PublicPay

Recreation Specialist federal salary series 0188

Full-time federal employees in the Recreation Specialist series earned a median of $82,301 in annualized adjusted basic pay in September 2026, 25% below the all-federal median of $109,641. The middle half earned between $76,128 and $87,610.

Median pay
$82,301
full-time, September 2026
Middle 50%
$76,128–$87,610
25th–75th percentile
Employees
886
in this series, all schedules
Change in median
+1%
vs. September 2025
Pay distribution, full-time employees with published pay, September 2026
Recreation Specialist
All federal (full-time)

What shapes recreation specialist pay

The most common grade with published pay is GL-9 (455 employees, median $81,645). The largest employer of this series with published pay is the Department of Justice (568 employees). Among states with at least 30 full-time employees with published pay, the median is highest in California ($88,751) and lowest in West Virginia ($79,214), a gap that partly reflects locality pay differences. Federal pay depends mostly on grade and step, plus a locality adjustment for where the job is located; see the GS pay scale explainer.

OPM withheld pay for 28% of employees in this series. The figures here describe only employees with published pay; withholding is concentrated in certain agencies (see data coverage).

Recreation Specialist pay by grade

Grades with at least 30 full-time employees with published pay. GS grades are listed first; other pay plans follow.

Recreation Specialist pay by grade
Pay plan–grade Employees Median pay Middle 50%
GS-9 84 $73,812 $67,896–$77,740
GS-11 109 $92,137 $88,400–$97,087
GL-9 455 $81,645 $76,128–$84,474

middle 50% (25th–75th percentile) 10th–90th percentile median all-federal median ($109,641)

Recreation Specialist pay by agency

Recreation Specialist pay by agency
Agency Employees Median pay Middle 50%
Department of Justice 568 $82,301 $76,128–$88,387

middle 50% (25th–75th percentile) 10th–90th percentile median all-federal median ($109,641)

Recreation Specialist pay by state

The 6 states with the most employees in this series and published pay.

Recreation Specialist pay by state
State Employees Median pay Middle 50%
Texas 61 $82,301 $76,128–$87,235
Pennsylvania 56 $81,272 $76,128–$88,744
California 47 $88,751 $78,774–$95,948
West Virginia 44 $79,214 $75,614–$82,301
Florida 42 $80,243 $75,040–$82,301
Kentucky 37 $80,243 $76,128–$82,301

middle 50% (25th–75th percentile) 10th–90th percentile median all-federal median ($109,641)

Compare recreation specialist pay across all states and agencies →

Change since September 2025

The median moved +1.0% from $81,480 in September 2025 to $82,301 in September 2026. Headcount went from 947 to 886 (−6.4%). A change in the median reflects both pay adjustments and who joined or left the workforce, so it is not the same as a pay raise.

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