quotient: 3.582. Mississippi
Total recreation leader jobs: 140 Average annual salary: $38,013 Lowest 10 percent earn: $30,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $46,000 Location Quotient: 1.723. Massachusetts
Total recreation leader jobs: 1,333 Average annual salary: $33,881 Lowest 10 percent earn: $27,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $41,000 Location Quotient: 3.774. Wyoming
Total recreation leader jobs: 26 Average annual salary: $34,282 Lowest 10 percent earn: $27,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $42,000 Location Quotient: 1.135. District of Columbia
Total recreation leader jobs: 217 Average annual salary: $36,919 Lowest 10 percent earn: $29,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $46,000 Location Quotient: 3.366. New York
Total recreation leader jobs: 396 Average annual salary: $35,654 Lowest 10 percent earn: $28,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $45,000 Location Quotient: 0.87. Rhode Island
Total recreation leader jobs: 155 Average annual salary: $31,323 Lowest 10 percent earn: $25,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $38,000 Location Quotient: 3.318. North Carolina
Total recreation leader jobs: 257 Average annual salary: $32,107 Lowest 10 percent earn: $25,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $39,000 Location Quotient: 0.79. North Dakota
Total recreation leader jobs: 161 Average annual salary: $29,076 Lowest 10 percent earn: $23,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $35,000 Location Quotient: 4.510. Washington
Total recreation leader jobs: 976 Average annual salary: $31,508 Lowest 10 percent earn: $24,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $39,000 Location Quotient: 3.47
Recreation leader jobsNear Columbus, OH
How Zippia determines the best states to be a recreation leader
You can read about how the best state rankings are calculated here.
Detailed list of the best states for a recreation leader
| Rank | State | Average salary | Lowest 10% earn | Population | Job count |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nebraska | $38,391 | $30,000 | 1,920,076 | 307 |
| 2 | Mississippi | $38,013 | $30,000 | 2,984,100 | 140 |
| 3 | Massachusetts | $33,881 | $27,000 | 6,859,819 | 1,333 |
| 4 | Wyoming | $34,282 | $27,000 | 579,315 | 26 |
| 5 | District of Columbia | $36,919 | $29,000 | 693,972 | 217 |
| 6 | New York | $35,654 | $28,000 | 19,849,399 | 396 |
| 7 | Rhode Island | $31,323 | $25,000 | 1,059,639 | 155 |
| 8 | North Carolina | $32,107 | $25,000 | 10,273,419 | 257 |
| 9 | North Dakota | $29,076 | $23,000 | 755,393 | 161 |
| 10 | Washington | $31,508 | $24,000 | 7,405,743 | 976 |
| 11 | South Dakota | $28,983 | $23,000 | 869,666 | 138 |
| 12 | Oregon | $29,386 | $23,000 | 4,142,776 | 617 |
| 13 | Nevada | $29,962 | $23,000 | 2,998,039 | 89 |
| 14 | New Hampshire | $30,845 | $25,000 | 1,342,795 | 45 |
| 15 | West Virginia | $34,164 | $27,000 | 1,815,857 | 16 |
| 16 | Vermont | $32,553 | $27,000 | 623,657 | 10 |
| 17 | Arizona | $29,723 | $23,000 | 7,016,270 | 147 |
| 18 | Michigan | $29,522 | $23,000 | 9,962,311 | 155 |
| 19 | California | $33,328 | $26,000 | 39,536,653 | 570 |
| 20 | Connecticut | $30,153 | $24,000 | 3,588,184 | 71 |
| 21 | Texas | $28,103 | $22,000 | 28,304,596 | 523 |
| 22 | Montana | $26,750 | $21,000 | 1,050,493 | 160 |
| 23 | New Jersey | $29,583 | $23,000 | 9,005,644 | 194 |
| 24 | Hawaii | $30,029 | $27,000 | 1,427,538 | 33 |
| 25 | Maine | $30,016 | $25,000 | 1,335,907 | 17 |
| 26 | Minnesota | $29,085 | $23,000 | 5,576,606 | 131 |
| 27 | Illinois | $28,866 | $23,000 | 12,802,023 | 224 |
| 28 | Kentucky | $26,286 | $21,000 | 4,454,189 | 95 |
| 29 | Colorado | $28,495 | $22,000 | 5,607,154 | 171 |
| 30 | Missouri | $26,467 | $21,000 | 6,113,532 | 183 |
| 31 | Delaware | $28,933 | $22,000 | 961,939 | 24 |
| 32 | Tennessee | $25,556 | $20,000 | 6,715,984 | 143 |
| 33 | South Carolina | $25,494 | $20,000 | 5,024,369 | 125 |
| 34 | Florida | $26,139 | $21,000 | 20,984,400 | 371 |
| 35 | New Mexico | $23,217 | $18,000 | 2,088,070 | 321 |
| 36 | Oklahoma | $23,887 | $19,000 | 3,930,864 | 86 |
| 37 | Idaho | $26,185 | $20,000 | 1,716,943 | 22 |
| 38 | Indiana | $24,939 | $20,000 | 6,666,818 | 111 |
| 39 | Kansas | $22,666 | $18,000 | 2,913,123 | 139 |
| 40 | Wisconsin | $25,221 | $20,000 | 5,795,483 | 98 |
| 41 | Alaska | $21,185 | $18,000 | 739,795 | 142 |
| 42 | Pennsylvania | $25,210 | $19,000 | 12,805,537 | 216 |
| 43 | Utah | $21,636 | $17,000 | 3,101,833 | 524 |
| 44 | Maryland | $25,231 | $19,000 | 6,052,177 | 138 |
| 45 | Alabama | $23,148 | $18,000 | 4,874,747 | 108 |
| 46 | Ohio | $24,112 | $19,000 | 11,658,609 | 178 |
| 47 | Georgia | $24,300 | $19,000 | 10,429,379 | 209 |
| 48 | Louisiana | $19,050 | $15,000 | 4,684,333 | 169 |
| 49 | Virginia | $22,757 | $18,000 | 8,470,020 | 199 |
| 50 | Iowa | $22,836 | $18,000 | 3,145,711 | 58 |
| 51 | Arkansas | $21,225 | $17,000 | 3,004,279 | 58 |
Highest paying states for recreation leaders
| Rank | State | Avg. Recreation Leader Salary |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nebraska | $38,391 |
| 2 | Mississippi | $38,013 |
| 3 | Massachusetts | $33,881 |
| 4 | Wyoming | $34,282 |
| 5 | District of Columbia | $36,919 |
| 6 | New York | $35,654 |
| 7 | Rhode Island | $31,323 |
| 8 | North Carolina | $32,107 |
| 9 | North Dakota | $29,076 |
| 10 | Washington | $31,508 |
| 11 | South Dakota | $28,983 |
| 12 | Oregon | $29,386 |
| 13 | Nevada | $29,962 |
| 14 | New Hampshire | $30,845 |
| 15 | West Virginia | $34,164 |
| 16 | Vermont | $32,553 |
| 17 | Arizona | $29,723 |
| 18 | Michigan | $29,522 |
| 19 | California | $33,328 |
| 20 | Connecticut | $30,153 |
| 21 | Texas | $28,103 |
| 22 | Montana | $26,750 |
| 23 | New Jersey | $29,583 |
| 24 | Hawaii | $30,029 |
| 25 | Maine | $30,016 |
| 26 | Minnesota | $29,085 |
| 27 | Illinois | $28,866 |
| 28 | Kentucky | $26,286 |
| 29 | Colorado | $28,495 |
| 30 | Missouri | $26,467 |
| 31 | Delaware | $28,933 |
| 32 | Tennessee | $25,556 |
| 33 | South Carolina | $25,494 |
| 34 | Florida | $26,139 |
| 35 | New Mexico | $23,217 |
| 36 | Oklahoma | $23,887 |
| 37 | Idaho | $26,185 |
| 38 | Indiana | $24,939 |
| 39 | Kansas | $22,666 |
| 40 | Wisconsin | $25,221 |
| 41 | Alaska | $21,185 |
| 42 | Pennsylvania | $25,210 |
| 43 | Utah | $21,636 |
| 44 | Maryland | $25,231 |
| 45 | Alabama | $23,148 |
| 46 | Ohio | $24,112 |
| 47 | Georgia | $24,300 |
| 48 | Louisiana | $19,050 |
| 49 | Virginia | $22,757 |
| 50 | Iowa | $22,836 |
| 51 | Arkansas | $21,225 |
Expert opinions on the best states for recreation leaders
Are there any particularly good places in the United States for recreation leaders to find work opportunities?
Dr. Jon McChesney
Department Chair & Graduate Coordinator, Eastern Kentucky University
Typically, graduates have good job opportunities throughout the United States, given the magnitude of the industry. For example, event planning was a 33% growth industry, and in 2019 tourism employed one in every ten people on Earth! Covid-19 has had a profound impact on recreation, parks, and tourism, but there will be a recovery. We are currently seeing a resurgence in outdoor recreation and people experiencing parks throughout the country. Graduates will need to continue to nurture their professional network and be patient with the current job's climate.
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Updated January 8, 2025