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Recreation supervisor salary

Quoted expert
Ariel Rodríguez Ph.D., CPRP

Average recreation supervisor salary

$45,209

$21.74 hourly rate

Entry-level recreation supervisor salary
$32,000 yearly salary
Updated January 8, 2025

Understanding Recreation Supervisor Salaries

The role of a Recreation Supervisor involves overseeing recreational programs, managing staff, and ensuring community engagement through various activities. As of October 2025, the average salary stands at $45,209 annually. Salaries can vary significantly based on factors such as geographic location, years of experience, and the specific recreational field.

State Variations and Opportunities

States like California and New York tend to offer higher salaries, reflecting the demand for skilled professionals in urban areas. Additionally, experience plays a crucial role; supervisors with several years in the field often command higher wages. For those seeking to advance their careers, opportunities in management and specialized programming can lead to increased earnings.

Job Outlook

The job outlook for Recreation Supervisors remains positive, with growing interest in community programs and health-focused activities. This presents an excellent opportunity for individuals looking to make a difference while enjoying a fulfilling career.

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Where can a Recreation Supervisor earn more?

Compare salary by location
Vs
85k
65k
45k
25k
5k
Columbus, OH$66,590
Albany, GA$35,036
Compare salary by company
Vs
76k
56k
36k
16k
Glen Ellyn Park District$54,739
City of Aurora$46,247

Recreation supervisor salary estimates from across the web

Based on the latest salary information compiled by Zippia, Salary.com, Glassdoor, SalaryExpert, Comparably and Payscale, the average salary for a recreation supervisor typically falls between $45,209 and $55,612.
zippia
$45,209yearly
glassdoor[1]
$55,612yearly
comparably[2]
$48,749yearly
Salary.com[3]
$48,153yearly
payscale[4]
$50,720yearly
SalaryExpert[5]
$49,255yearly

Average recreation supervisor salary by state

The average recreation supervisor salary in Alaska, California, and Mississippi are the highest in the U.S. The lowest average recreation supervisor salary states are Tennessee, Kentucky, and Arkansas.

  • State view
  • County view
Average salary:

Highest paying states for recreation supervisors

RankStateAvg. salaryHourly rate
1Alaska$66,011$31.74
2Mississippi$62,731$30.16
3Wyoming$57,423$27.61
4Arizona$52,424$25.20
5California$63,757$30.65
6New York$52,326$25.16
7Colorado$50,781$24.41
8North Carolina$47,808$22.98
9North Dakota$45,141$21.70
10West Virginia$54,929$26.41
11Oregon$54,444$26.18
12Nebraska$45,552$21.90
13Washington$50,917$24.48
14Florida$45,296$21.78
15District of Columbia$54,549$26.23
16Nevada$42,377$20.37
17Hawaii$49,322$23.71
18Idaho$50,015$24.05
19South Dakota$47,297$22.74
20Montana$47,723$22.94
21Connecticut$46,520$22.37
22Alabama$45,614$21.93
23Rhode Island$46,541$22.38
24Maine$44,978$21.62
25New Mexico$41,860$20.13
26Delaware$47,110$22.65
27South Carolina$41,214$19.81
28Massachusetts$44,323$21.31
29Texas$41,293$19.85
30Illinois$43,979$21.14
31Ohio$38,722$18.62
32Minnesota$42,231$20.30
33Utah$39,062$18.78
34New Jersey$40,884$19.66
35Maryland$42,285$20.33
36New Hampshire$42,140$20.26
37Oklahoma$38,971$18.74
38Pennsylvania$40,165$19.31
39Michigan$39,298$18.89
40Wisconsin$40,755$19.59
41Vermont$42,688$20.52
42Iowa$37,472$18.02
43Kentucky$36,230$17.42
44Tennessee$36,785$17.69
45Virginia$39,168$18.83
46Kansas$37,133$17.85
47Georgia$34,962$16.81
48Missouri$37,272$17.92
49Indiana$34,767$16.71
50Arkansas$36,071$17.34
51Louisiana$31,907$15.34

Highest paying cities for recreation supervisors

The highest-paying cities for recreation supervisors are Anchorage, AK, Ceres, CA, and New York, NY.

RankCityAvg. salaryHourly rate
1Anchorage, AK$66,590$32.01
2Ceres, CA$66,314$31.88
3New York, NY$52,647$25.31
4Marana, AZ$51,904$24.95
5Colorado Springs, CO$50,961$24.50
6Statesville, NC$47,779$22.97
7West Palm Beach, FL$45,429$21.84
8Des Plaines, IL$43,986$21.15
9Bangor, ME$43,039$20.69
10Columbia, MD$42,300$20.34
11Houston, TX$41,466$19.94
12Columbia, SC$41,296$19.85
13Lakewood, NJ$41,081$19.75
14Kenosha, WI$40,830$19.63
15Ann Arbor, MI$39,308$18.90
16Cleveland, OH$39,137$18.82
17Norfolk, VA$39,110$18.80
18Saint Louis, MO$37,163$17.87
19Albany, GA$35,036$16.84

Recreation supervisor salary details

A recreation supervisor's salary ranges from $32,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $62,000 at the 90th percentile.

Average recreation supervisor salary graph
Average recreation supervisor salary graph, trends, and summary

What is a recreation supervisor's salary?

PercentileAnnual salaryMonthly salaryHourly rate
90th Percentile$62,000$5,167$30
75th Percentile$53,000$4,417$25
Average$45,209$3,767$22
25th Percentile$38,000$3,167$18
10th Percentile$32,000$2,667$15

Highest paying recreation supervisor jobs

The highest paying types of recreation supervisors are senior counselor, program lead, and group leader.

Job titleAnnual salaryMonthly salaryHourly rateJob openings
Day Camp Counselor$29,384$2,449$14.1332,895
Camp Counselor$24,340$2,028$11.7028,182
Program Lead$100,727$8,394$48.4361,632
Activities Director$44,982$3,748$21.636,845
Activities Leader$30,329$2,527$14.5835,544
Activity Coordinator$35,309$2,942$16.9820,364

How would you rate the starting salaries for recreation supervisors, as well as the prospects for salary advancement?

Ariel Rodríguez Ph.D., CPRP

Associate Professor, Recreation Management Program Director, Springfield College

It depends on the recreation specialization and where they intend to live, but in general, salaries are competitive once a graduate gets into the recreation coordinator/programmer/specialist and higher positions. Research by the National Recreation and Park Association (2019) on annual professional salaries showed that median salaries for a recreation program coordinator in the United States in 2019 were $48,141, and for recreation program coordinator positions and above, most saw an increase of approximately 3% between 2018-2019; this suggests salaries are keeping up with inflation.

Source

Top companies hiring recreation supervisors now:

  1. George Jr Republic PA jobs (47)
  2. The Ohio State University jobs (7)
  3. KBR jobs (9)
  4. City of Houston jobs (10)
  5. City of Norfolk jobs (7)

Which companies pay recreation supervisors the most?

Recreation supervisor salaries at Glen Ellyn Park District and Mayor Ethan Berkowitz are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average recreation supervisor salary at companies like Howard County Government and Emerson are highly competitive.

RankCompanyAverage salaryHourly rate
1Glen Ellyn Park District$54,739$26.32
2Mayor Ethan Berkowitz$51,529$24.77
3Howard County Government$49,157$23.63
4Emerson$49,117$23.61
5Town of Marana$48,814$23.47
6City of Ann Arbor$48,566$23.35
7Catholic Health Care System$48,302$23.22
8United Service Technologies$48,132$23.14
9Aleut$48,049$23.10
10City of Las Vegas$47,912$23.03
11The GEO Group$47,715$22.94
12City of Downey$47,466$22.82
13City of St. Louis$47,376$22.78
14Continental Pools$47,368$22.77
15City of Greeley$47,109$22.65
16MINACT$47,087$22.64
17City of Patterson$46,852$22.52
18Minnesota Limited$46,701$22.45
19Arc-Com$46,532$22.37
20City of Aurora$46,247$22.23

Wage gap by gender, race and education

$48,000$47,400$46,800$46,200$45,600$45,000
MaleFemale

Recreation supervisor salary trends

The average recreation supervisor salary has risen by $10,030 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average recreation supervisor earned $35,179 annually, but today, they earn $45,209 a year. That works out to a 19% change in pay for recreation supervisors over the last decade.

Compare recreation supervisor salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.

Average recreation supervisor salary over time

Compare recreation supervisor salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.

Recreation supervisor salary by year

YearAvg. salaryHourly rate% Change
2025$45,200$21.74+7.3%
2024$41,900$20.14+4.9%
2023$39,800$19.15+2.1%
2022$39,000$18.75+2.7%
2021$37,900$18.24+2.3%

Recently added recreation supervisor salaries

CompanyJobLocationDate addedSalary
Fargo Public SchoolsSchool Recreation SupervisorFargo, ND06/28/2025$37,086
City of OwensboroRecreation SupervisorOwensboro, KY06/28/2025$56,391
CorecivicRecreation SupervisorWhiteville, TN06/27/2025$48,523
Arlington Heights Park DistrictRecreation Supervisor-Preschool & Early ChildhoodArlington Heights, IL06/26/2025$57,071
City of BellaireRecreation Supervisor-CampsBellaire, TX06/25/2025$59,817
Four Seasons Hotels Ltd.Recreation-Pool & Beach SupervisorKailua, HI06/24/2025$62,923
Paddle BostonJob Title: Outdoor Recreation Supervisor-Sailing, Kayaking, Canoeing & PaddleboardingStoneham, MA06/21/2025$41,740
Four Seasons Hotels Ltd.Recreation SupervisorVail, CO06/18/2025$59,292
City of Dallas, TxSupervisor-Recreation (NON Civil Service) Park and RecreationParkdale, AR06/18/2025$58,800
City of Lenexa (KsRecreation Supervisor-Youth Enrichment & CampsLenexa, KS06/18/2025$55,661

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