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Recreation Worker

$36,560
median / year
$27,600 – $50,410
what most earn per year (10th–90th percentile)

What the job actually is

Lead games, sports, crafts, and activities for groups at camps, parks, and community centers.

You may also see this posted as: Activities Director, Activity Aide, Activity Director, Recreation Supervisor, Activities Assistant, Activity Assistant.

Where you work

Parks, camps, and community centers

The hours

Seasonal, part-time, some weekends

The day to day

What you'd actually spend time doing

  • Enforce rules and regulations of recreational facilities to maintain discipline and ensure safety.
  • Organize, lead, and promote interest in recreational activities, such as arts, crafts, sports, games, camping, and hobbies.
  • Assess the needs and interests of individuals and groups and plan activities accordingly, given the available equipment or facilities.
  • Manage the daily operations of recreational facilities.
  • Administer first aid according to prescribed procedures and notify emergency medical personnel when necessary.

Good fit if you like…

Social

helping, teaching, caring for, or supporting other people

Enterprising

leading, persuading, selling, or turning an idea into action

Realistic

working with tools, equipment, materials, or the physical world

O*NET job zone 4 of 5

High preparation—usually a four-year degree plus experience—is common.

Work styles that matter most

CooperationDependabilitySocial OrientationLeadership Orientation

Software that shows up in the work

Examples employers report—not a checklist you must already know.

Microsoft Office softwareMicrosoft ExcelMicrosoft OutlookMicrosoft PowerPointMicrosoft WindowsMicrosoft Word

By the numbers

May 2025 BLS wage & employment data · 2024–34 BLS employment projections.

Median pay
$36,560
per year
Hourly median
$17.58
per hour
What most earn
$27,600–$50,410
yearly, 10th to 90th percentile
Openings a year
~68,100
projected, 2024–34
Outlook to 2034
+4.1%
About average
Working in the U.S.
331,490
people, nationwide

Openings a year counts new jobs plus the ones that open when people retire or move on — a truer picture of your odds than growth alone.

“Median” means half earn more and half earn less. Your city, employer, and years on the job move it a lot — that is what the 10th-to-90th range shows.

BLS estimates 0.4% of workers in this occupation are self-employed.

What it pays in your state

Statewide medians are a better starting point than the national number. Your city and experience still matter.

BLS state wage tables

How you get in

Typical starting education

High school / no degree

Training path: Learn on the job.

Related work experience: None.

On-the-job training: Short-term on-the-job training.

License or certification

No license required to start in most places.

You can earn while you train. This field has a genuinely paid pathway in — an apprenticeship, a paid academy, or employer-funded training — so you draw a paycheck instead of taking on debt to learn it.

Check the path where you live

Licensing rules and available programs change by state. These federal tools take you to the current official listings.

What it takes

Leading groupsEnthusiasmPatienceCommunication

The honest take

Often seasonal or part-time, but a friendly first job that can lead toward program and camp management.

Standard Occupational Classification 39-9032. Pay and employment from the BLS May 2025 OEWS survey; outlook and openings from the 2024–34 employment projections; job context from the Occupational Outlook Handbook; tasks, interests, work styles, software examples, and job zone from O*NET 30.3. See something off? Tell us.