Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics
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Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2023
27-2021 Athletes and Sports Competitors
Compete in athletic events.
National estimates for Athletes and Sports Competitors
Industry profile for Athletes and Sports Competitors
Geographic profile for Athletes and Sports Competitors
National estimates for Athletes and Sports Competitors:
Employment estimate and mean wage estimates for Athletes and Sports Competitors:
| Employment (1) |
Employment
RSE (3) |
Mean hourly
wage |
Mean annual
wage (2) |
Mean wage
RSE (3) |
| 14,930 |
6.4 % |
(4) |
$ 328,830 |
10.5 % |
Percentile wage estimates for Athletes and Sports Competitors:
| Percentile |
10% |
25% |
50%
(Median) |
75% |
90% |
| Annual Wage (2) |
$ 27,730 |
$ 38,040 |
$ 70,280 |
$ 201,140 |
(5) |
(4)
Industry profile for Athletes and Sports Competitors:
Industries with the highest published employment and wages for Athletes and Sports Competitors are provided.
For a list of all industries with employment in Athletes and Sports Competitors, see the Create Customized Tables function.
Industries with the highest levels of employment in Athletes and Sports Competitors:
| Industry |
Employment (1) |
Percent of industry employment |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Spectator Sports |
12,730 |
8.47 |
(4) |
$ 370,690 |
| Other Amusement and Recreation Industries |
1,210 |
0.09 |
(4) |
$ 68,480 |
| Promoters of Performing Arts, Sports, and Similar Events |
310 |
0.19 |
(4) |
$ 135,270 |
| Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools |
110 |
0.00 |
(4) |
$ 112,380 |
| Business, Professional, Labor, Political, and Similar Organizations |
50 |
0.01 |
(4) |
$ 77,010 |
Industries with the highest concentration of employment in Athletes and Sports Competitors:
| Industry |
Employment (1) |
Percent of industry employment |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Spectator Sports |
12,730 |
8.47 |
(4) |
$ 370,690 |
| Promoters of Performing Arts, Sports, and Similar Events |
310 |
0.19 |
(4) |
$ 135,270 |
| Other Amusement and Recreation Industries |
1,210 |
0.09 |
(4) |
$ 68,480 |
| Business, Professional, Labor, Political, and Similar Organizations |
50 |
0.01 |
(4) |
$ 77,010 |
| Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools |
110 |
0.00 |
(4) |
$ 112,380 |
Top paying industries for Athletes and Sports Competitors:
| Industry |
Employment (1) |
Percent of industry employment |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Spectator Sports |
12,730 |
8.47 |
(4) |
$ 370,690 |
| Promoters of Performing Arts, Sports, and Similar Events |
310 |
0.19 |
(4) |
$ 135,270 |
| Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools |
110 |
(7) |
(4) |
$ 112,380 |
| Business, Professional, Labor, Political, and Similar Organizations |
50 |
0.01 |
(4) |
$ 77,010 |
| Agents and Managers for Artists, Athletes, Entertainers, and Other Public Figures |
(8) |
(8) |
(4) |
$ 69,700 |
Geographic profile for Athletes and Sports Competitors:
States and areas with the highest published employment, location quotients, and wages for Athletes and Sports Competitors are provided.
For a list of all areas with employment in Athletes and Sports Competitors, see the Create Customized Tables function.
States with the highest employment level in Athletes and Sports Competitors:
States with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in Athletes and Sports Competitors:
Top paying states for Athletes and Sports Competitors:
| State |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Texas |
2,760 |
0.20 |
2.07 |
(4) |
$ 368,110 |
| Utah |
500 |
0.30 |
3.03 |
(4) |
$ 235,940 |
| New York |
200 |
0.02 |
0.22 |
(4) |
$ 230,490 |
| New Jersey |
410 |
0.10 |
1.00 |
(4) |
$ 201,640 |
| Iowa |
120 |
0.08 |
0.80 |
(4) |
$ 117,440 |
Metropolitan areas with the highest employment level in Athletes and Sports Competitors:
| Metropolitan area |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA |
1,250 |
0.44 |
4.52 |
(8) |
(8) |
| Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX |
730 |
0.23 |
2.35 |
(4) |
$ 369,720 |
| Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale, AZ |
680 |
0.30 |
3.04 |
(4) |
$ 75,790 |
| Boston-Cambridge-Nashua, MA-NH |
670 |
0.24 |
2.47 |
(8) |
(8) |
| Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC |
510 |
0.39 |
3.99 |
(4) |
$ 74,680 |
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI |
440 |
0.10 |
0.99 |
(8) |
(8) |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA |
440 |
0.05 |
0.47 |
(4) |
$ 233,020 |
| Austin-Round Rock, TX |
360 |
0.29 |
2.95 |
(4) |
$ 405,210 |
| Salt Lake City, UT |
320 |
0.40 |
4.05 |
(4) |
$ 252,690 |
| Las Vegas-Henderson-Paradise, NV |
280 |
0.25 |
2.58 |
(8) |
(8) |
Metropolitan areas with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in Athletes and Sports Competitors:
| Metropolitan area |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA |
1,250 |
0.44 |
4.52 |
(8) |
(8) |
| Salt Lake City, UT |
320 |
0.40 |
4.05 |
(4) |
$ 252,690 |
| Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC |
510 |
0.39 |
3.99 |
(4) |
$ 74,680 |
| Cedar Rapids, IA |
50 |
0.33 |
3.31 |
(4) |
$ 117,250 |
| Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale, AZ |
680 |
0.30 |
3.04 |
(4) |
$ 75,790 |
| Austin-Round Rock, TX |
360 |
0.29 |
2.95 |
(4) |
$ 405,210 |
| Las Vegas-Henderson-Paradise, NV |
280 |
0.25 |
2.58 |
(8) |
(8) |
| New Orleans-Metairie, LA |
130 |
0.25 |
2.56 |
(8) |
(8) |
| Boston-Cambridge-Nashua, MA-NH |
670 |
0.24 |
2.47 |
(8) |
(8) |
| Cape Coral-Fort Myers, FL |
70 |
0.23 |
2.35 |
(8) |
(8) |
Top paying metropolitan areas for Athletes and Sports Competitors:
| Metropolitan area |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Denver-Aurora-Lakewood, CO |
240 |
0.15 |
1.54 |
(4) |
$ 1,805,790 |
| Austin-Round Rock, TX |
360 |
0.29 |
2.95 |
(4) |
$ 405,210 |
| Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX |
730 |
0.23 |
2.35 |
(4) |
$ 369,720 |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV |
90 |
0.03 |
0.29 |
(4) |
$ 279,440 |
| Salt Lake City, UT |
320 |
0.40 |
4.05 |
(4) |
$ 252,690 |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA |
440 |
0.05 |
0.47 |
(4) |
$ 233,020 |
| Providence-Warwick, RI-MA |
30 |
0.06 |
0.58 |
(4) |
$ 226,300 |
| Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL |
(8) |
(8) |
(8) |
(4) |
$ 147,180 |
| Indianapolis-Carmel-Anderson, IN |
(8) |
(8) |
(8) |
(4) |
$ 144,530 |
| Cedar Rapids, IA |
50 |
0.33 |
3.31 |
(4) |
$ 117,250 |
About May 2023 National, State, Metropolitan, and Nonmetropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates
These estimates are calculated with data collected from employers in all industry sectors, all metropolitan and nonmetropolitan areas, and all states and the District of Columbia.
The top employment and wage figures are provided above. The complete list is available in the downloadable XLS files.
The percentile wage estimate is the value of a wage below which a certain percent of workers fall.
The median wage is the 50th percentile wage estimate—50 percent of workers earn less than the median and 50 percent of workers earn more than the median.
More about percentile wages.
(1) Estimates for detailed occupations do not sum to the totals because the totals include occupations not shown separately. Estimates do not include self-employed workers.
(2) Annual wages have been calculated by multiplying the hourly mean wage by a "year-round, full-time" hours figure of 2,080 hours;
for those occupations where there is not an hourly wage published, the annual wage has been directly calculated from the reported survey data.
(3) The relative standard error (RSE) is a measure of the reliability of a survey statistic. The smaller the relative standard error, the more precise the estimate.
(4) Wages for some occupations that do not generally work year-round, full time, are reported either as hourly wages or annual salaries
depending on how they are typically paid.
(5) This wage is equal to or greater than $115.00 per hour or $239,200 per year.
(7) The value is less than .005 percent of industry employment.
(8) Estimate not released.
(9) The location quotient is the ratio of the area concentration of occupational employment to the national average concentration.
A location quotient greater than one indicates the occupation has a higher share of employment than average, and a location quotient less than one indicates the occupation is less prevalent in the area than average.
Other OEWS estimates and related information:
May 2023 National Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates
May 2023 State Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates
May 2023 Metropolitan and Nonmetropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates
May 2023 National Industry-Specific Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates
May 2023 Occupation Profiles
Technical Notes
Last Modified Date: April 3, 2024
United States Department of Labor
