Careers / Lifeguards, Ski Patrol, and Other Recreational Protective Service Workers

Lifeguards, Ski Patrol, and Other Recreational Protective Service Workers — Career Decision Dashboard

United States

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Median annual wage

$33,580

United States, 2025

Employment

157,550

United States, 2025

Typical education

Less than a High School Diploma

Job Zone 2

Skills identified

35

10 related careers

Career overview

Monitor recreational areas, such as pools, beaches, or ski slopes, to provide assistance and protection to participants.

O*NET code
33-9092.00
Job zone
2
Experience required
None

Typical tasks

  • Rescue distressed persons, using rescue techniques and equipment.
  • Patrol or monitor recreational areas, such as trails, slopes, or swimming areas, on foot, in vehicles, or from towers.
  • Contact emergency medical personnel in case of serious injury.
  • Examine injured persons and administer first aid or cardiopulmonary resuscitation, if necessary, using training and medical supplies and equipment.
  • Warn recreational participants of inclement weather, unsafe areas, or illegal conduct.
  • Maintain quality of pool water by testing chemical levels.
  • Complete and maintain records of weather and beach conditions, emergency medical treatments performed, and other relevant incident information.
  • Instruct participants in skiing, swimming, or other recreational activities and provide safety precaution information.

Choose a location

Salary analysis — United States

$25,780
10th
$28,880
25th
$33,580
Median
$37,520
75th
$43,970
90th

10th percentile

$25,780

25th percentile

$28,880

75th percentile

$37,520

90th percentile

$43,970

Most important skills

  • Monitoring3.8
  • Speaking3.5
  • Social Perceptiveness3.4
  • Service Orientation3.3
  • Learning Strategies3.1
  • Active Listening3.1
  • Complex Problem Solving3.0
  • Critical Thinking3.0
  • Coordination3.0
  • Judgment and Decision Making3.0
  • Reading Comprehension2.9
  • Instructing2.8

What skills do you need?

Select the skills you already have

Skills listed are those O*NET rates at importance 3.0 or above for this occupation. Set your own level on the same 0–7 O*NET scale.

Skill coverage

0%

0 of 10 identified skills

Matched

0

Missing

10

Your selected skills cover approximately 0% of the skills identified for this occupation in O*NET. This is a coverage measure of listed skills only — it is not a qualification, hiring or interview outcome.

Skills to develop

SkillImportanceRequired levelYour levelGap
Monitoring3.83.5Not selected3.5
Social Perceptiveness3.43.3Not selected3.3
Speaking3.53.0Not selected3.0
Service Orientation3.33.1Not selected3.1
Active Listening3.13.1Not selected3.1
Learning Strategies3.13.0Not selected3.0
Critical Thinking3.03.0Not selected3.0
Judgment and Decision Making3.03.0Not selected3.0
Coordination3.02.9Not selected2.9
Complex Problem Solving3.02.6Not selected2.6

Ordered by required level gap multiplied by O*NET importance. No prediction or recommendation is implied.

Related careers

How salary varies by location

LocationMedianEmploymentYear
Kahului, HI$64,0301102025
DC$60,4002902025
HI$52,6307202025
Urban Honolulu, HI$49,7302025
Bozeman, MT$44,6101002025
Los Angeles, CA$43,80011,6402025
Austin, TX$43,2601,8002025
San Diego, CA$43,0502,4802025
CA$42,72022,6202025
San Jose, CA$42,4601,0202025
Ann Arbor, MI$42,3303902025
Crestview, FL$41,310502025
Santa Cruz, CA$39,9703402025
Santa Maria, CA$39,5802602025
Traverse City, MI$39,2701202025
Seattle, WA$39,2403,0602025
Riverside, CA$39,1601,0702025
San Francisco, CA$39,1202,0002025
Deltona, FL$38,9003102025
Medford, OR$38,790702025
All locations with published data

Career transition paths

Compare the skills of a career you hold today with Lifeguards, Ski Patrol, and Other Recreational Protective Service Workers to see shared skills, target-only skills and skill overlap.

Build a transition comparison

Career and skills data: O*NET 31.0.

Salary and employment data: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS, 2025 (May 2025 release).

Figures are periodic published survey snapshots, not real-time market rates.