Umpires, Referees, and Other Sports Officials
Also called: Horse Show Judge, Major League Baseball Umpire (MLB Umpire), Referee, Sports OfficialOfficiate at competitive athletic or sporting events. Detect infractions of rules and decide penalties according to established regulations. Includes all sporting officials, referees, and competition judges.
On a phone, press and hold a picture to save it to Photos.
opens your phone's share sheet, where you can save both to Photos
What the data says: AI could halve the time on 4 of its 16 tasks, and jobs are projected to grow 5.2% by 2035. How to think about this →
About this projection
BLS builds AI into its projections where the research supports it: “BLS generally applies adjustments based on this research conservatively, where there is convincing evidence for a change.”
It also notes a limit: “BLS projection methods are not designed to capture extremely rapid technological change.”
On its AI exposure groups, BLS says exposure “does not imply job loss.”
Recent conditions
- In 2024, 9.3% of people in this work were unemployed, against 3.8% across all occupations Census ACS 2024
- From Sep 2025 to Aug 2026, 11.1 hires for every 10 job openings in arts, entertainment, and recreation, which employs about 41% of people in this work, against 7.3 across all industries BLS JOLTS
One box per opening, filled for each hire; hires beyond the openings are added in a lighter shade. Higher can mean openings get filled, or that people leave often; lower, that jobs go unfilled, or hiring is slow.11.1 this industry7.3 all industries
Median pay by state BLS OEWS May 2025, state estimates
Tap a state for its figures.
Median pay in every state
| State | Median | Middle half earn | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Arizona | $46,440 | $32,240 to $56,920 | 210 |
| California | $44,530 | $38,010 to $58,260 | 1,950 |
| Colorado | $44,230 | $36,770 to $53,760 | 1,120 |
| Connecticut | $39,530 | $34,010 to $76,030 | 200 |
| Florida | $37,070 | $29,690 to $46,650 | 280 |
| Georgia | $28,360 | $20,800 to $46,360 | 280 |
| Idaho | $32,250 | $26,710 to $34,560 | 170 |
| Illinois | $49,070 | $35,310 to $82,960 | 690 |
| Indiana | $46,140 | $37,870 to $46,790 | 170 |
| Iowa | $43,040 | $32,280 to $64,640 | 190 |
| Kansas | $25,780 | $25,780 to $44,930 | not published |
| Kentucky | not published | not published | 290 |
| Louisiana | $50,080 | $34,430 to $65,230 | 310 |
| Maine | not published | not published | 180 |
| Massachusetts | $48,400 | $33,170 to $91,570 | 250 |
| Michigan | $34,560 | $34,560 to $38,550 | 340 |
| Minnesota | not published | not published | 320 |
| Mississippi | $27,060 | $27,060 to $27,130 | 60 |
| Missouri | $33,140 | $29,480 to $41,600 | 1,240 |
| Montana | $36,370 | $30,810 to $52,190 | 60 |
| Nebraska | $31,390 | $28,080 to $45,380 | 40 |
| New Jersey | $67,600 | $47,930 to $69,330 | 420 |
| New York | not published | not published | 630 |
| North Carolina | $26,540 | $23,520 to $45,640 | 400 |
| North Dakota | $63,920 | $48,060 to $85,310 | 180 |
| Ohio | $55,040 | $27,160 to $57,750 | 580 |
| Oklahoma | $21,900 | $21,750 to $42,060 | 220 |
| Oregon | $38,730 | $33,350 to $46,480 | 170 |
| Pennsylvania | $44,200 | $24,020 to $51,840 | 320 |
| South Carolina | $61,290 | $37,300 to $61,290 | 50 |
| South Dakota | $35,260 | $33,320 to $42,240 | 80 |
| Tennessee | not published | not published | 380 |
| Texas | $42,920 | $31,770 to $53,580 | 650 |
| Utah | $31,430 | $29,360 to $37,290 | 1,100 |
| Vermont | $46,080 | $37,530 to $48,680 | 80 |
| Virginia | $40,840 | $34,250 to $59,280 | 260 |
| Washington | $41,350 | $35,880 to $48,560 | 400 |
| West Virginia | $46,490 | $30,320 to $60,160 | 50 |
| Wisconsin | $57,000 | $39,740 to $63,360 | 300 |
Nationally: $40,710. Shades run from the lowest state median to the highest; a territory below that range takes the lightest. How to read this
How AI touches the work
What AI could speed up, task by task, and where people already use it.
AI could halve the time on 4 of its 16 tasks
| AI rating | Its main tasks | Share of Claude conversations May 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Not much | Officiate at sporting events, games, or competitions, to maintain standards of play and to ensure that game rules are observed. | Not published |
| AI alone | Teach and explain the rules and regulations governing a specific sport. | Not published |
| Not much | Confer with other sporting officials, coaches, players, and facility managers to provide information, coordinate activities, and discuss problems. | Not published |
| Not much | Signal participants or other officials to make them aware of infractions or to otherwise regulate play or competition. | Not published |
| Not much | Inspect game sites for compliance with regulations or safety requirements. | Not published |
| Not much | Inspect sporting equipment or examine participants to ensure compliance with event and safety regulations. | Not published |
See all 16 tasks
| Not much | Judge performances in sporting competitions to award points, impose scoring penalties, and determine results. | Not published |
| Not much | Report to regulating organizations regarding sporting activities, complaints made, and actions taken or needed, such as fines or other disciplinary actions. | Not published |
| Not much | Resolve claims of rule infractions or complaints by participants and assess any necessary penalties, according to regulations. | Not published |
| Not much | Keep track of event times, including race times and elapsed time during game segments, starting or stopping play when necessary. | Not published |
| Not much | Start races and competitions. | Not published |
| Not much | Verify scoring calculations before competition winners are announced. | under 0.01% |
| Not much | Direct participants to assigned areas, such as starting blocks or penalty areas. | Not published |
| AI + software | Research and study players and teams to anticipate issues that might arise in future engagements. | Not published |
| AI + software | Verify credentials of participants in sporting events, and make other qualifying determinations, such as starting order or handicap number. | Not published |
| AI alone | Compile scores and other athletic records. | Not published |
Ordered by how important O*NET's respondents rate each task (1 to 5) times the share who say it is part of their job. The ordering is ours. 1 of the 16 have a published share of Claude conversations; “not published” means too few conversations for Anthropic to publish a figure.
Where people already use AI
The tasks above say what AI could speed up. This shows what people are using it for. Its 16 tasks fall under 11 work activities that many occupations share, and Microsoft counted how often each one came up in 200,000 conversations with its Copilot assistant in 2024.
- #22 Investigate individuals' background, behavior, or activities
- #33 Compile records, documentation, or other data
| Work activity | This occupation's tasks under it | People asked AI for help in 10,000 conversations |
AI did it for them in 10,000 conversations |
|---|---|---|---|
| Coordinate artistic or entertainment activities | |||
| Evaluate the quality or accuracy of data | |||
| Investigate individuals' background, behavior, or activities | |||
| Compile records, documentation, or other data | |||
| Communicate with others about operational plans or activities | |||
| Investigate organizational or operational problems | |||
| Monitor individual behavior or performance | |||
| Coach others |
Show all 11 activities
| Inspect facilities or equipment | |||
| Monitor operations to ensure compliance with regulations or standards | |||
| Evaluate personnel capabilities or performance |
How people in this work use Claude
What people in this work made with Claude % of conversations
- An analysis or summary30%
- Data or a spreadsheet19%
- An explanation or answer10%
- A document or report9%
- Math or a calculation9%
How they worked with Claude
16% of these conversations were about work. Anthropic Economic Index, May 2026.
How to read this
Work activities come from O*NET, which links every task to the broader activities it involves. Microsoft's figures are for the activity across everyone who used Copilot, not for umpires, referees, and other sports officials specifically. Copilot is a general chat assistant; dedicated coding tools are not included, so programming help is under-counted here. Activities are listed by how many of this occupation's tasks fall under them.
The task ratings say whether AI could halve the time a task takes: on its own (“AI alone”), or with software built on it (“AI + software”). They were made by people in 2023 (Eloundou et al.). Claude's share is the task's share of all Claude.ai conversations in May 2026; Anthropic doesn't publish a task with too few conversations. None of these add up to the BLS exposure group, which combines five research measures.
More in the Guide: task ratings · task order · work activities · Copilot figures · Claude
High exposure doesn't mean fewer jobs
BLS projects most occupations in its two most exposed groups to grow: 141 of 206 rated Very high and 165 of 206 rated High. Each dot is one of the 831 occupations BLS rates.
Career moves into and out of this occupation
From moves between occupations found in online resumes, 2002–2016. Career changes only: a first job after school isn't a move.
Where people moved next
of 25,041 moves out
- 1 Managers, All Other (2010 group) an older group BLS has since split; no exposure group today 6%
- 2 Coaches and Scouts Moderate +6.1% 6%
- 3 Retail Salespersons Very high -0.3% 3%
- 4 Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Except Technical and Scientific Products Very high -0.9% 3%
- 5 General and Operations Managers High +5.0% 3%
Where people moved in from
of 19,862 moves in
- 1 Coaches and Scouts Moderate +6.1% 7%
- 2 Managers, All Other (2010 group) an older group BLS has since split; no exposure group today 5%
- 3 Retail Salespersons Very high -0.3% 3%
- 4 Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Except Technical and Scientific Products Very high -0.9% 3%
- 5 First-Line Supervisors of Retail Sales Workers High -3.7% 2%
Resumes over-represent younger, white-collar job-seekers and moves into management. Schubert, Stansbury and Taska (resume data).
Education and training for the occupation
O*NET survey of workers in this occupation
- 24% less than high school
- 43% high school
- 10% postsecondary certificate
- 5% associate's
- 14% bachelor's
- 5% research doctorate
O*NET 31.0 survey of workers in this occupation · 21 people answered.
Census survey (American Community Survey)
- 34% less than high school
- 13% high school
- 28% some college
- 8% associate's
- 12% bachelor's
- 4% master's
- 1% professional degree
Census ACS 2024, all workers in this occupation · 378 people surveyed.
Why the two can differ
O*NET asks about 20 people in each occupation, which makes its shares uncertain, but it reports the exact occupation and counts certificates. The Census survey reaches thousands, but it groups some occupations together and counts degrees only. More in the Guide
Jobs that require a credential BLS Occupational Requirements Survey 2023
36.7% this occupation
45.3% all occupations
| By kind | This occupation | All occupations |
|---|---|---|
| a certification | 25.3% | 5.8% |
| an educational certificate | <0.5% | 2.8% |
| a license | not published |
Share of jobs whose employer requires it. BLS doesn't say which credential. How to read this
Look up certifications, training and licenses U.S. Department of Labor
- Certification Finder ↗ certifications CareerOneStop lists for this occupation
- Training Finder ↗ schools and programs, nationwide; narrow the place there
- License Finder ↗ licenses by state
- Apprenticeships: DOL's list of apprenticeable occupations doesn't include this one.
These open in a new tab and send only the occupation's public code. More in the Guide
BLS AI exposure categories (Aug 2026) · BLS Employment Projections 2025–35 · O*NET 31.0 · Task ratings: Eloundou et al., Science (2024) · Microsoft "Working with AI" v1.1 · Anthropic Economic Index (2026-06-26) · Schubert, Stansbury and Taska · NCES CIP–SOC · Census ACS 2024 · BLS JOLTS
See it online, and explore any career: https://www.pathmosaic.com/card/27-2023.00