Parks, Recreation, and Leisure Facilities Management: is it worth it?
A 0–100 score blending this major’s national earnings, ROI and typical debt. How it’s scored.
National picture across 63 college programs, at a typical net price.
On these figures the cost and debt outweigh the earnings premium.
What Parks, Recreation, and Leisure Facilities Management pays
Career outlook for Parks, Recreation, and Leisure Facilities Management graduates
The job market for the occupations Parks, Recreation, and Leisure Facilities Management graduates typically enter, projected through 2034 — from U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data. This is the demand side, complementing the IRS-verified graduate earnings above.
Top jobs for this major
| Occupation | U.S. jobs | Growth to 2034 | Median pay | Typical entry |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| General and operations managers | 3,712,900 | +4.4% | $102,950 | Bachelor's degree |
| Landscaping and groundskeeping workers | 1,192,500 | +3.6% | $38,090 | No formal educational credential |
| First-line supervisors of landscaping, lawn service, and groundskeeping workers | 224,700 | +2.3% | $56,170 | High school diploma or equivalent |
| Facilities managers | 151,400 | +3.8% | $104,690 | Bachelor's degree |
| Entertainment and recreation managers, except gambling | 43,200 | +7.7% | $77,180 | Bachelor's degree |
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections (2024–34) & the NCES CIP–SOC crosswalk. Occupation pay is the national median wage for the role — not the same as graduate earnings, which we draw from IRS records.
Parks, Recreation, and Leisure Facilities Management vs similar majors
How Parks, Recreation, and Leisure Facilities Management stacks up against the closest fields in Parks, Recreation & Fitness on pay, debt, ROI and the DR Rating. The best figure in each row is highlighted.
| Parks, Recreation, and Leisure Facilities Management Parks, Recreation & Fitness · this major | Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness | Parks, Recreation, and Leisure Studies | Outdoor Education | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DR Rating | 24 F | 30 F | 28 F | 25 F |
| ROI verdict | Poor return | Break-even | Poor return | Poor return |
| Median earnings (5 yr) | $47,776 | $53,887 | $51,181 | $47,445 |
| Median earnings (1 yr) | $35,033 | $33,980 | $34,916 | — |
| ROI vs cost | -65% | +10% | -22% | -66% |
| Typical debt | $22,785 | $24,294 | $20,903 | — |
| Colleges offering it | 63 | 699 | 53 | 1 |
Parks, Recreation, and Leisure Facilities Management earnings over time
National median earnings one year after graduating, by cohort year — the consistent measure available across the federal data’s history.
Best colleges for Parks, Recreation, and Leisure Facilities Management
Ranked by the ROI of this major at each college — its graduate earnings against the cost.
| # | College | Credential | Earnings (5 yr) | Median debt | 10-yr ROI | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo San Luis Obispo, CA | Associate's | $73,743 | — | +762% | Strong return |
| 2 | University of Florida-Online Gainesville, FL | Associate's | $52,792 | $16,172 | +402% | Strong return |
| 3 | Florida International University Miami, FL | Certificate | $61,226 | — | +337% | Strong return |
| 4 | Kean University Union, NJ | Associate's | $59,761 | $27,000 | +325% | Strong return |
| 5 | University of Florida Gainesville, FL | Associate's | $52,792 | $16,172 | +311% | Strong return |
| 6 | St. Joseph's University-New York Brooklyn, NY | Associate's | $56,687 | $20,000 | +158% | Strong return |
| 7 | University of Northern Colorado Greeley, CO | Associate's | $56,189 | $23,875 | +153% | Strong return |
| 8 | University of West Georgia Carrollton, GA | Associate's | $53,752 | $25,000 | +152% | Strong return |
| 9 | Saint Cloud State University Saint Cloud, MN | Associate's | $53,020 | $21,500 | +130% | Strong return |
| 10 | Western Kentucky University Bowling Green, KY | Certificate | $57,770 | $41,000 | +117% | Strong return |
| 11 | University of North Texas Denton, TX | Associate's | $53,543 | $23,000 | +115% | Strong return |
| 12 | Pennsylvania State University-World Campus University Park, PA | Associate's | $55,121 | $23,000 | +113% | Strong return |
| 13 | University of North Texas Denton, TX | Certificate | $57,681 | — | +103% | Strong return |
| 14 | University of New Hampshire-Main Campus Durham, NH | Associate's | $56,149 | $27,000 | +94% | Strong return |
| 15 | Indiana State University Terre Haute, IN | Associate's | $50,136 | $24,622 | +67% | Strong return |
| 16 | Central Michigan University Mount Pleasant, MI | Associate's | $50,731 | — | +63% | Break-even |
| 17 | University of Arkansas Fayetteville, AR | Certificate | $56,024 | — | +51% | Break-even |
| 18 | Western Kentucky University Bowling Green, KY | Professional | $51,583 | — | +50% | Break-even |
| 19 | Colorado State University-Fort Collins Fort Collins, CO | Associate's | $52,324 | $19,250 | +48% | Break-even |
| 20 | Minnesota State University-Mankato Mankato, MN | Associate's | $51,659 | $25,500 | +40% | Break-even |
| 21 | North Carolina State University at Raleigh Raleigh, NC | Associate's | $50,810 | $19,000 | +40% | Break-even |
| 22 | Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus University Park, PA | Associate's | $55,121 | $23,000 | +37% | Break-even |
| 23 | Texas State University San Marcos, TX | Certificate | $53,162 | — | +21% | Break-even |
| 24 | University of Wisconsin-La Crosse La Crosse, WI | Associate's | $49,815 | $21,666 | +19% | Break-even |
| 25 | Southern Connecticut State University New Haven, CT | Associate's | $50,895 | $24,931 | +16% | Break-even |
Related majors
Source: U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard. ROI is computed by Degree Return — see how. Read the methodology. Data as of 2024.