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Best states for a recreation manager
Quoted expert
Katherine Jordan Ph.D.
- Rank 1 - 10
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Job opportunities vary from state to state, and personal care and attendants careers are no different. Because we know how difficult it can be to know which states are the best when it comes to recreation manager jobs, we decided to crunch some numbers to bring you the best states for recreation managers.This way, if you are newly entering the job market, or you are looking to change jobs, you know which places are the best for recreation manager jobs.
To do that, we looked at the most recent data we have available for the following criteria -- average annual wages, and availability of jobs for recreation managers.Alaska is the best state, and Gulfport is the city with the highest pay for recreation managers.
10 best states for recreation managers in 2025
1. Alaska
Total recreation manager jobs: 58 Average annual salary: $54,557 Lowest 10 percent earn: $39,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $75,000 Location Quotient: 2
2. District of Columbia
Total recreation manager jobs: 77 Average annual salary: $57,923 Lowest 10 percent earn: $36,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $91,000 Location Quotient: 1.32
3. Washington
Total recreation manager jobs: 261 Average annual salary: $56,482 Lowest 10 percent earn: $35,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $90,000 Location Quotient: 1.03
4. New Jersey
Total recreation manager jobs: 361 Average annual salary: $50,855 Lowest 10 percent earn: $31,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $82,000 Location Quotient: 1.31
5. Mississippi
Total recreation manager jobs: 46 Average annual salary: $61,634 Lowest 10 percent earn: $40,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $92,000 Location Quotient: 0.63
6. New York
Total recreation manager jobs: 679 Average annual salary: $50,800 Lowest 10 percent earn: $31,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $82,000 Location Quotient: 1.53
7. Oregon
Total recreation manager jobs: 96 Average annual salary: $55,756 Lowest 10 percent earn: $34,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $91,000 Location Quotient: 0.67
8. West Virginia
Total recreation manager jobs: 32 Average annual salary: $55,754 Lowest 10 percent earn: $37,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $83,000 Location Quotient: 0.6
9. Wyoming
Total recreation manager jobs: 14 Average annual salary: $53,518 Lowest 10 percent earn: $37,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $76,000 Location Quotient: 0.67
10. California
Total recreation manager jobs: 1,100 Average annual salary: $53,685 Lowest 10 percent earn: $32,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $87,000 Location Quotient: 1.08
Recreation manager jobsNear Columbus, OH
How Zippia determines the best states to be a recreation manager
You can read about how the best state rankings are calculated here.
Detailed list of the best states for a recreation manager
| Rank | State | Average salary | Lowest 10% earn | Population | Job count |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alaska | $54,557 | $39,000 | 739,795 | 58 |
| 2 | District of Columbia | $57,923 | $36,000 | 693,972 | 77 |
| 3 | Washington | $56,482 | $35,000 | 7,405,743 | 261 |
| 4 | New Jersey | $50,855 | $31,000 | 9,005,644 | 361 |
| 5 | Mississippi | $61,634 | $40,000 | 2,984,100 | 46 |
| 6 | New York | $50,800 | $31,000 | 19,849,399 | 679 |
| 7 | Oregon | $55,756 | $34,000 | 4,142,776 | 96 |
| 8 | West Virginia | $55,754 | $37,000 | 1,815,857 | 32 |
| 9 | Wyoming | $53,518 | $37,000 | 579,315 | 14 |
| 10 | California | $53,685 | $32,000 | 39,536,653 | 1,100 |
| 11 | Texas | $46,606 | $29,000 | 28,304,596 | 783 |
| 12 | Minnesota | $51,406 | $37,000 | 5,576,606 | 179 |
| 13 | Delaware | $50,651 | $31,000 | 961,939 | 33 |
| 14 | Nevada | $44,680 | $27,000 | 2,998,039 | 91 |
| 15 | Connecticut | $49,182 | $30,000 | 3,588,184 | 116 |
| 16 | Idaho | $51,817 | $33,000 | 1,716,943 | 19 |
| 17 | Colorado | $48,947 | $33,000 | 5,607,154 | 187 |
| 18 | Pennsylvania | $43,995 | $27,000 | 12,805,537 | 451 |
| 19 | Massachusetts | $48,645 | $30,000 | 6,859,819 | 284 |
| 20 | Rhode Island | $48,739 | $30,000 | 1,059,639 | 23 |
| 21 | Arizona | $44,662 | $28,000 | 7,016,270 | 211 |
| 22 | North Carolina | $43,771 | $29,000 | 10,273,419 | 296 |
| 23 | Georgia | $42,033 | $28,000 | 10,429,379 | 390 |
| 24 | Alabama | $44,526 | $29,000 | 4,874,747 | 91 |
| 25 | Hawaii | $44,172 | $33,000 | 1,427,538 | 36 |
| 26 | Montana | $43,346 | $30,000 | 1,050,493 | 34 |
| 27 | South Dakota | $43,543 | $31,000 | 869,666 | 9 |
| 28 | South Carolina | $40,440 | $27,000 | 5,024,369 | 162 |
| 29 | Maine | $43,767 | $31,000 | 1,335,907 | 19 |
| 30 | Wisconsin | $42,322 | $30,000 | 5,795,483 | 132 |
| 31 | North Dakota | $40,466 | $30,000 | 755,393 | 26 |
| 32 | Maryland | $40,828 | $25,000 | 6,052,177 | 285 |
| 33 | Utah | $39,146 | $25,000 | 3,101,833 | 125 |
| 34 | New Mexico | $42,650 | $27,000 | 2,088,070 | 42 |
| 35 | New Hampshire | $42,671 | $28,000 | 1,342,795 | 34 |
| 36 | Florida | $39,504 | $24,000 | 20,984,400 | 583 |
| 37 | Illinois | $38,228 | $27,000 | 12,802,023 | 459 |
| 38 | Michigan | $38,167 | $26,000 | 9,962,311 | 267 |
| 39 | Virginia | $39,599 | $25,000 | 8,470,020 | 340 |
| 40 | Arkansas | $35,389 | $24,000 | 3,004,279 | 108 |
| 41 | Nebraska | $39,023 | $27,000 | 1,920,076 | 59 |
| 42 | Indiana | $37,495 | $26,000 | 6,666,818 | 210 |
| 43 | Vermont | $41,523 | $28,000 | 623,657 | 9 |
| 44 | Missouri | $36,046 | $25,000 | 6,113,532 | 214 |
| 45 | Oklahoma | $38,520 | $25,000 | 3,930,864 | 71 |
| 46 | Kentucky | $35,458 | $24,000 | 4,454,189 | 105 |
| 47 | Tennessee | $36,008 | $24,000 | 6,715,984 | 145 |
| 48 | Kansas | $35,780 | $24,000 | 2,913,123 | 82 |
| 49 | Ohio | $33,267 | $22,000 | 11,658,609 | 333 |
| 50 | Iowa | $35,371 | $25,000 | 3,145,711 | 74 |
| 51 | Louisiana | $31,583 | $20,000 | 4,684,333 | 66 |
Highest paying states for recreation managers
| Rank | State | Avg. Recreation Manager Salary |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alaska | $54,557 |
| 2 | District of Columbia | $57,923 |
| 3 | Washington | $56,482 |
| 4 | New Jersey | $50,855 |
| 5 | Mississippi | $61,634 |
| 6 | New York | $50,800 |
| 7 | Oregon | $55,756 |
| 8 | West Virginia | $55,754 |
| 9 | Wyoming | $53,518 |
| 10 | California | $53,685 |
| 11 | Texas | $46,606 |
| 12 | Minnesota | $51,406 |
| 13 | Delaware | $50,651 |
| 14 | Nevada | $44,680 |
| 15 | Connecticut | $49,182 |
| 16 | Idaho | $51,817 |
| 17 | Colorado | $48,947 |
| 18 | Pennsylvania | $43,995 |
| 19 | Massachusetts | $48,645 |
| 20 | Rhode Island | $48,739 |
| 21 | Arizona | $44,662 |
| 22 | North Carolina | $43,771 |
| 23 | Georgia | $42,033 |
| 24 | Alabama | $44,526 |
| 25 | Hawaii | $44,172 |
| 26 | Montana | $43,346 |
| 27 | South Dakota | $43,543 |
| 28 | South Carolina | $40,440 |
| 29 | Maine | $43,767 |
| 30 | Wisconsin | $42,322 |
| 31 | North Dakota | $40,466 |
| 32 | Maryland | $40,828 |
| 33 | Utah | $39,146 |
| 34 | New Mexico | $42,650 |
| 35 | New Hampshire | $42,671 |
| 36 | Florida | $39,504 |
| 37 | Illinois | $38,228 |
| 38 | Michigan | $38,167 |
| 39 | Virginia | $39,599 |
| 40 | Arkansas | $35,389 |
| 41 | Nebraska | $39,023 |
| 42 | Indiana | $37,495 |
| 43 | Vermont | $41,523 |
| 44 | Missouri | $36,046 |
| 45 | Oklahoma | $38,520 |
| 46 | Kentucky | $35,458 |
| 47 | Tennessee | $36,008 |
| 48 | Kansas | $35,780 |
| 49 | Ohio | $33,267 |
| 50 | Iowa | $35,371 |
| 51 | Louisiana | $31,583 |
Expert opinions on the best states for recreation managers
Are there any particularly good places in the United States for recreation managers to find work opportunities?
Katherine Jordan Ph.D.
Assistant Professor, Ohio University
The recreation management field truly covers such an array of work opportunities, the location really depends on what kind of work graduates are interested in. A graduate who would like to work more in camp settings, for instance, could quite literally pick and choose where they would like to be, simply because there are so many camps in existence. Within the camp world, there are also so many types of camps with different purposes and locations. A graduate who is interested in more municipal recreation will also have options because municipal recreation opportunities are all over the country as well. A graduate who is interested in working for or even owning a private business that caters to tourists can explore opportunities in areas where they are interested in living as well. We try to emphasize to our students and recent graduates that when searching for jobs, they should think about where they will be fulfilled in their job, as well as their life outside of their job. Fortunately, work in the recreation field can be rewarding, fulfilling, and you can live just about anywhere you would like and have a job in the recreation management field.
Recreation manager best states FAQs
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Updated January 8, 2025