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

What is a recreation superintendent and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

2 min read

Quoted expert

Ariel Rodríguez Ph.D., CPRP

There is more than meets the eye when it comes to being a recreation superintendent. For example, did you know that they make an average of $22.5 an hour? That's $46,803 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 superintendent?

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 SuperintendentUS Average

Salary

3.7

Avg. Salary $46,803

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

9.1

Growth rate 10%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

9.9

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.67%

Asian 5.08%

Black or African American 12.71%

Hispanic or Latino 13.98%

Unknown 5.58%

White 61.99%

Gender

female 36.55%

male 63.45%

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 superintendent

Explore recreation superintendent education requirements

Most common recreation superintendent degrees

Bachelor's

70.3 %

Master's

18.0 %

Associate

9.9 %

Start to develop specific recreation superintendent skills

Skills	Percentages
Athletic Fields	17.00%
Flyers	10.12%
Capital Projects	9.90%
Swimming Pools	9.67%
Advisory Boards	8.45%

Complete relevant recreation superintendent training and internships

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

Research recreation superintendent duties and responsibilities

Manage activity and progress reports including statistical data require by regulators, initial assessments, MDS and IDC documentation.
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.

Prepare your recreation superintendent resume

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