Umpires, referees, and other sports officials

Detailed Occupation

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    2024 Workforce
    21.9k
    Average Age
    29.3
    Estimated Job Growth
    5.7%
    10-year projection
    Average Salary
    $14,862
    Average Male Salary
    $16,416
    Average Female Salary
    $9,057

    About

    Umpires, referees, and other sports officials are most often employed by the Amusement & Recreation industry. The average yearly wage for Umpires, referees, and other sports officials was $14,862 in 2024.

    The locations that employ the most Umpires, referees, and other sports officials are Centre County PUMA, PA, Johnson, Lafayette, Ray, Clinton & Caldwell Counties PUMA, MO, and Oswego County PUMA, NY. The locations with a relatively high concentration of Umpires, referees, and other sports officials are Centre County PUMA, PA, Milwaukee County--City of Milwaukee Central PUMA, WI, and St. Johns County (Northwest) PUMA, FL.

    Management, business, science, & arts occupationsEducation, legal, community service, arts, & media occupationsArts, design, entertainment, sports, & media occupations

    Employment

    Employment and salary information for the Umpires, referees, and other sports officials workforce. Umpires, referees, and other sports officials workforce in 2024 was 21,930 people, of which 21.1% were women and 78.9% were men.

    Umpires, referees, and other sports officials are paid most in Fairfax County (North Central)--Vienna Town, Oakton & Fair Oaks (East) PUMA, VA but are relatively concentrated in Centre County PUMA, PA.

    Employment Over Time

    Metric
    Grouping
    17,298
    Male Workforce
    ± 3.23k
    4,632
    Female Workforce
    ± 1.67k

    The Umpires, referees, and other sports officials workforce in 2024 was 21,930 people (21.1% women and 78.9% men). This implies an average annual growth of −40% between 2018 (36,575) and 2024 (21,930).

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    Employment by Location

    Level
    Metric

    This map shows the states in the United States shaded by average wage for Umpires, referees, and other sports officials.

    During 2024, the states that concentrated the best average annual wage were Connecticut ($74,145), Alabama ($55,942), and Oregon ($32,811).

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    Yearly Wage Ranking

    $14,862
    AVERAGE WAGE
    #402 in the ranking (2018)
    $69,878
    NATIONAL AVERAGE WAGE
    For all occupations across the US

    In 2024, Umpires, referees, and other sports officials earned an average of $14,862, $55,016 less than the average national salary of $69,878

    The graph shows the ranking of Umpires, referees, and other sports officials in relation to all Detailed Occupation in 2018.

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    Wage Distribution

    Gender
    0.732
    WAGE GINI

    In 2024, Umpires, referees, and other sports officials had a wage GINI coefficient of 0.732, which is higher than the national average of 0.474. In other words, wages are distributed less evenly for Umpires, referees, and other sports officials (shown in red) than for the overall labor force (shown in gray).

    The graphic shows the distribution of average salaries by buckets for Umpires, referees, and other sports officials compared to the entire workforce in the country.

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    Industry

    Information on the industries that employ Umpires, referees, and other sports officials and on wages for those in the field. Amusement & Recreation is the industry that employs the most Umpires, referees, and other sports officials, both by share and by number, though the highest paid industry for Umpires, referees, and other sports officials, by average wage, is Spectator sports ($28,330).

    Occupations by Industries

    Metric
    Value
    21.9k
    2024 Workforce
    ± 3,635
    2.85%
    1 YEAR GROWTH
    ± 23%

    This graphic shows the share of Umpires, referees, and other sports officials employed by various industries. Amusement & Recreation employs the largest share of Umpires, referees, and other sports officials at 45.1%, followed by Spectator sports with 31.8% and Colleges, universities & professional schools, including junior colleges with 15.6%.

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    Diversity

    Demographic information on Umpires, referees, and other sports officials in the US. The workforce of Umpires, referees, and other sports officials in 2024 was 21,930 people, with 21.1% woman, and 78.9% men. The average age of male Umpires, referees, and other sports officials in the workforce is 30.6 and of female Umpires, referees, and other sports officials is 24.2, and the most common race/ethnicity for Umpires, referees, and other sports officials is White.

    Gender and Age

    Metric

    The workforce of Umpires, referees, and other sports officials in 2024 was 21,930 people, with 21.1% woman, and 78.9% men.

    The age ranges that concentrated the largest workforce were 16 to 19 years (10,859 people), 20 to 24 years (4,278  people), and 65 to 69 years (1,205 people). Among them they concentrated 79.2% of the total workforce.

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    Ethnicity

    Gender

    In 2024, 11.4% of Umpires, referees, and other sports officials workers were Hispanic and 88.6% non-Hispanic.

    The treemap shows the distribution of Hispanic workers according to their origin, highlighting Mexican (66.3%), Argentinean (9.7)%, and All Other Spanish/Hispanic/Latino (9.23)%

    You can review this information by gender using the selectors above.

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    Races

    In 2024, 75.5% of the Umpires, referees, and other sports officials workforce were White, of which 23.3% were women and 76.7% men. Other races that concentrated a significant number of workers were Black (10.5%) and Two or More Races (8.8%).

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    Education & Skills

    Data on higher education choices for Umpires, referees, and other sports officials from The Department of Education and Census Bureau. The most common major for Umpires, referees, and other sports officials is Business but the most specialized major according to RCA in 2024 were Parks, Recreation, & Leisure.

    Majors

    ACS PUMS data only shows the major for bachelor's degrees. However, we can filter the data based on highest degree obtained.
    Type of Majors
    Degree

    The most common majors achieved by Umpires, referees, and other sports officials in 2024 (counting all academic degrees) were Business (1,053 people), Education (647 people), and Engineering (359 people).

    You can review this information for different academic grades by modifying the option selected in the selector above.

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    Education Levels

    Metric

    The main educational levels achieved by the Umpires, referees, and other sports officials workers were Secondary Education (7,064 people), Some college (6,583 people), and High School or Equivalent (3,125 people).

    The graphic shows the Umpires, referees, and other sports officials workforce by gender and educational level.

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    Projections

    Projections on job growth for Umpires, Referees, and Other Sports Officials from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The 10-year national workforce is projected to grow 3.07%, but Umpires, Referees, and Other Sports Officials are expected to see a growth of 5.7% over the same period. This occupation is expected to grow more than the national average.

    Job Growth

    5.7%
    Estimated Job Growth
    10-year Projection
    3.07%
    National Growth
    10-year Projection

    This line chart shows the projected 10-year growth in the number of jobs for Umpires, referees, and other sports officials. This profession is expected to grow more than than 3.07%, the average rate of national job growth.

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