Personal Care
Recreation Workers
SOC 39-9032
Plan and run recreation programs at camps, parks, and centers.
The job
Median pay
$37k
$32k to $43k typical range
Outlook, 2025 to 2035
Growing fast
+4.3% projected
Openings a year
67k
BLS projection
Typical education
High school
Our model
AI displacement risk
Moderate
How much of this job AI may do instead of the person
Works with AI
5/100
AI alongside the person rather than instead of them
AI exposure
16th pct
More exposed than 16% of occupations · modeled estimate · 66th pct in Microsoft's data
Future-proof
52/100
Key skills
- Active Listening
- Speaking
- Monitoring
- Critical Thinking
- Reading Comprehension
- Writing
Pay and jobs by state
BLS OEWS May 2025, 51 states. Sorted by jobs; per 1,000 is jobs per thousand workers in the state; vs national compares that rate with the country's.
| State | Jobs | Per 1,000 | vs national | Median pay |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| California | 48,560 | 2.7 | 1.3× | $40k |
| New York | 24,790 | 2.6 | 1.2× | $38k |
| Texas | 18,660 | 1.3 | 0.6× | $33k |
| Florida | 18,010 | 1.8 | 0.8× | $35k |
| Illinois | 17,650 | 2.9 | 1.4× | $35k |
| Arizona | 12,650 | 3.9 | 1.8× | $36k |
| Ohio | 12,340 | 2.2 | 1.0× | $32k |
| Massachusetts | 11,280 | 3.1 | 1.4× | $39k |
| Michigan | 10,850 | 2.5 | 1.2× | $35k |
| Pennsylvania | 9,850 | 1.6 | 0.8× | $36k |
All 51 states
| State | Jobs | Per 1,000 | vs national | Median pay |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| North Carolina | 9,520 | 1.9 | 0.9× | $33k |
| Virginia | 9,260 | 2.3 | 1.1× | $36k |
| Georgia | 8,160 | 1.7 | 0.8× | $33k |
| Indiana | 8,050 | 2.5 | 1.2× | $30k |
| Minnesota | 7,940 | 2.7 | 1.3× | $38k |
| New Jersey | 7,550 | 1.8 | 0.8× | $37k |
| Wisconsin | 6,840 | 2.3 | 1.1× | $36k |
| Washington | 6,380 | 1.8 | 0.8× | $45k |
| Colorado | 6,100 | 2.1 | 1.0× | $39k |
| Utah | 5,760 | 3.3 | 1.6× | $33k |
| Missouri | 5,380 | 1.8 | 0.9× | $34k |
| South Carolina | 5,270 | 2.3 | 1.1× | $31k |
| Connecticut | 5,000 | 2.9 | 1.4× | $37k |
| Alabama | 4,700 | 2.2 | 1.0× | $28k |
| Oregon | 4,640 | 2.4 | 1.1× | $40k |
| Maryland | 4,350 | 1.6 | 0.7× | $37k |
| Tennessee | 3,420 | 1.0 | 0.5× | $34k |
| Kentucky | 3,290 | 1.6 | 0.8× | $32k |
| Kansas | 2,990 | 2.1 | 1.0× | $32k |
| Iowa | 2,870 | 1.8 | 0.9× | $34k |
| Louisiana | 2,830 | 1.5 | 0.7× | $29k |
| Nevada | 2,570 | 1.7 | 0.8× | $30k |
| Oklahoma | 2,380 | 1.4 | 0.7× | $32k |
| Mississippi | 2,220 | 1.9 | 0.9× | $28k |
| Idaho | 2,080 | 2.4 | 1.1× | $30k |
| New Hampshire | 2,030 | 3.0 | 1.4× | $37k |
| Arkansas | 1,740 | 1.3 | 0.6× | $28k |
| Hawaii | 1,590 | 2.5 | 1.2× | $41k |
| Nebraska | 1,510 | 1.5 | 0.7× | $35k |
| West Virginia | 1,410 | 2.0 | 0.9× | $30k |
| Maine | 1,260 | 2.0 | 0.9× | $37k |
| Delaware | 1,230 | 2.5 | 1.2× | $34k |
| New Mexico | 870 | 1.0 | 0.5× | $32k |
| Vermont | 840 | 2.8 | 1.3× | $37k |
| Montana | 800 | 1.6 | 0.7× | $35k |
| Wyoming | 790 | 2.8 | 1.3× | $31k |
| Rhode Island | 770 | 1.5 | 0.7× | $36k |
| North Dakota | 730 | 1.7 | 0.8× | $37k |
| South Dakota | 650 | 1.4 | 0.7× | $42k |
| Alaska | 630 | 1.9 | 0.9× | $38k |
| Washington DC | 470 | 0.7 | 0.3× | $46k |
Top metro areas
- New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ21,900 jobs · $38k median
- Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA17,850 jobs · $39k median
- Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN13,670 jobs · $36k median
- Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ9,200 jobs · $36k median
- Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH8,720 jobs · $39k median
- San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA6,510 jobs · $46k median
- Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL5,610 jobs · $35k median
- Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX5,160 jobs · $33k median
Explore the rankings
Explore Recreation Workers interactively →Pay and outlook from BLS (OEWS 2025, Employment Projections 2025-2035). Skills and work activities from O*NET 30.3. AI exposure and future-proof scores are modeled estimates. How these numbers are made.