Recreation Workers · SOC 39-9032

Highest-Paying Metro Areas for Recreation Workerss

Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025U.S. metropolitan areas

Metro areas ranked by published median annual wage for recreation workers. Areas where BLS suppressed the median are not ranked. Higher medians often track higher living costs — this is a pay comparison, not a ranking of where the job is “best”.

Top 25 of 387 metro areas

Recreation Workers: metro areas with the highest published median annual wages, May 2025
#	Metro area	Median annual	Employment	Per 1,000 jobs
1	Fairbanks-College, AK	$61,040	50	1.4
2	San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA	$57,580	2,620	2.3
3	College Station-Bryan, TX	$47,870	1,170	8.7
4	San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA	$46,290	6,510	2.7
5	Bend, OR	$46,230	290	2.7
6	Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA	$45,990	3,600	1.7
7	Bozeman, MT	$45,010	70	0.9
8	Bellingham, WA	$44,640	260	2.8
9	Kennewick-Richland, WA	$43,460	120	1.0
10	Mount Vernon-Anacortes, WA	$43,380	160	3.0
11	Bremerton-Silverdale-Port Orchard, WA	$43,060	220	2.4
12	Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV	$42,800	4,360	1.4
13	Napa, CA	$42,670	240	3.1
14	Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA	$42,580	2,660	2.2
15	Kahului-Wailuku, HI	$41,420	60	0.8
16	Urban Honolulu, HI	$41,000	1,410	3.2
17	San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA	$40,380	4,200	2.7
18	Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater, WA	$40,330	210	1.6
19	Walla Walla, WA	$40,250	50	2.0
20	Yuba City, CA	$40,100	70	1.3
21	Sioux Falls, SD-MN	$40,050	180	1.0
22	Santa Rosa-Petaluma, CA	$40,010	760	3.7
23	Rapid City, SD	$39,850	100	1.4
24	Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO	$39,640	3,110	1.9
25	Barnstable Town, MA	$39,430	320	3.3

Full state and metro tables, the national distribution, and the pay map are on the Recreation Workers overview.

About this data. Estimates are from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics program, May 2025 release, retrieved from bls.gov/oes/tables.htm on July 24, 2026. OEWS estimates describe metropolitan/nonmetropolitan areas and states — not city limits — and are not designed for year-over-year comparisons. See BLS methodology, our plain-English methodology, and sources. CitySalaryData is independent and not affiliated with BLS.