Recreation Workers Salary — Owensboro, Kentucky

The average Recreation Workers in Owensboro, Kentucky earns $29,140 a year.

$29,140 / year, mean
↓ 25.0% below national average 17th percentile in Kentucky

Owensboro pays below most of Kentucky for this role, though still within a normal range for the state. That's noticeably below the national average for recreation workers, worth factoring into any relocation math. Cost of living here runs below the national average, which can offset a lower headline salary. This is a high-confidence estimate, based on a large sample of reported wages.

Percentile within Kentucky

0th 50th 100th
Employment (this metro)
150
Estimate confidence
RSE 1.7%
Cost of living 89 #172 most expensive of 188 cities in this dataset 100 = U.S. average · Source: BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024
Crime index 1461 #33 safest of 188 cities in this dataset Per 100k residents · Source: FBI Crime Data Explorer
Median home value $213,657 #162 priciest of 188 cities in this dataset Source: zillow_real
Median household income $65,656 #132 highest of 188 cities in this dataset Source: Census Bureau ACS 5-year

Combining these four figures gives a fuller picture than salary alone: Owensboro ranks #172 for cost of living and #162 for home prices among the 188 cities in this pilot dataset, which matters as much as the headline salary number when comparing where to live.

San Jose $54,750 San Francisco $48,810 Seattle $47,840 Bend $46,360 Bellingham $45,900 Napa $45,860 Santa Maria $45,460 Kennewick $45,400 Wildwood $45,100 Portland $44,900 Santa Rosa $44,760 Morgantown $43,950 Bremerton $43,700 College Station $43,640 Olympia $43,570 Santa Cruz $43,410 Mount Vernon $43,230 Walla Walla $42,870 Sacramento $42,820 Spokane $42,820 Yuba City $42,790 New York $42,620 San Diego $42,610 Medford $42,550 Vallejo $42,490 Lexington Park $42,420 Yakima $42,380 Merced $42,280 Los Angeles $41,900 Vineland $41,860 Longview $41,830 Wenatchee $41,810 Salinas $41,800 Riverside $41,770 Salem $41,760 Kiryas Joel $41,740 Grants Pass $41,660 Oxnard $41,370 Stockton $41,100 El Centro $41,060 Kingston $40,960 Naples $40,580 Bakersfield $40,530 San Luis Obispo $40,300 Visalia $40,190 Glens Falls $40,090 Albany $40,080 Fresno $39,930 Fort Myers $39,880 Baltimore $39,850 Ithaca $39,710 Binghamton $39,700 Grand Rapids $39,670 Eugene $39,640 Austin $39,560 Albany $39,430 Philadelphia $39,410 Sarasota $39,260 Kankakee $39,070 Muskegon $39,020 Atlantic City $38,960 Hanford $38,790 Charlottesville $38,760 Monroe $38,760 Texarkana $38,710 Redding $38,690 Beaumont $38,630 Crestview $38,630 Chico $38,580 Amarillo $38,440 Chicago $38,300 Tampa $38,260 Sebring $38,190 Jackson $38,170 Modesto $38,010 Rochester $38,000 Syracuse $38,000 Port St. Lucie $37,850 Traverse City $37,840 Virginia Beach $37,810 Elmira $37,800 Hagerstown $37,800 Allentown $37,760 Punta Gorda $37,750 Pittsburgh $37,640 Panama City $37,530 Miami $37,490 Detroit $37,460 Battle Creek $37,450 Palm Bay $37,400 Richmond $37,350 Harrisonburg $37,320 Salisbury $37,310 Ann Arbor $37,290 Orlando $37,250 Utica $37,190 Dover $37,110 Deltona $37,060 Blacksburg $37,030 Lansing $36,970 Trenton $36,970 Elizabethtown $36,890 San Antonio $36,830 Lynchburg $36,800 Sebastian $36,680 Johnstown $36,660 Harrisburg $36,650 Saginaw $36,650 York $36,590 Elkhart $36,540 Jacksonville $36,520 Scranton $36,430 Buffalo $36,420 Lakeland $36,410 Corvallis $36,380 Gettysburg $36,360 Watertown $36,260 Champaign $36,210 Midland $36,000 Niles $35,920 Chambersburg $35,830 Reading $35,730 Altoona $35,690 Dallas $35,670 Lancaster $35,640 Ocala $35,600 Rockford $35,600 Erie $35,590 Lebanon $35,580 Lexington $35,540 Kalamazoo $35,510 Winchester $35,510 Roanoke $35,500 Pensacola $35,470 Tallahassee $35,410 Bloomington $35,400 Michigan City $35,390 Odessa $35,350 Peoria $35,340 Decatur $35,280 Flint $35,260 Waco $35,170 State College $35,080 Springfield $34,950 Staunton $34,900 Longview $34,730 Gainesville $34,720 Killeen $34,690 Bay City $34,480 Brownsville $34,450 Beckley $34,350 Homosassa Springs $34,340 Huntington $34,170 Wheeling $33,890 Indianapolis $33,860 South Bend $33,710 Corpus Christi $33,650 Houston $33,560 Weirton $33,510 Louisville $33,180 Laredo $32,930 Midland $32,880 McAllen $32,870 Sherman $32,710 Abilene $32,430 Lafayette $32,310 Wichita Falls $32,270 El Paso $32,110 Paducah $32,040 Fort Wayne $31,990 Williamsport $31,600 Charleston $31,370 San Angelo $31,320 Lubbock $31,260 Terre Haute $31,220 Muncie $30,850 Tyler $30,800 Evansville $30,520 Bloomington $30,410 Columbus $30,200 Bowling Green $30,150 Kokomo $29,870 Owensboro $29,140 Parkersburg $29,050
CityMean salaryvs. Owensboro
Abilene, Texas$32,430+11.3%
Albany, Oregon$40,080+37.5%
Albany, New York$39,430+35.3%
Allentown, Pennsylvania$37,760+29.6%
Altoona, Pennsylvania$35,690+22.5%
Amarillo, Texas$38,440+31.9%
Ann Arbor, Michigan$37,290+28.0%
Atlantic City, New Jersey$38,960+33.7%
Austin, Texas$39,560+35.8%
Bakersfield, California$40,530+39.1%
Baltimore, Maryland$39,850+36.8%
Battle Creek, Michigan$37,450+28.5%
Bay City, Michigan$34,480+18.3%
Beaumont, Texas$38,630+32.6%
Beckley, West Virginia$34,350+17.9%
Bellingham, Washington$45,900+57.5%
Bend, Oregon$46,360+59.1%
Binghamton, New York$39,700+36.2%
Blacksburg, Virginia$37,030+27.1%
Bloomington, Illinois$35,400+21.5%
Bloomington, Indiana$30,410+4.4%
Bowling Green, Kentucky$30,150+3.5%
Bremerton, Washington$43,700+50.0%
Brownsville, Texas$34,450+18.2%
Buffalo, New York$36,420+25.0%
Fort Myers, Florida$39,880+36.9%
Chambersburg, Pennsylvania$35,830+23.0%
Champaign, Illinois$36,210+24.3%
Charleston, West Virginia$31,370+7.7%
Charlottesville, Virginia$38,760+33.0%
Chicago, Illinois$38,300+31.4%
Chico, California$38,580+32.4%
College Station, Texas$43,640+49.8%
Columbus, Indiana$30,200+3.6%
Corpus Christi, Texas$33,650+15.5%
Corvallis, Oregon$36,380+24.8%
Crestview, Florida$38,630+32.6%
Dallas, Texas$35,670+22.4%
Decatur, Illinois$35,280+21.1%
Deltona, Florida$37,060+27.2%
Detroit, Michigan$37,460+28.6%
Dover, Delaware$37,110+27.4%
El Centro, California$41,060+40.9%
Elizabethtown, Kentucky$36,890+26.6%
Elkhart, Indiana$36,540+25.4%
Elmira, New York$37,800+29.7%
El Paso, Texas$32,110+10.2%
Erie, Pennsylvania$35,590+22.1%
Eugene, Oregon$39,640+36.0%
Evansville, Indiana$30,520+4.7%
Flint, Michigan$35,260+21.0%
Fort Wayne, Indiana$31,990+9.8%
Fresno, California$39,930+37.0%
Gainesville, Florida$34,720+19.1%
Gettysburg, Pennsylvania$36,360+24.8%
Glens Falls, New York$40,090+37.6%
Grand Rapids, Michigan$39,670+36.1%
Grants Pass, Oregon$41,660+43.0%
Hagerstown, Maryland$37,800+29.7%
Hanford, California$38,790+33.1%
Harrisburg, Pennsylvania$36,650+25.8%
Harrisonburg, Virginia$37,320+28.1%
Homosassa Springs, Florida$34,340+17.8%
Houston, Texas$33,560+15.2%
Huntington, West Virginia$34,170+17.3%
Indianapolis, Indiana$33,860+16.2%
Ithaca, New York$39,710+36.3%
Jackson, Michigan$38,170+31.0%
Jacksonville, Florida$36,520+25.3%
Johnstown, Pennsylvania$36,660+25.8%
Kalamazoo, Michigan$35,510+21.9%
Kankakee, Illinois$39,070+34.1%
Kennewick, Washington$45,400+55.8%
Killeen, Texas$34,690+19.0%
Kingston, New York$40,960+40.6%
Kiryas Joel, New York$41,740+43.2%
Kokomo, Indiana$29,870+2.5%
Lafayette, Indiana$32,310+10.9%
Lakeland, Florida$36,410+24.9%
Lancaster, Pennsylvania$35,640+22.3%
Lansing, Michigan$36,970+26.9%
Laredo, Texas$32,930+13.0%
Lebanon, Pennsylvania$35,580+22.1%
Lexington, Kentucky$35,540+22.0%
Lexington Park, Maryland$42,420+45.6%
Longview, Texas$34,730+19.2%
Longview, Washington$41,830+43.5%
Los Angeles, California$41,900+43.8%
Louisville, Kentucky$33,180+13.9%
Lubbock, Texas$31,260+7.3%
Lynchburg, Virginia$36,800+26.3%
McAllen, Texas$32,870+12.8%
Medford, Oregon$42,550+46.0%
Merced, California$42,280+45.1%
Miami, Florida$37,490+28.7%
Michigan City, Indiana$35,390+21.4%
Midland, Michigan$36,000+23.5%
Midland, Texas$32,880+12.8%
Modesto, California$38,010+30.4%
Monroe, Michigan$38,760+33.0%
Morgantown, West Virginia$43,950+50.8%
Mount Vernon, Washington$43,230+48.4%
Muncie, Indiana$30,850+5.9%
Muskegon, Michigan$39,020+33.9%
Napa, California$45,860+57.4%
Naples, Florida$40,580+39.3%
New York, New York$42,620+46.3%
Niles, Michigan$35,920+23.3%
Sarasota, Florida$39,260+34.7%
Ocala, Florida$35,600+22.2%
Odessa, Texas$35,350+21.3%
Olympia, Washington$43,570+49.5%
Orlando, Florida$37,250+27.8%
Oxnard, California$41,370+42.0%
Paducah, Kentucky$32,040+10.0%
Palm Bay, Florida$37,400+28.3%
Panama City, Florida$37,530+28.8%
Parkersburg, West Virginia$29,050-0.3%
Pensacola, Florida$35,470+21.7%
Peoria, Illinois$35,340+21.3%
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania$39,410+35.2%
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania$37,640+29.2%
Portland, Oregon$44,900+54.1%
Port St. Lucie, Florida$37,850+29.9%
Punta Gorda, Florida$37,750+29.5%
Reading, Pennsylvania$35,730+22.6%
Redding, California$38,690+32.8%
Richmond, Virginia$37,350+28.2%
Riverside, California$41,770+43.3%
Roanoke, Virginia$35,500+21.8%
Rochester, New York$38,000+30.4%
Rockford, Illinois$35,600+22.2%
Sacramento, California$42,820+46.9%
Saginaw, Michigan$36,650+25.8%
Salem, Oregon$41,760+43.3%
Salinas, California$41,800+43.4%
Salisbury, Maryland$37,310+28.0%
San Angelo, Texas$31,320+7.5%
San Antonio, Texas$36,830+26.4%
San Diego, California$42,610+46.2%
San Francisco, California$48,810+67.5%
San Jose, California$54,750+87.9%
San Luis Obispo, California$40,300+38.3%
Santa Cruz, California$43,410+49.0%
Santa Maria, California$45,460+56.0%
Santa Rosa, California$44,760+53.6%
Scranton, Pennsylvania$36,430+25.0%
Seattle, Washington$47,840+64.2%
Sebastian, Florida$36,680+25.9%
Sebring, Florida$38,190+31.1%
Sherman, Texas$32,710+12.3%
South Bend, Indiana$33,710+15.7%
Spokane, Washington$42,820+46.9%
Springfield, Illinois$34,950+19.9%
State College, Pennsylvania$35,080+20.4%
Staunton, Virginia$34,900+19.8%
Stockton, California$41,100+41.0%
Syracuse, New York$38,000+30.4%
Tallahassee, Florida$35,410+21.5%
Tampa, Florida$38,260+31.3%
Terre Haute, Indiana$31,220+7.1%
Texarkana, Texas$38,710+32.8%
Traverse City, Michigan$37,840+29.9%
Trenton, New Jersey$36,970+26.9%
Tyler, Texas$30,800+5.7%
Utica, New York$37,190+27.6%
Vallejo, California$42,490+45.8%
Vineland, New Jersey$41,860+43.7%
Virginia Beach, Virginia$37,810+29.8%
Visalia, California$40,190+37.9%
Waco, Texas$35,170+20.7%
Walla Walla, Washington$42,870+47.1%
Watertown, New York$36,260+24.4%
Weirton, West Virginia$33,510+15.0%
Wenatchee, Washington$41,810+43.5%
Wheeling, West Virginia$33,890+16.3%
Wichita Falls, Texas$32,270+10.7%
Wildwood, Florida$45,100+54.8%
Williamsport, Pennsylvania$31,600+8.4%
Winchester, Virginia$35,510+21.9%
Yakima, Washington$42,380+45.4%
York, Pennsylvania$36,590+25.6%
Yuba City, California$42,790+46.8%
Gross salary
29,140/yr
Estimated take-home
24,173/yr
Est. total withheld
17.0%

Single filer, federal + Kentucky state tax + FICA, 2026 rates. Does not include state-specific payroll withholdings beyond income tax (see Data transparency). Not tax advice — verify with a professional for your specific situation.

View cost of living in this state All Recreation Workers salaries in Kentucky → All Recreation Workers salaries →
Data transparency

Sources used for this page

Official occupation and area metadata behind the visible salary, cost, housing and safety signals.

Occupation 39-9032 SOC code
Official area Owensboro, KY BLS metro/geographic area
Area code 36980 Stable geographic key
Reference year 2025 BLS OEWS
Cost: bea_realHousing: zillow_realCrime: latest availableNet-pay source: ky_dor_verificado 2026
No additional caveats are attached to this row.
Methodology

How this page is built

The salary figure is the mean annual wage reported by the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) program for this occupation and metro area. Percentile and national-average comparisons are calculated directly from the 188 cities currently in this dataset, not from a fixed external benchmark. Cost of living, crime and housing figures come from BEA, FBI and Zillow respectively — see "Data transparency" above for the exact sources and reference years used on this specific page.

Confidence: the RSE (relative standard error) shown under Overview indicates how reliable the salary estimate is for this metro — a lower RSE means a larger underlying sample.

On this page

Where this is

AK HI

Highlighted: Kentucky

Population (metro area)
112,322