Umpires, Referees, and Other Sports Officials
Also called: Athletic Events Scorer, Baseball Coach, Baseball Umpire, Basketball Manager, Basketball Referee, Basketball Scorekeeper, Clerk of Scales, Clocker
Officiate at competitive athletic or sporting events.
What umpires, referees, and other sports officials do
Typical tasks
- Officiate at sporting events, games, or competitions, to maintain standards of play and to ensure that game rules are observed.
- Inspect game sites for compliance with regulations or safety requirements.
- Resolve claims of rule infractions or complaints by participants and assess any necessary penalties, according to regulations.
- Signal participants or other officials to make them aware of infractions or to otherwise regulate play or competition.
- Teach and explain the rules and regulations governing a specific sport.
- Inspect sporting equipment or examine participants to ensure compliance with event and safety regulations.
- Report to regulating organizations regarding sporting activities, complaints made, and actions taken or needed, such as fines or other disciplinary actions.
- Confer with other sporting officials, coaches, players, and facility managers to provide information, coordinate activities, and discuss problems.
- Judge performances in sporting competitions to award points, impose scoring penalties, and determine results.
- Verify scoring calculations before competition winners are announced.
- Start races and competitions.
- Compile scores and other athletic records.
Typical path into the job (BLS)
Umpires, Referees, and Other Sports Officials salary
The median annual wage for umpires, referees, and other sports officials is $40,710 (BLS OEWS May 2025; BLS Employment Projections 2025–35, national). The lowest 10 percent earn less than $26,540 and the highest 10 percent earn more than $82,960. The mean annual wage is $53,010.
How does your pay compare with people your age?
Your numbers are not sent or stored. The comparison uses this occupation's BLS wage percentiles, adjusted for age with BLS median weekly earnings by age group (Q3 2026).
Pay by percentile
Annual wage percentiles from the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS). Percentiles are a good proxy for pay by experience.
Projected pay for Umpires, Referees, and Other Sports Officials (3, 5 and 10 years)est.
Today $40,710 → in 3 years $44,700 → in 5 years $47,600 → in 10 years $55,600 (10-year range $47,800–$64,600). The model assumes pay growth of +3.2% per year.
What drives the annual growth rate
Projected pay = current pay × (1 + annual growth)^years. The annual growth rate starts from a base wage-growth rate and adds or subtracts labor demand (BLS projected employment growth), wage momentum and AI replacement risk for each occupation. Projections are not guarantees. How it is calculated →
Outlook score for Umpires, Referees, and Other Sports Officials
Each component is a percentile rank among all occupations in the same country (0–100). Weights: labor demand 25, wage momentum / openings 15, pay level 15, AI resistance 25, aging workforce 10 (Japan only), entry barrier 10.
Will AI replace Umpires, Referees, and Other Sports Officials? AI replacement risk
How AI is changing this job
A written analysis for this occupation is being prepared.
AI replacement risk compares the parts of a job that are easy to hand to AI or software (processing information, documentation, repetitive computer work) with the parts that are hard to automate (physical work, working closely with people, judgment in unpredictable settings), using O*NET work activities, work context, skills and knowledge. The result is a relative position among all occupations in the country, scaled to 0–100%. Methodology →
Labor demand for Umpires, Referees, and Other Sports Officials
Employment projections are from the BLS Employment Projections program (2025–35). Annual openings include both new jobs and replacement of workers who leave the occupation.
Skills, education and requirements for Umpires, Referees, and Other Sports Officials
Key skills
O*NET skill level ratings (0–7).
Key knowledge areas
What the work involves
Important abilities
Education of workers
Training before entry
Related work experience
Job Zone 2 — some preparation needed (O*NET)
Difficulty of entry: ★★☆☆☆ Fairly easy (from education, training, experience and Job Zone)
How to become umpires, referees, and other sports officials
A step-by-step guide for this occupation is being prepared. The education, training and experience data above show the typical path.
Career path and how to earn more as umpires, referees, and other sports officials
Career-path guidance is being prepared. Pay by percentile is shown in the Pay section.