Umpires, Referees, and Other Sports Officials Salary
Umpires, Referees, and Other Sports Officials in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX make a median of $39,520 a year. The range runs from $22K at the entry level to $54K for experienced workers. Adjusted for local prices (RPP 98.63), that's roughly $40,069 in purchasing power. A 2-bedroom apartment runs $1,573/month, about 55.3% of take-home, which is tight.
So what does $40K get you in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands?
Groceries, utilities, transportation, and healthcare scaled from national averages by Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands’s Regional Price Parity (98.63). Rent from HUD Fair Market Rents. Taxes estimated for single filer, standard deduction. * Healthcare is the employee-paid share only (premiums + out-of-pocket). Actual costs vary by coverage type: employer-sponsored, ACA marketplace, or uninsured.
About umpires, referees, and other sports officials
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What this looks like in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands
Umpires, referees, and other sports officials pay in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands tracks closely to the national median, $40K locally vs. $41K nationwide, a 3% difference. The catch: housing math doesn't keep up. A 2-bedroom at the HUD median rents for $1,573/month, which is 55.9% of the median worker's take-home, past the 30% guideline most planners use. Cost of living (RPP 98.63) is near the national average, so spending patterns here track the typical American budget fairly closely. Use the affordability calculator above to model your specific situation.
Compared to nearby metros
Median pay for umpires, referees, and other sports officials in metros near Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, adjusted for local cost of living.
| Metro | Median pay | COL-adjusted |
|---|---|---|
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington | $47K | $45K |
| Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos | $48K | $48K |
| San Antonio-New Braunfels | $43K | $45K |
| Oklahoma City | $22K | $24K |
COL-adjusted = median salary ÷ (BEA Regional Price Parity ÷ 100). Expresses purchasing power in national-average dollars.
Compensation breakdown
Annual earnings by percentile, Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX
Entry-level umpires, referees, and other sports officials (10th percentile) start around $22K. Mid-career wages sit at $40K. Top earners bring in $54K or more, a $32K spread from bottom to top.
Umpires, Referees, and Other Sports Officials pay across states
Median income ranked highest to lowest, compared to the national figure
View Umpires, Referees, and Other Sports Officials salary in all states
| State | Median salary | vs. national | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| New Jersey | $68K | +66% | 420 |
| North Dakota | $64K | +57% | 180 |
| South Carolina | $61K | +51% | 50 |
| Wisconsin | $57K | +40% | 300 |
| Ohio | $55K | +35% | 580 |
| Louisiana | $50K | +23% | 310 |
| Illinois | $49K | +21% | 690 |
| Massachusetts | $48K | +19% | 250 |
| West Virginia | $46K | +14% | 50 |
| Arizona | $46K | +14% | 210 |
| Indiana | $46K | +13% | 170 |
| Vermont | $46K | +13% | 80 |
| California | $45K | +9% | 1,950 |
| Colorado | $44K | +9% | 1,120 |
| Pennsylvania | $44K | +9% | 320 |
| Iowa | $43K | +6% | 190 |
| Texas | $43K | +5% | 650 |
| Washington | $41K | +2% | 400 |
| Virginia | $41K | +0% | 260 |
| Connecticut | $40K | -3% | 200 |
| Oregon | $39K | -5% | 170 |
| Florida | $37K | -9% | 280 |
| Montana | $36K | -11% | 60 |
| South Dakota | $35K | -13% | 80 |
| Michigan | $35K | -15% | 340 |
| Missouri | $33K | -19% | 1,240 |
| Idaho | $32K | -21% | 170 |
| Utah | $31K | -23% | 1,100 |
| Nebraska | $31K | -23% | 40 |
| Georgia | $28K | -30% | 280 |
| Mississippi | $27K | -34% | 60 |
| North Carolina | $27K | -35% | 400 |
| Kansas | $26K | -37% | N/A |
| Oklahoma | $22K | -46% | 220 |
Showing 1–10 of 34 states
BLS does not publish data for every state when sample sizes are too small
Track umpires, referees, and other sports officials salary changes
BLS updates this data quarterly. We'll email you when Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands numbers change.
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Frequently asked questions
Can a umpires, referees, and other sports official afford a 2BR apartment alone in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands?
It’s a stretch — at the median salary of $40K, rent takes 55.9% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $1,573/month. The 30% guideline puts the comfortable ceiling at roughly $800/month in rent — so roommates or a 1-bedroom would ease the math significantly.
What’s the entry-level salary for umpires, referees, and other sports officials in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands?
The 10th-percentile wage — what new umpires, referees, and other sports officials typically earn — is $22K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $1,316/month. At HUD’s $1,573/month FMR, rent would take 120% of that take-home — above the 30% guideline, so a 1-bedroom or shared housing is likely necessary starting out.
Is umpires, referees, and other sports official a high-paying job in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands?
Pay here is roughly in line with the national average — $40K locally vs. $41K nationally, a 3% difference.
How does Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands compare to the national average for umpires, referees, and other sports officials?
Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands pays $40K median vs. the U.S. average of $41K — that’s -3%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 98.63), the purchasing-power equivalent is $40K — below the national median.
How much do umpires, referees, and other sports officials make in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX?
The median is $39,520 a year. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $21,940, and experienced umpires, referees, and other sports officials can clear $54,220. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.
Is $40K enough to live in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands?
On that salary, you'd take home roughly $2,816/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $1,573/month, which eats 55.9% 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.
How far does a umpires, referees, and other sports officials salary go in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands?
Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands has a Regional Price Parity of 98.63 (100 is the national average). That's below average, your money stretches further here than the raw salary number suggests. After cost-of-living adjustment, the median umpires, referees, and other sports officials salary is worth about $40,069 in national-average purchasing power.
Where do umpires, referees, and other sports officials get paid the most?
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.