For an enhanced digital experience, read this story in the ezine.
Parks and recreation is nothing without the dedicated, passionate and adaptable staff working tirelessly behind the scenes to create the vibrant, healthy communities in which we live. However, their contributions regularly go unrecognized and undervalued. Park and recreation agencies must offer compensation packages for their staff that include competitive salaries and robust benefits to attract and retain the best and brightest for their teams.
Comprehensive compensation data provides guidance on how to attract the best candidates. Such data also can provide insights into salary and benefits offered by potential employers. Soon, the NRPA Research team will release the findings from the 2023 NRPA Park and Recreation Salary Survey. Along with information on vacation and sick days, health insurance, minimum wage policies and more, the 2023 NRPA Park and Recreation Salary Survey report features detailed base salary and bonus data for 13 typical park and recreation agency positions (*New to this report in 2023):
- Park and Recreation Agency Director
- Planning Director
- Director of Finance
- Recreation Director
- Park Operations Director
- Park Operations
- Facilities Manager
- Athletics Supervisor
- Aquatics Supervisor
- Recreation Programs Coordinator
- Marketing and Communications Director*
- Fitness Center Manager*
- Administrative Assistant*
Raises in pay are increasingly necessary due to inflation. The methods that park and recreation agencies use to set pay raises vary as significantly as the job titles themselves. Between 2022 and 2023, the 13 tracked job titles saw average pay raises range from 4.1 percent to 5.7 percent.
The two most common salary changes result from cost-of-living adjustments (COLAs) and individual performance. In the case of COLAs, the salaries of every member of the park and recreation agency staff increase at a similar rate that matches the rate of inflation in the local area. Seventy-four percent of park and recreation agencies offer COLAs to their employees. Fifty-seven percent of agencies award merit-based pay raises; high-performing employees receive larger pay adjustments than other workers.
In the same way park and recreation agencies differ significantly in size, programming and facility offerings, the scope of their mission, and funding, they also differ in the responsibilities and ultimately the compensation of their professional teams. Taking those differences into account, this report provides a broad snapshot of compensation data, including a presentation of not only the median and average salaries for each of the 13 positions covered in the survey, but also salaries and bonuses at the 10th, 25th, 75th and 90th percentiles. Agencies with broader missions and offerings and those with greater funding resources may be more apt to pay their employees at the 75th or even 90th percentiles to recruit and retain professionals best suited for their agencies. Conversely, agencies with more modest offerings or funding resources may choose to offer compensation levels below the median.
Other factors can impact a park and recreation professional’s compensation, such as agency size, agency type, highest level of education attained, certifications and years of professional experience.
Park and recreation professionals strive to ensure all have access to safe parks and trails and recreational opportunities, while working to make small conservation efforts translate into larger action. The ability to make a difference draws many to this work, but competitive compensation packages are critical in attracting and retaining the best employees. Armed with information, park and recreation agencies can recruit and retain highly qualified professionals.
Thank you to the many park and recreation professionals and their agencies that completed the survey.
Melissa May is Senior Research Manager at NRPA.