Median pay for recreation attendants runs from $17,960 in Gadsden to $49,020 in Kahului-Wailuku — a 2.73× range across 499 metropolitan areas. The national median of $32,150 sits inside that range but describes no particular market.
Ten per cent of recreation attendants earn below $22,350 and ten per cent above $42,490 — a 1.9× band. The upside from median to 90th percentile is 32%, which is a normal amount of room for experience and specialisation to matter. An offer below the 25th percentile is worth questioning; one above the 75th is worth taking seriously.
5 of the ten best-paying metros for recreation attendants are in . When one state dominates the top of the table like this, cost of living is doing part of the work but rarely all of it — state licensing rules, public-sector pay scales and the presence of a few large employers usually explain the rest. If you are comparing an offer in against one elsewhere, adjust for housing before concluding anything.
| Metropolitan area | Median | Hourly | LQ | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kahului-Wailuku HI | $49,020 | $23.57 | 3.78 | 710 |
| Alaska nonmetropolitan area | $46,350 | $22.29 | 0.43 | 120 |
| Anchorage AK | $45,780 | $22.01 | 0.39 | 170 |
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara CA | $42,850 | $20.60 | 0.98 | 2,860 |
| Northwest Colorado nonmetropolitan area | $41,560 | $19.98 | 3.84 | 1,300 |
| Fairbanks-College AK | $41,390 | $19.90 | 0.45 | 40 |
| Western Wyoming nonmetropolitan area | $40,390 | $19.42 | 1.33 | 340 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont CA | $40,140 | $19.30 | 0.96 | 5,800 |
| Hawaii / Kauai nonmetropolitan area | $39,920 | $19.19 | 3.62 | 970 |
| Wasatch Front Fringe Utah nonmetropolitan area | $39,730 | $19.10 | 3.95 | 680 |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue WA | $39,330 | $18.91 | 0.72 | 3,860 |
| Vallejo CA | $38,580 | $18.55 | 1.75 | 650 |
| Eastern Sierra-Mother Lode Region of California nonmetropolitan area | $38,040 | $18.29 | 2.39 | 390 |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria DC-VA-MD-WV | $38,000 | $18.27 | 1.2 | 9,590 |
| Napa CA | $37,820 | $18.19 | 1.47 | 290 |
| Santa Rosa-Petaluma CA | $37,760 | $18.15 | 1.44 | 760 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim CA | $37,630 | $18.09 | 1.4 | 22,410 |
| Santa Cruz-Watsonville CA | $37,150 | $17.86 | 2.61 | 660 |
| Southwest Maine nonmetropolitan area | $37,150 | $17.86 | 0.69 | 250 |
| Boulder CO | $37,140 | $17.86 | 1.49 | 730 |
| North Coast Region of California nonmetropolitan area | $37,080 | $17.83 | 1.13 | 320 |
| Eastern Washington nonmetropolitan area | $36,790 | $17.69 | 1 | 280 |
| Western Washington nonmetropolitan area | $36,640 | $17.62 | 0.97 | 320 |
| Urban Honolulu HI | $36,630 | $17.61 | 1.98 | 2,260 |
| San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad CA | $36,510 | $17.56 | 1.49 | 5,860 |
| Metropolitan area | Median | Hourly | LQ | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gadsden AL | $17,960 | $8.64 | 1.18 | 100 |
| South Georgia nonmetropolitan area | $18,990 | $9.13 | 0.35 | 170 |
| Northeastern South Carolina nonmetropolitan area | $19,120 | $9.19 | 1.6 | 310 |
| Valdosta GA | $19,750 | $9.49 | 1.21 | 170 |
| Florence-Muscle Shoals AL | $19,880 | $9.56 | 1.29 | 180 |
| Northeast Louisiana nonmetropolitan area | $19,920 | $9.58 | 0.2 | 30 |
| Northwest Oklahoma nonmetropolitan area | $20,050 | $9.64 | 0.21 | 50 |
| Monroe LA | $20,210 | $9.71 | 0.81 | 180 |
| Enid OK | $20,230 | $9.73 | 0.51 | 30 |
| Lafayette LA | $20,520 | $9.87 | 0.62 | 290 |
| Metropolitan area | Median | Hourly | LQ | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pinehurst-Southern Pines NC | $23,190 | $11.15 | 5.81 | 640 |
| Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford FL | $30,940 | $14.88 | 5.55 | 20,030 |
| Sandusky OH | $29,620 | $14.24 | 5.52 | 710 |
| Hilton Head Island-Bluffton-Port Royal SC | $28,300 | $13.61 | 5.42 | 1,140 |
| Southwest Missouri nonmetropolitan area | $29,960 | $14.40 | 5.26 | 1,070 |
| Wasatch Front Fringe Utah nonmetropolitan area | $39,730 | $19.10 | 3.95 | 680 |
| Northwest Colorado nonmetropolitan area | $41,560 | $19.98 | 3.84 | 1,300 |
| Myrtle Beach-Conway-North Myrtle Beach SC | $24,460 | $11.76 | 3.81 | 1,430 |
| Kahului-Wailuku HI | $49,020 | $23.57 | 3.78 | 710 |
| Hawaii / Kauai nonmetropolitan area | $39,920 | $19.19 | 3.62 | 970 |
| Naples-Marco Island FL | $30,070 | $14.46 | 3.03 | 1,350 |
| Daphne-Fairhope-Foley AL | $27,170 | $13.06 | 3.02 | 670 |
| Metropolitan area | Median | Hourly | LQ | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim CA | $37,630 | $18.09 | 1.4 | 22,410 |
| Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford FL | $30,940 | $14.88 | 5.55 | 20,030 |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City NY-NJ | $35,910 | $17.26 | 0.76 | 18,420 |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria DC-VA-MD-WV | $38,000 | $18.27 | 1.2 | 9,590 |
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin IL-IN | $34,170 | $16.43 | 0.81 | 9,340 |
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington TX | $28,080 | $13.50 | 0.82 | 8,490 |
| Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington PA-NJ-DE-MD | $32,220 | $15.49 | 1.12 | 8,290 |
| Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach FL | $31,410 | $15.10 | 1.03 | 7,420 |
| Las Vegas-Henderson-North Las Vegas NV | $29,940 | $14.39 | 2.18 | 6,350 |
| Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands TX | $26,400 | $12.69 | 0.72 | 6,040 |
| San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad CA | $36,510 | $17.56 | 1.49 | 5,860 |
| Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell GA | $26,960 | $12.96 | 0.79 | 5,860 |
Figures come from the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics programme, May 2025 release, SOC code 39-3091. OEWS surveys employers, so it reports what is actually paid rather than what job advertisements claim, and it excludes the self-employed. Estimates cover 499 of 528 metropolitan areas — near-complete coverage, which means the ranges above are reliable rather than drawn from a handful of markets. Read the methodology.