Umpires, Referees, and Other Sports Officials Salary

It’s a stretch — at the median salary of $17K, rent takes 146.9% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $1,783/month. The 30% guideline puts the comfortable ceiling at roughly $400/month in rent — so roommates or a 1-bedroom would ease the math significantly.

The 10th-percentile wage — what new umpires, referees, and other sports officials typically earn — is $17K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $1,007/month.

Local pay runs 59% below the national median — $17K here vs. $41K nationally.

Central North Carolina nonmetropolitan area pays $17K median vs. the U.S. average of $41K — that’s -59%.

The median is $16,790 a year. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $16,790, and experienced umpires, referees, and other sports officials can clear $30,120. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.

On that salary, you'd take home roughly $1,214/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $1,783/month, which eats 146.9% of your paycheck. That's above the 30% rule of thumb, housing will be a stretch at the median salary, though you can manage with roommates or a smaller place.

Central North Carolina nonmetropolitan area has a Regional Price Parity of 100 (100 is the national average). That's right at the national average. After cost-of-living adjustment, the median umpires, referees, and other sports officials salary is worth about $16,790 in national-average purchasing power.

The table above ranks every state by median pay for this role. Keep in mind that the highest-paying states tend to have the highest costs of living, so the top salary doesn't always mean the most money in your pocket.