Umpires, referees, and other sports officials

Detailed Occupation

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2020 Workforce

30.8k

Average Age

Estimated Job Growth

7.89%

10-year projection

Average Salary

$26,127

Average Male Salary

$29,097

Average Female Salary

$14,245

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 $26,127 in 2016. The top 3 most similar occupations to Umpires, referees, and other sports officials by wage are Telemarketers, Tellers, and Transportation attendants, except flight attendants.

Umpires, referees, and other sports officials are part of the Arts, design, entertainment, sports, & media occupations, along with Artists & related workers, Commercial and industrial designers, Fashion designers, Floral designers, Graphic designers, and 25 more.

The top 3 locations that employ the most Umpires, referees, and other sports officials are Scottsdale (North), Phoenix (Far Northeast) Cities & Cave Creek PUMA, AZ, Providence City PUMA, RI, and New River Valley Planning District Commission PUMA, VA. The top 3 locations with a relatively high concentration of Umpires, referees, and other sports officials are Scottsdale (North), Phoenix (Far Northeast) Cities & Cave Creek PUMA, AZ, Campbell County & Lynchburg City PUMA, VA, and Highlands Ranch & Chatfield Park PUMA, CO.

Employment

Information on the businesses and industries that employ Umpires, referees, and other sports officials and on wages and locations 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 Independent artists, writers, and performers. Umpires, referees, and other sports officials are paid most in Denver City (Southeast) PUMA, CO but are relatively concentrated in Scottsdale (North), Phoenix (Far Northeast) Cities & Cave Creek PUMA, AZ.

Yearly Wage

$26,127

AVERAGE SALARY

± $8,496

In 2020, Umpires, referees, and other sports officials earned an average of $26,127, $29,826 less than than the average national salary of $55,954.

Tellers make somewhat more than Umpires, referees, and other sports officials while Telemarketers make somewhat less. This chart shows the various occupations closest to Umpires, referees, and other sports officials as measured by average annual salary in the US.

Wage Distribution

0.707

WAGE GINI

In 2019, Umpires, referees, and other sports officials had a wage GINI coefficient of 0.707, which is higher than than the national average of 0.478. 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).

Wage by Location

HIGHEST PAYING PUMAS

This map shows the Public Use Microdata Areas (PUMAs) in the United States shaded by average annual wage for Umpires, referees, and other sports officials.

Spatial Concentration

PUMAs with a Relatively High Concentration of Umpires, referees, and other sports officials

This map displays which Public Use Microdata Areas (PUMAs) in the United States have a relatively high population of Umpires, referees, and other sports officials.

Most Common

The most common industries employing Umpires, referees, and other sports officials, by number of employees, are Amusement & Recreation, Colleges, universities & professional schools, including junior colleges, Spectator sports, Other schools & instruction and educational support services, Elementary & secondary schools, Museums, art galleries, historical sites, & similar institutions, Independent artists, writers, and performers, Performing arts companies, Promoters of performing arts, sports, and similar events, agents and managers for artists, athletes, entertainers, and other public figures, Business, professional, political, & similar organizations, and Individual & family services.

Highest Paying

The highest paying industries for Umpires, referees, and other sports officials, by average wage, are Independent artists, writers, and performers, Performing arts companies, and Promoters of performing arts, sports, and similar events, agents and managers for artists, athletes, entertainers, and other public figures.

Industries by Share

30.8k

2020 Workforce

± 4,305

−9.62%

1 YEAR GROWTH

± 21.4%

The number of people employed as Umpires, referees, and other sports officials has been declining at a rate of −9.62%, from 34,029 people in 2019 to 30,756 people in 2020.

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 40%, followed by Colleges, universities & professional schools, including junior colleges with 14.6% and Spectator sports with 14.1%.

Diversity

Demographic information on Umpires, referees, and other sports officials in the US. The average age of male Umpires, referees, and other sports officials in the workforce is 30.9 and of female Umpires, referees, and other sports officials is 26.6, and the most common race/ethnicity for Umpires, referees, and other sports officials is White (Non-Hispanic).

Composition by Sex

24.6k

MALE WORKFORCE

± 3,851

6.15k

FEMALE WORKFORCE

± 1,925

80% of Umpires, referees, and other sports officials are Male, making them the more common sex in the occupation. This chart shows the sex breakdown of Umpires, referees, and other sports officials.

Race & Ethnicity

Most Common Race or Ethnicity of Umpires, referees, and other sports officials

White (Non-Hispanic)
Black (Non-Hispanic)
White (Hispanic)

73.8% of Umpires, referees, and other sports officials are White (Non-Hispanic), making that the most common race or ethnicity in the occupation. Representing 8.12% of Umpires, referees, and other sports officials, Black (Non-Hispanic) is the second most common race or ethnicity in this occupation. This chart shows the racial and ethnic breakdown of Umpires, referees, and other sports officials.

Age by Sex

30.9

AVERAGE MALE AGE

± 2.57

26.6

AVERAGE FEMALE AGE

± 4.54

The median age of Umpires, referees, and other sports officials is 30, and Male employees are generally 4.24 years older than than their Female counterparts.

Education

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 a relatively high number of Umpires, referees, and other sports officials hold a major in 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.

MOST COMMON MAJORS

MOST SPECIALIZED MAJORS

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 3.71%, but Umpires, Referees, and Other Sports Officials are expected to see a growth of 7.89% over the same period. This occupation is expected to grow more than the national average.

Job Growth

7.89%

Estimated Job Growth

10-year Projection

3.71%

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 3.71%, the average rate of national job growth.