# Recreation Workers

US SOC code 39-9032. Markdown version of https://futurehistory.earth/timeline/39-9032

Also called: Recreation coordinator, Recreation specialist, Parks and recreation worker, Community recreation worker, Camp counselor.

## In brief

In May 2025, [BLS](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm25nat.zip) counted **331,490** US recreation workers, with median pay of **$36,560** a year. Of the BLS counts since 2021, the May 2025 count is the highest. The earliest figure here is [an estimate](https://socialwelfare.library.vcu.edu/youth/recreation-movement-in-the-united-states/) of **12,000** from 1923, not measured the same way as today's count. The last full technology era for recreation workers: Mobile communication and social media marketing for program promotion, 2015 to 2023.

## What the sources say

### Official outlook

BLS projects employment to grow 4.3% from 2025 to 2035. Source: [BLS Employment Projections 2025-35](https://data.bls.gov/projections/nationalMatrix?queryParams=39-9032&ioType=o).

### AI exposure studies

- **25%** of this job's tasks are exposed to large language models. Not a forecast of job losses. [Eloundou and others, 2023](https://github.com/openai/GPTs-are-GPTs/blob/main/data/occ_level.csv)
- **0.0061** estimated probability that the whole occupation could be computerised, over an unspecified number of years. Not a forecast of job losses. [Frey and Osborne, 2013](https://oms-www.files.svdcdn.com/production/downloads/academic/The_Future_of_Employment.pdf)

### Since the 2013 prediction

In 2013, Frey and Osborne put this job's probability of computerisation at 0.0061. BLS counted **317,310** of these jobs in May 2013 and **331,490** in May 2025. The count moved sharply in one step, May 2020 to May 2021, when BLS changed how it estimates these counts, so no change is derived here.

Data as of BLS OEWS May 2025; BLS Employment Projections 2025-35. BLS publishes these counts as yearly survey snapshots and cautions against reading them as a precise trend. In May 2021 BLS changed how it estimates these counts (a model-based method using three years of survey data) and moved fully to the 2018 occupation codes, so part of a change across 2021 can come from the method rather than the work.

## Recreation Workers employment and pay by year

- On record since: 1885
- Latest US employment: 331,490 (May 2025). Source: BLS OEWS May 2025 [5]
- Latest US median pay: $36,560 (May 2025). Source: BLS OEWS May 2025 [6]
- Outlook: +4.3% by 2035. Source: BLS Employment Projections 2025-35 [17]

### All 27 years of cited US data

| Year | US employment | Annual pay (median unless marked) | Source |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1923 | 12,000 (estimate) | n/a | Est., Social Welfare History Project [1] |
| 1940 | 75,000 (estimate) | n/a | Est., NYC Parks Department history [2] |
| 1959 | 68 (estimate) | n/a | Est., NCTRC [3] |
| 2000 | 245,720 | n/a | BLS OEWS 2000 [4] |
| 2003 | 265,640 | $18,600 | BLS OEWS May 2003 [5] |
| 2004 | 266,520 | $19,320 | BLS OEWS May 2004 [5] |
| 2005 | 264,840 | $20,110 | BLS OEWS May 2005 [5] |
| 2006 | 273,280 | $20,470 | BLS OEWS May 2006 [5] |
| 2007 | 278,070 | $21,220 | BLS OEWS May 2007 [5] |
| 2008 | 282,680 | $21,960 | BLS OEWS May 2008 [5] |
| 2009 | 286,230 | $22,280 | BLS OEWS May 2009 [5] |
| 2010 | 293,430 | $22,260 | BLS OEWS May 2010 [5] |
| 2011 | 301,840 | $22,130 | BLS OEWS May 2011 [5] |
| 2012 | 309,730 | $22,240 | BLS OEWS May 2012 [5] |
| 2013 | 317,310 | $22,390 | BLS OEWS May 2013 [5] |
| 2014 | 321,110 | $22,620 | BLS OEWS May 2014 [5] |
| 2015 | 336,150 | $23,320 | BLS OEWS May 2015 [5] |
| 2016 | 336,880 | $23,870 | BLS OEWS May 2016 [5] |
| 2017 | 352,350 | $24,540 | BLS OEWS May 2017 [5] |
| 2018 | 353,570 | $25,060 | BLS OEWS May 2018 [5] |
| 2019 | 358,750 | $26,350 | BLS OEWS May 2019 [5] |
| 2020 | 325,640 | $28,440 | BLS OEWS May 2020 [5] |
| 2021 | 264,020 | $29,680 | BLS OEWS May 2021 [5] |
| 2022 | 270,380 | $31,680 | BLS OEWS May 2022 [5] |
| 2023 | 281,750 | $34,410 | BLS OEWS May 2023 [5] |
| 2024 | 309,640 | $35,380 | BLS OEWS May 2024 [5] |
| 2025 | 331,490 | $36,560 | BLS OEWS May 2025 [5] |

## Sources (80)

### Employment series

1. [Social Welfare History Project — Recreation Movement in the United States (1923 employment figure: over 12,000 trained recreation workers)](https://socialwelfare.library.vcu.edu/youth/recreation-movement-in-the-united-states/), Virginia Commonwealth University Social Welfare History Project
2. [NYC Parks Department history — Robert Moses era: 70,000 WPA relief workers in 1934; Recreation Specialists staffed new facilities; 119 playgrounds expanded to 770](https://www.nycgovparks.org/about/history/timeline/robert-moses-modern-parks), NYC Parks Department
3. [NCTRC — "NCTRC Then and Now": 68 hospital recreation personnel credentialed through CAHR by 1959](https://nctrc.org/statements/nctrc-then-and-now/), National Council for Therapeutic Recreation Certification
4. [BLS OES 2000 national estimates (flat file)](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oes00nat.zip), Bureau of Labor Statistics
5. BLS OEWS, national cross-industry estimates (flat file), Bureau of Labor Statistics. Editions: [2003](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm03nat.zip), [2004](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm04nat.zip), [2005](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm05nat.zip), [2006](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm06nat.zip), [2007](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm07nat.zip), [2008](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm08nat.zip), [2009](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm09nat.zip), [2010](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm10nat.zip), [2011](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm11nat.zip), [2012](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm12nat.zip), [2013](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm13nat.zip), [2014](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm14nat.zip), [2015](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm15nat.zip), [2016](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm16nat.zip), [2017](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm17nat.zip), [2018](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm18nat.zip), [2019](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm19nat.zip), [2020](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm20nat.zip), [2021](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm21nat.zip), [2022](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm22nat.zip), [2023](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm23nat.zip), [2024](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm24nat.zip), [2025](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm25nat.zip)

### Wage series

6. BLS OEWS, national cross-industry estimates (flat file), Bureau of Labor Statistics. Editions: [2003](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm03nat.zip), [2004](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm04nat.zip), [2005](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm05nat.zip), [2006](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm06nat.zip), [2007](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm07nat.zip), [2008](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm08nat.zip), [2009](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm09nat.zip), [2010](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm10nat.zip), [2011](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm11nat.zip), [2012](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm12nat.zip), [2013](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm13nat.zip), [2014](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm14nat.zip), [2015](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm15nat.zip), [2016](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm16nat.zip), [2017](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm17nat.zip), [2018](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm18nat.zip), [2019](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm19nat.zip), [2020](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm20nat.zip), [2021](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm21nat.zip), [2022](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm22nat.zip), [2023](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm23nat.zip), [2024](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm24nat.zip), [2025](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm25nat.zip)

### Tool eras

7. [Social Welfare History Project — Recreation Movement in the United States (Playground Association of America, 1906-1930)](https://socialwelfare.library.vcu.edu/youth/recreation-movement-in-the-united-states/), Virginia Commonwealth University Social Welfare History Project
8. [Infed.org — "The playground of today is the republic of tomorrow": social reform and organized recreation in the USA, 1890-1930s](https://web.archive.org/web/20260615112826/https://infed.org/dir/welcome/social-reform-and-organized-recreation-in-the-usa/), infed.org (Mark K. Smith)
9. [NYC Parks — Robert Moses and the Modern Park System (1929-1965): 70,000 WPA workers, 119 to 770 playgrounds, Recreation Specialists staffed new facilities](https://www.nycgovparks.org/about/history/timeline/robert-moses-modern-parks), NYC Parks Department
10. [Works Progress Administration (WPA) — HISTORY: created May 6, 1935; peak employment 3 million; 8.5 million total 1935-1943](https://www.history.com/articles/works-progress-administration), HISTORY
11. [NCTRC — "NCTRC Then and Now": 68 credentialed 1959; 260 in 1967 growing to 3,000 by 1981; NCTRC founded 1981; now 19,000 active certificants](https://nctrc.org/statements/nctrc-then-and-now/), National Council for Therapeutic Recreation Certification
12. [National Recreation and Park Association — About NRPA: formed 1965 through merger of five national organizations](https://www.nrpa.org/about-national-recreation-and-park-association/), National Recreation and Park Association
13. [Amilia AI overview — SmartRec platform: 80% of sign-ups now completed online independently; 52% occur after business hours (context: legacy of web-based enrollment)](https://www.amilia.com/products/smartrec/amilia-ai), Amilia
14. [NRPA Parks and Recreation Magazine — Parks and Recreation Feels Impact of Labor Shortage (January 2022): agencies unable to keep up with rising labor costs; marketing and digital skills increasingly required](https://www.nrpa.org/parks-recreation-magazine/2022/january/parks-and-recreation-feels-impact-of-labor-shortage/), National Recreation and Park Association
15. [NRPA — Rec and Tech: The Use Case for Artificial Intelligence in Parks and Recreation (2025)](https://www.nrpa.org/blog/rec-and-tech-the-use-case-for-artificial-intelligence-in-parks-and-recreation/), National Recreation and Park Association
16. [Rec.us — 5 Ways to Use AI in Parks and Rec (2025): AI generates program descriptions, synthesizes feedback, drafts promotional content](https://partner.rec.us/blog/5-ways-to-use-ai-in-parks-and-rec), Rec.us

### Forecasts and exposure studies

17. [BLS Employment Projections 2025-35, National Employment Matrix: 39-9032 Recreation workers (2025: 346.9 thousand; 2035: 361.9 thousand; +4.3%)](https://data.bls.gov/projections/nationalMatrix?queryParams=39-9032&ioType=o), Bureau of Labor Statistics
18. [Eloundou, Manning, Mishkin & Rock (2023), "GPTs are GPTs", occupation-level exposure data occ\_level.csv (O\*NET-SOC 39-9032.00, human-rated β 0.25)](https://github.com/openai/GPTs-are-GPTs/blob/main/data/occ_level.csv), OpenAI
19. [Frey & Osborne (2013), "The Future of Employment: How Susceptible Are Jobs to Computerisation?", Appendix (SOC 39-9032 Recreation Workers: probability 0.0061, rank 29 of 702)](https://oms-www.files.svdcdn.com/production/downloads/academic/The_Future_of_Employment.pdf), Oxford Martin School, University of Oxford

### Historical notes

20. [Infed.org — "The playground of today is the republic of tomorrow": social reform and organized recreation in the USA, 1890-1930s (Boston 1886 sand gardens)](https://web.archive.org/web/20260615112826/https://infed.org/dir/welcome/social-reform-and-organized-recreation-in-the-usa/), infed.org
21. [Social Welfare History Project — Playground Association of America: Early Days (founding April 12, 1906)](https://socialwelfare.library.vcu.edu/organizations/playground-association-of-america-earlly-days/), Virginia Commonwealth University Social Welfare History Project
22. [HISTORY — FDR creates the Works Progress Administration (WPA), May 6, 1935: peak employment 3 million; 8.5 million total employed 1935-1943](https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/may-6/fdr-creates-the-wpa), HISTORY
23. [National Recreation and Park Association — About NRPA: formed 1965 from merger of five national organizations](https://www.nrpa.org/about-national-recreation-and-park-association/), National Recreation and Park Association
24. [NCTRC — "NCTRC Then and Now": founded 1981; 260 credentialed in 1967 to 3,000 by 1981; now 19,000 active certificants](https://nctrc.org/statements/nctrc-then-and-now/), National Council for Therapeutic Recreation Certification
25. [NRPA — Coronavirus: What Impact Will COVID-19 Have on Parks and Recreation? Part-time, seasonal, and contractual workers most impacted by closure-driven pay loss](https://www.nrpa.org/blog/coronavirus-what-impact-will-covid-19-have-on-parks-and-recreation/), National Recreation and Park Association
26. [NRPA Parks and Recreation Magazine — Parks and Recreation Feels Impact of Labor Shortage (January 2022): 160,000+ full-time staff, 10,000+ agencies; staffing shortfalls widespread](https://www.nrpa.org/parks-recreation-magazine/2022/january/parks-and-recreation-feels-impact-of-labor-shortage/), National Recreation and Park Association

### Predecessors & successors

27. [Social Welfare History Project — Recreation Movement in the United States: settlement houses (Hull House, University Settlement) as origin point for paid recreation workers](https://socialwelfare.library.vcu.edu/youth/recreation-movement-in-the-united-states/), Virginia Commonwealth University Social Welfare History Project

### Present-day analysis

- [O\*NET 30.3 — Recreation Workers (39-9032.00): tasks, skills, knowledge, wages, employment data](https://www.onetonline.org/link/summary/39-9032.00), accessed 2026-06-05
- [BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook — Recreation Workers: 327,700 employed May 2024; median annual $35,380; projected 4% growth 2024-2034; ~68,100 annual openings](https://www.bls.gov/ooh/personal-care-and-service/recreation-workers.htm), accessed 2026-06-05
- [Eloundou et al. 2024 — GPTs are GPTs (Science): LLM exposure framework; recreation workers have low text-synthesis exposure because core tasks are in-person facilitation, physical activity leadership, and community engagement](https://arxiv.org/abs/2303.10130), accessed 2026-06-05
- [WillRobotsTakeMyJob.com — Recreation Workers: estimated 10% automation probability, citing social intelligence, coordination, and physical facilitation as primary automation bottlenecks](https://willrobotstakemyjob.com/recreation-workers), accessed 2026-06-05
- [NRPA — Rec and Tech: The Use Case for Artificial Intelligence in Parks and Recreation (2025)](https://www.nrpa.org/blog/rec-and-tech-the-use-case-for-artificial-intelligence-in-parks-and-recreation/), accessed 2026-06-05
- [Pennsylvania Recreation and Park Society — Staying Ahead: Embracing AI to Thrive in Parks and Recreation (2025)](https://prps.org/posts/staying-ahead-embracing-ai-to-thrive-in-parks-and-recreation), accessed 2026-06-05
- [Rec.us — 5 Ways to Use AI in Parks and Rec (2025): AI generates program descriptions from bullet points; chatbots answer FAQs; Canva generates promotional visuals](https://partner.rec.us/blog/5-ways-to-use-ai-in-parks-and-rec), accessed 2026-06-05
- [Amilia AI — Cecilia assistant: 85% success rate answering staff questions; demand forecasting; early retention-risk detection; 80% of sign-ups completed online independently](https://www.amilia.com/products/smartrec/amilia-ai), accessed 2026-06-05
- [Traction Rec — AI-powered registration experience: AI agents provide 24/7 member support and extend staff reach for community recreation organizations](https://tractionrec.com/parks-recreation), accessed 2026-06-05

How to read these figures: https://futurehistory.earth/methodology. Every figure links to its own source; gaps stay gaps.