Exercise Trainers and Group Fitness Instructors
Median $47,160
Occupation · SOC 39-9032
Recreation Workers: pay and where the jobs are
What recreation workers earn in the U.S., how pay varies across workers and states, and tools to plan around it.
National pay, May 2025
$36,560 median annual wage
- Mean (average) annual wage
- $38,520
- Median hourly wage
- $17.58
- Mean hourly wage
- $18.52
- Employment
- 331,490
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025 (released 2026-05-15), SOC 39-9032.
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See where your pay falls among recreation workers nationally and in your state. Nothing you type leaves your browser.
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Use these numbers
How much do recreation workers make?
The median annual wage for recreation workers was $36,560 in May 2025, so half of workers earned more and half earned less. The lowest-paid 10% earned less than $27,600 and the highest-paid 10% more than $50,410. As an hourly rate, the median is $17.58. About 331,490 people work in this occupation nationwide. The highest state medians are in District of Columbia ($46,460), Washington ($44,890) and South Dakota ($42,270). After taxes and local prices, though, a median paycheck goes furthest in South Dakota.
Pay ladder
What each step of the pay range for recreation workers looks like per month. Take-home here includes federal tax, Social Security and Medicare for a single filer; add your state in the paycheck calculator.
| Step | Annual | Hourly | Monthly gross | Monthly after federal tax & FICA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $27,600 | $13.27 | $2,300 | $2,028 |
| 25th percentile | $31,780 | $15.28 | $2,648 | $2,310 |
| Median | $36,560 | $17.58 | $3,047 | $2,630 |
| 75th percentile | $43,470 | $20.90 | $3,623 | $3,092 |
| 90th percentile | $50,410 | $24.24 | $4,201 | $3,557 |
Recreation Workers: pay by state
53 states and territories have a published median, sorted from highest to lowest. The last two columns are our estimates: the median after 2026 federal and state taxes, and that take-home restated in national-average prices.
1
$40,801 take-home in national prices
2
$36,150 take-home in national prices
3
$35,161 take-home in national prices
Where a median recreation worker paycheck goes furthest after 2026 taxes and BEA price levels.
| State | Employment | Median | 10th pct. | 90th pct. | Median after tax* | In national prices† |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| District of Columbia | 470 | $46,460 | $37,990 | $66,750 | $37,889 | $34,476 |
| Washington | 6,380 | $44,890 | $35,660 | $59,790 | $37,626 | $35,161 |
| South Dakota | 650 | $42,270 | $32,390 | $60,470 | $36,144 | $40,801 |
| Hawaii | 1,590 | $41,000 | $31,690 | $45,270 | $33,525 | $30,491 |
| California | 48,560 | $39,780 | $35,900 | $56,150 | $33,052 | $29,852 |
| Oregon | 4,640 | $39,610 | $32,330 | $56,730 | $31,365 | $30,345 |
| Colorado | 6,100 | $38,820 | $31,080 | $53,580 | $32,201 | $31,248 |
| Massachusetts | 11,280 | $38,540 | $32,910 | $50,090 | $31,263 | $29,561 |
| New York | 24,790 | $38,040 | $33,260 | $54,610 | $31,092 | $28,810 |
| Alaska | 630 | $37,510 | $36,720 | $66,140 | $32,132 | $31,391 |
| Minnesota | 7,940 | $37,510 | $29,460 | $52,190 | $30,966 | $31,399 |
| Maine | 1,260 | $37,450 | $30,790 | $53,620 | $31,130 | $32,076 |
| Vermont | 840 | $37,450 | $32,130 | $51,310 | $31,450 | $32,106 |
| North Dakota | 730 | $37,310 | $22,250 | $54,000 | $32,159 | $36,150 |
| Maryland | 4,350 | $37,200 | $32,390 | $56,160 | $30,669 | $29,220 |
| New Hampshire | 2,030 | $37,040 | $27,040 | $51,240 | $31,942 | $30,664 |
| New Jersey | 7,550 | $36,880 | $32,220 | $49,240 | $30,928 | $28,425 |
| Connecticut | 5,000 | $36,610 | $34,010 | $51,340 | $30,376 | $29,317 |
| Rhode Island | 770 | $36,340 | $31,290 | $52,920 | $30,234 | $29,560 |
| Virginia | 9,260 | $36,120 | $27,390 | $53,800 | $29,940 | $29,613 |
| Arizona | 12,650 | $35,800 | $31,130 | $51,310 | $30,444 | $30,239 |
| Pennsylvania | 9,850 | $35,710 | $24,940 | $55,030 | $29,752 | $30,492 |
| Wisconsin | 6,840 | $35,530 | $26,440 | $50,980 | $29,865 | $31,739 |
| Florida | 18,010 | $35,490 | $29,130 | $49,130 | $30,696 | $29,683 |
| Illinois | 17,650 | $35,480 | $31,200 | $47,480 | $29,077 | $29,089 |
| Michigan | 10,850 | $35,090 | $29,020 | $47,740 | $29,134 | $30,280 |
| Montana | 800 | $35,090 | $29,070 | $50,020 | $29,482 | $31,150 |
| Nebraska | 1,510 | $34,590 | $28,520 | $46,500 | $29,279 | $32,495 |
| Missouri | 5,380 | $34,320 | $28,600 | $46,830 | $29,080 | $32,021 |
| Delaware | 1,230 | $33,790 | $31,200 | $44,930 | $27,997 | $28,050 |
| Iowa | 2,870 | $33,700 | $24,420 | $46,740 | $28,629 | $32,621 |
| Tennessee | 3,420 | $33,580 | $23,960 | $46,550 | $29,162 | $31,742 |
| Virgin Islands | 30 | $33,400 | $28,130 | $41,620 | — | — |
| Utah | 5,760 | $32,890 | $22,520 | $47,450 | $27,919 | $28,240 |
| North Carolina | 9,520 | $32,720 | $22,060 | $50,810 | $27,674 | $29,338 |
| Texas | 18,660 | $32,720 | $22,910 | $47,870 | $28,471 | $29,334 |
| Georgia | 8,160 | $32,540 | $22,340 | $48,870 | $27,451 | $28,507 |
| Ohio | 12,340 | $32,420 | $24,580 | $47,220 | $27,788 | $29,953 |
| Kentucky | 3,290 | $32,400 | $22,770 | $46,120 | $27,197 | $30,166 |
| New Mexico | 870 | $31,900 | $26,510 | $52,960 | $27,400 | $29,714 |
| Kansas | 2,990 | $31,760 | $22,160 | $45,250 | $26,711 | $29,657 |
| Oklahoma | 2,380 | $31,580 | $21,330 | $47,390 | $26,679 | $30,371 |
| South Carolina | 5,270 | $31,420 | $21,050 | $48,230 | $27,099 | $28,906 |
| Wyoming | 790 | $30,720 | $25,720 | $49,300 | $26,864 | $28,982 |
| Indiana | 8,050 | $30,190 | $22,470 | $45,710 | $25,577 | $27,405 |
| Nevada | 2,570 | $30,150 | $26,930 | $50,220 | $26,406 | $26,411 |
| Idaho | 2,080 | $30,100 | $21,150 | $50,370 | $25,878 | $27,099 |
| West Virginia | 1,410 | $29,710 | $22,340 | $53,400 | $25,334 | $28,307 |
| Louisiana | 2,830 | $28,580 | $19,300 | $45,320 | $24,673 | $27,972 |
| Alabama | 4,700 | $28,360 | $19,150 | $45,110 | $23,867 | $26,870 |
| Mississippi | 2,220 | $28,060 | $19,350 | $40,710 | $24,327 | $27,977 |
| Arkansas | 1,740 | $27,770 | $23,700 | $42,530 | $23,935 | $27,532 |
| Puerto Rico | 850 | $22,210 | $21,840 | $31,890 | — | — |
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025 (released 2026-05-15), SOC 39-9032. *Our estimate for a single filer paid biweekly with no pre-tax deductions or local tax, 2026 federal and state rules. †Take-home ÷ BEA Regional Price Parity × 100 (2024 price levels).
Sources
- OEWS May 2025 (oesm25nat.zip) — U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Accessed 2026-10-09.
- OEWS May 2025 (oesm25st.zip) — U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Accessed 2026-10-09.