Athletes and Sports Competitors
Median $66,710
Occupation · SOC 27-2023
Umpires, Referees, and Other Sports Officials: pay and where the jobs are
What umpires, referees, and other sports officials earn in the U.S., how pay varies across workers and states, and tools to plan around it.
National pay, May 2025
$40,710 median annual wage
- Mean (average) annual wage
- $53,010
- Hourly wages
- BLS publishes annual wages only
- Employment
- 15,780
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025 (released 2026-05-15), SOC 27-2023.
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Use these numbers
How much do umpires, referees, and other sports officials make?
The median annual wage for umpires, referees, and other sports officials was $40,710 in May 2025, so half of workers earned more and half earned less. The lowest-paid 10% earned less than $26,540 and the highest-paid 10% more than $82,960. About 15,780 people work in this occupation nationwide. The highest state medians are in New Jersey ($67,600), North Dakota ($63,920) and South Carolina ($61,290). After taxes and local prices, though, a median paycheck goes furthest in North Dakota.
Pay ladder
What each step of the pay range for umpires, referees, and other sports officials looks like per month. Take-home here includes federal tax, Social Security and Medicare for a single filer; add your state in the paycheck calculator.
| Step | Annual | Hourly | Monthly gross | Monthly after federal tax & FICA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $26,540 | — | $2,212 | $1,955 |
| 25th percentile | $32,260 | — | $2,688 | $2,342 |
| Median | $40,710 | — | $3,393 | $2,908 |
| 75th percentile | $57,160 | — | $4,763 | $4,009 |
| 90th percentile | $82,960 | — | $6,913 | $5,599 |
Umpires, Referees, and Other Sports Officials: pay by state
34 states and territories have a published median, sorted from highest to lowest. The last two columns are our estimates: the median after 2026 federal and state taxes, and that take-home restated in national-average prices.
1
$60,185 take-home in national prices
2
$52,991 take-home in national prices
3
$49,377 take-home in national prices
Where a median umpires, referees, and other sports official paycheck goes furthest after 2026 taxes and BEA price levels.
| State | Employment | Median | 10th pct. | 90th pct. | Median after tax* | In national prices† |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New Jersey | 420 | $67,600 | $33,890 | $81,090 | $53,725 | $49,377 |
| North Dakota | 180 | $63,920 | $26,900 | $91,040 | $53,540 | $60,185 |
| South Carolina | 50 | $61,290 | $27,180 | $61,290 | $49,678 | $52,991 |
| Wisconsin | 300 | $57,000 | $30,820 | $91,200 | $46,058 | $48,948 |
| Ohio | 580 | $55,040 | $23,560 | $62,150 | $45,335 | $48,866 |
| Louisiana | 310 | $50,080 | $31,500 | $141,650 | $41,303 | $46,825 |
| Illinois | 690 | $49,070 | $31,200 | $86,860 | $39,324 | $39,340 |
| Massachusetts | 250 | $48,400 | $32,600 | $126,090 | $38,647 | $36,543 |
| West Virginia | 50 | $46,490 | $18,690 | $67,270 | $38,239 | $42,726 |
| Arizona | 210 | $46,440 | $31,730 | $69,460 | $38,727 | $38,467 |
| Indiana | 170 | $46,140 | $24,690 | $50,810 | $37,922 | $40,632 |
| Vermont | 80 | $46,080 | $35,650 | $61,580 | $38,095 | $38,890 |
| California | 1,950 | $44,530 | $35,110 | $80,750 | $36,617 | $33,072 |
| Colorado | 1,120 | $44,230 | $32,790 | $68,420 | $36,286 | $35,212 |
| Pennsylvania | 320 | $44,200 | $20,800 | $107,360 | $36,307 | $37,210 |
| Iowa | 190 | $43,040 | $27,860 | $104,000 | $35,779 | $40,768 |
| Texas | 650 | $42,920 | $23,670 | $55,990 | $36,666 | $37,778 |
| Washington | 400 | $41,350 | $34,650 | $62,430 | $34,831 | $32,549 |
| Virginia | 260 | $40,840 | $33,020 | $88,460 | $33,461 | $33,095 |
| Connecticut | 200 | $39,530 | $34,010 | $116,650 | $32,441 | $31,311 |
| Oregon | 170 | $38,730 | $30,280 | $54,920 | $30,731 | $29,732 |
| Florida | 280 | $37,070 | $27,970 | $61,380 | $31,966 | $30,910 |
| Montana | 60 | $36,370 | $30,190 | $57,600 | $30,451 | $32,173 |
| South Dakota | 80 | $35,260 | $29,840 | $63,060 | $30,511 | $34,443 |
| Michigan | 340 | $34,560 | $25,960 | $60,660 | $28,731 | $29,861 |
| Missouri | 1,240 | $33,140 | $28,600 | $50,320 | $28,188 | $31,038 |
| Idaho | 170 | $32,250 | $25,490 | $50,090 | $27,492 | $28,789 |
| Utah | 1,100 | $31,430 | $23,890 | $49,290 | $26,830 | $27,138 |
| Nebraska | 40 | $31,390 | $28,080 | $49,040 | $26,830 | $29,777 |
| Georgia | 280 | $28,360 | $19,780 | $70,550 | $24,298 | $25,233 |
| Mississippi | 60 | $27,060 | $27,060 | $36,250 | $23,544 | $27,076 |
| North Carolina | 400 | $26,540 | $17,680 | $67,010 | $22,915 | $24,294 |
| Kansas | Not published | $25,780 | $25,780 | $55,470 | $22,163 | $24,607 |
| Oklahoma | 220 | $21,900 | $21,740 | $43,310 | $19,205 | $21,862 |
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025 (released 2026-05-15), SOC 27-2023. *Our estimate for a single filer paid biweekly with no pre-tax deductions or local tax, 2026 federal and state rules. †Take-home ÷ BEA Regional Price Parity × 100 (2024 price levels).
Sources
- OEWS May 2025 (oesm25nat.zip) — U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Accessed 2026-10-09.
- OEWS May 2025 (oesm25st.zip) — U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Accessed 2026-10-09.