September 2017 - Parks & Recreation - 15

with a median base salary on January 1, 2017, of $83,575
* Recreation Director (or Recreation Superintendent or Assistant Director - Recreation), with a median base salary on January 1, 2017, of $72,000
* Park Operations Director (or Maintenance Director or Maintenance Superintendent), with a median base salary on January 1, 2017, of $70,000
But those " headline " numbers do not tell the full story about
what your peers make in our industry. In much the same way
that park and recreation agencies differ significantly in size,
programming and facility offerings, and scope of mission and
funding, they also differ in the responsibilities and, ultimately,
compensation of their professional teams.
As a result, the NRPA Park and Recreation Salary Survey report
provides a broader snapshot of compensation data, including a
presentation of not only the median and average salary for each
of the five occupations, but also the 10th, 25th, 75th and 90th
percentile salaries and bonuses. 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 target compensation levels for
their team members that are below the median.
There are many factors that can impact a park and recreation
professional's compensation. This report also looks at the relationship between the characteristics of the agency and employee and their salary. These include:
* Agency size, as measured by the number of full-time staff
employed: In general, base salaries and bonuses tend to be
larger at agencies with larger full-time staffs.
* Agency type: Cities/towns, counties, special park districts/
regional authorities and agencies located in urban locales.
While base salaries and bonuses can vary significantly, both
tend to be higher at special park districts and agencies located
in urban locales.
* Region: The four census regions of Northeast, South, Midwest and West, with significant differences by region.
* The highest level of education attained: In general, park and
recreation professionals with a bachelor's degree tend to have
larger base salaries than their peers without a four-year college
degree, with professionals who have earned a graduate degree
(e.g., master's, MBA, JD, Ph.D.) typically earning even more.
* Certification: Many park and recreation professionals have
professional certifications. Employees with a professional certification have greater success in moving up in their career, finding jobs or receiving promotions based on the job requirements
of the employer. In addition, with certain job titles, park and
recreation professionals who have earned one or more profes-

sional certifications (including, but not limited to, the Certified
Park and Recreation Professional (CRPP) and Certified Park
and Recreation Executive (CPRE)) tend to earn more than
their peers who do not hold these certifications.
* Years of professional experience: Experienced park and recreation professionals earn more than their peers who are relatively new to the field.
This column only scratches the surface of the wealth of compensation insights available from this report. There are summaries of key benefits offered to park and recreation professionals,
including those for retirement, health insurance and paid time
off. Furthermore, the report also has sample job descriptions
and organization charts that can help your agency structure its
team in a way that best serves its community. If you have not
already done so, I encourage you to review the data and insights
available with the NRPA Park and Recreation Salary Survey report.
Visit
www.nrpa.org/publications-research/research-papers/
salary-survey-results/ to download the summarized report or to
access the full report.
Kevin Roth, Ph.D., is NRPA's Vice President of Research (kroth@nrpa.org).

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Parks & Recreation

September 2017 - Parks & Recreation

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