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# Best Parks and Recreation Management Programs by Earnings

Updated September 30, 2026

This page ranks the 48 Parks and Recreation Management programs in the United States by the median earnings of Parks and Recreation Management graduates four years after completing, highest first. [University of Florida](/school/university-of-florida/majors/) leads the list with median earnings of $64,497 for its graduates four years after completing.

Across the listed programs, the figure ranges from $64,497 to $26,715, with a median of $49,524. For 3 of the 48 listed programs the figure is the two-year completion median rather than the four-year one.

Public institutions account for 43 of the 48 programs, or 90% of the list. University of Florida posts the lowest average net price at $6,541.

Florida International University ranks 14th on Azimuth's composite ranking among nonprofit four-year institutions.

## The ranked list

Top 25 of 48 schools in list order

| Rank | School | Program Earnings | Average net price | Net price, families under $30K | Admission rate |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | University of Florida · Gainesville, FL | $64,497 | $6,541 | $1,982 | 24.2% |
|  | [University of Florida](/school/university-of-florida/majors/) ranks 1st on this list, reporting [$64,497 in median earnings](/school/university-of-florida/outcomes/) of Parks and Recreation Management graduates four years after completing alongside an average net price of $6,541. |
| 2 | St. Joseph's University-New York · Brooklyn, NY | $59,616 | $19,035 | $16,876 | 72.1% |
|  | [St. Joseph's University-New York](/school/st-josephs-university-new-york/majors/), a private nonprofit university in Brooklyn, [admits 72% of applicants](/school/st-josephs-university-new-york/admissions/) and shows median federal debt of $20,000 among Parks and Recreation Management completers who borrowed. |
| 3 | University of New Hampshire-Main Campus · Durham, NH | $59,537 | $23,805 | $16,523 | 88.2% |
|  | [University of New Hampshire-Main Campus](/school/university-of-new-hampshire-main-campus/majors/) posts [$59,537 in median earnings](/school/university-of-new-hampshire-main-campus/outcomes/) for its Parks and Recreation Management graduates four years after completing, with 85 graduates in the earnings cohort. |
| 4 | Johnson & Wales University-Providence · Providence, RI | $56,241 | $31,027 | $25,530 | 88.4% |
|  | Johnson & Wales University-Providence carries an average net price of $31,027 and reports median federal debt of $26,100 among Parks and Recreation Management completers who borrowed. |
| 5 | Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus · University Park, PA | $55,741 | $32,875 | $19,845 | 60.6% |
|  | [Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus](/school/pennsylvania-state-university-main-campus/majors/) [ranks 271st on Azimuth's composite ranking](/school/pennsylvania-state-university-main-campus/) among nonprofit four-year institutions and reports $55,741 for its Parks and Recreation Management graduates four years after completing. |
| 6 | Illinois State University · Normal, IL | $55,032 | $19,398 | $11,568 | 88.2% |
|  | [Illinois State University](/school/illinois-state-university/majors/) shows [median federal debt of $19,236](/school/illinois-state-university/cost/) among Parks and Recreation Management completers who borrowed, alongside an admission rate of 88%. |
| 7 | University of North Texas · Denton, TX | $54,621 | $15,649 | $12,311 | 72.2% |
|  | [University of North Texas](/school/university-of-north-texas/majors/) reports [$54,621 in median earnings](/school/university-of-north-texas/outcomes/) of Parks and Recreation Management graduates four years after completing and ranks 41st on Azimuth's composite ranking among nonprofit four-year institutions. |
| 8 | Minnesota State University-Mankato · Mankato, MN | $54,532 | $19,139 | $12,339 | 88.4% |
|  | [Minnesota State University-Mankato](/school/minnesota-state-university-mankato/majors/) lists an [average net price of $19,139](/school/minnesota-state-university-mankato/cost/) and admits 88% of applicants. |
| 9 | Saint Cloud State University · Saint Cloud, MN | $54,302 | $13,529 | $8,909 | 94.8% |
|  | [Saint Cloud State University](/school/saint-cloud-state-university/majors/) [admits 95% of applicants](/school/saint-cloud-state-university/admissions/) and reports median federal debt of $21,500 among Parks and Recreation Management completers who borrowed. |
| 10 | Kean University · Union, NJ | $54,232 | $12,447 | $7,374 | 75.9% |
|  | [Kean University](/school/kean-university/majors/) posts [$54,232 in median earnings](/school/kean-university/outcomes/) for its Parks and Recreation Management graduates four years after completing, with 12 graduates in the earnings cohort. |
| 11 | Southern Connecticut State University · New Haven, CT | $53,522 | $20,857 | $17,736 | 91.5% |
|  | [Southern Connecticut State University](/school/southern-connecticut-state-university/majors/) [ranks 336th on Azimuth's composite ranking](/school/southern-connecticut-state-university/) among nonprofit four-year institutions and carries an average net price of $20,857. |
| 12 | Colorado State University-Fort Collins · Fort Collins, CO | $52,971 | $21,279 | $13,259 | 88.5% |
|  | [Colorado State University-Fort Collins](/school/colorado-state-university-fort-collins/majors/) reports [median federal debt of $19,250](/school/colorado-state-university-fort-collins/cost/) among Parks and Recreation Management completers who borrowed, alongside $52,971 in median earnings of Parks and Recreation Management graduates four years after completing. |
| 13 | Commonwealth University of Pennsylvania · Bloomsburg, PA | $52,571 | $15,699 | $11,374 | 93.1% |
|  | [Commonwealth University of Pennsylvania](/school/commonwealth-university-of-pennsylvania/majors/) reports [median earnings of $52,571](/school/commonwealth-university-of-pennsylvania/outcomes/) for its Parks and Recreation Management graduates four years after completing, with 16 graduates in the earnings cohort. |
| 14 | Frostburg State University · Frostburg, MD | $52,488 | $16,715 | $12,129 | 89.2% |
|  | [Frostburg State University](/school/frostburg-state-university/majors/) [admits 89% of applicants](/school/frostburg-state-university/admissions/) and shows a median federal debt of $21,250 among Parks and Recreation Management completers who borrowed. |
| 15 | University of Northern Colorado · Greeley, CO | $52,363 | $17,760 | $12,695 | 85.9% |
|  | University of Northern Colorado ranks 15th on this list and posts an average net price of $17,760. |
| 16 | North Carolina State University at Raleigh · Raleigh, NC | $52,233 | $17,303 | $6,382 | 41.7% |
|  | [North Carolina State University at Raleigh](/school/north-carolina-state-university-at-raleigh/majors/) sits at 99th on Azimuth's composite ranking among nonprofit four-year institutions, alongside [median earnings of $52,233](/school/north-carolina-state-university-at-raleigh/outcomes/) for its Parks and Recreation Management graduates four years after completing. |
| 17 | Old Dominion University · Norfolk, VA | $51,233 | $14,638 | $9,739 | 90.4% |
|  | [Old Dominion University](/school/old-dominion-university/majors/) reports an [average net price of $9,739](/school/old-dominion-university/cost/) for families earning under $30,000, with 56 graduates in the earnings cohort. |
| 18 | Eastern Washington University · Cheney, WA | $51,206 | $13,886 | $9,547 | 90.8% |
|  | [Eastern Washington University](/school/eastern-washington-university/majors/) shows a [median federal debt of $20,134](/school/eastern-washington-university/cost/) among Parks and Recreation Management completers who borrowed and median earnings of $51,206 four years after completing. |
| 19 | East Stroudsburg University of Pennsylvania · East Stroudsburg, PA | $51,012 | $18,134 | $15,365 | 92.1% |
|  | [East Stroudsburg University of Pennsylvania](/school/east-stroudsburg-university-of-pennsylvania/majors/) [ranks 472nd on Azimuth's composite ranking](/school/east-stroudsburg-university-of-pennsylvania/) among nonprofit four-year institutions and admits 92% of applicants. |
| 20 | Southwestern Oklahoma State University · Weatherford, OK | $50,937 | $14,459 | $10,987 | Not reported |
|  | Southwestern Oklahoma State University reports median earnings of $50,937 for its Parks and Recreation Management graduates four years after completing, with a median federal debt of $16,500 among completers who borrowed. |
| 21 | Kansas State University · Manhattan, KS | $50,522 | $19,406 | $13,178 | 81.7% |
|  | [Kansas State University](/school/kansas-state-university/majors/) [admits 82% of applicants](/school/kansas-state-university/admissions/) and posts an average net price of $19,406. |
| 22 | University of North Carolina Wilmington · Wilmington, NC | $50,241 | $20,109 | $10,778 | 64.2% |
|  | [University of North Carolina Wilmington](/school/university-of-north-carolina-wilmington/majors/) ranks 22nd on this list, with [median earnings of $50,241](/school/university-of-north-carolina-wilmington/outcomes/) for its Parks and Recreation Management graduates four years after completing. |
| 23 | University of West Georgia · Carrollton, GA | $49,799 | $12,786 | $10,339 | 51.6% |
|  | A [median federal debt of $25,000](/school/university-of-west-georgia/cost/) among Parks and Recreation Management completers who borrowed coincides with an average net price of $10,339 for families earning under $30,000 at [University of West Georgia](/school/university-of-west-georgia/majors/). |
| 24 | Indiana State University · Terre Haute, IN | $49,623 | $10,873 | $6,455 | 80.8% |
|  | [Indiana State University](/school/indiana-state-university/majors/) sits at 317th on Azimuth's composite ranking among nonprofit four-year institutions and reports [median earnings of $49,623](/school/indiana-state-university/outcomes/) for its Parks and Recreation Management graduates four years after completing. |
| 25 | Eastern Illinois University · Charleston, IL | $49,424 | $12,786 | $9,828 | 65.4% |
|  | [Eastern Illinois University](/school/eastern-illinois-university/majors/) reports [$49,424 in median earnings](/school/eastern-illinois-university/outcomes/) for its Parks and Recreation Management graduates four years after completing, alongside an average net price of $12,786. |

Continue by region[Best Parks and Recreation Management Programs in the South](/rankings/best-parks-and-recreation-management-programs-in-the-south/)

## How this list is ordered

Programs are ordered by the median earnings of their Golf Course Operation and Grounds Management graduates four years after completing, highest first. Only programs with a reported earnings cohort in the United States appear. The figure covers federally aided completers who were working and not enrolled. For 3 of the 48 listed programs the figure is the two-year completion median rather than the four-year one. The metric does not adjust for graduate school enrollment, cost, or who enrolls, and it is not a measure of teaching quality. The range from University of Florida to the bottom of the list spans $37,782, and the gap between University of Florida and St. Joseph's University-New York is $4,881.

## Job market context in the United States

Graduates of Parks and Recreation Management programs in the United States enter occupations such as Landscaping and Groundskeeping Workers. Across those occupations, the median annual wage is $40,564, and a quarter of workers in those occupations earn less than $36,149. Projections for 2024 to 2034 put employment in those occupations about 4.2% higher, with 480,100 projected openings a year, or about 22,593 openings a year for every hundred graduates, suggesting more projected openings than graduates. Wages and top occupations exclude management occupations; openings include them. The ranking above uses graduate earnings four years after completing, which is a different measure from the occupation-wide wage figures described here.

## Related rankings

-   Parks & Recreation Colleges for Social Mobility