Sports and Recreation Instruction — Average Employee Salary
The average employee in the sports and recreation instruction industry earns $23,027 per year ($11.07/hour), according to Bureau of Labor Statistics QCEW data.
What Do Sports and Recreation Instruction Workers Earn?
At $23,027/year (equivalent to $11.07/hour for a full-time worker), sports and recreation instruction wages are below the national average of ~$65,000.
Lower wages in this industry are common in service-oriented or retail-adjacent sectors where entry barriers are lower. This can be an advantage for business owners managing payroll costs, but may contribute to higher turnover.
The typical sports and recreation instruction business employs 8 people. These are mid-sized operations where payroll is a significant but manageable expense.
Wages as a Percentage of Revenue
For the average sports and recreation instruction business generating $316K/year with 8 employees at $23,027 each, total payroll represents roughly 58.3% of revenue. This is a labor-intensive industry — payroll is the dominant expense.
What This Means for Business Owners
If you're starting or running a sports and recreation instructionbusiness, here's what the wage data means for your bottom line:
- Per-employee cost: Budget approximately $29,935/year per employee (salary + ~30% for benefits, taxes, and insurance).
- Typical team size: 8 employees = ~$184,216/year in base payroll.
- Hourly equivalent: $11.07/hour base — factor this into pricing and project estimates.
- Revenue needed: With average revenue of $316K/business, you need strong utilization rates to maintain healthy margins after payroll.
See how these wages compare to total revenue and profit margins.
View full Sports and Recreation Instruction revenue benchmarks →Frequently Asked Questions
- How much do sports and recreation instruction employees make?
- The average sports and recreation instruction employee earns $23,027 per year, which is equivalent to $11.07/hour for a full-time worker (2,080 hours/year). This is below the national average of approximately $65,000.
- How many people work in the sports and recreation instruction industry?
- The sports and recreation instruction industry employs 173,273 workers across 20,529 establishments in the United States. The average business in this industry has approximately 8 employees.
Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW 2023).