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Boston Career Explorer

Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media

Umpires, Referees, and Other Sports Officials

Officiate 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.

Also called: Basketball Referee, Diving Judge, Dressage Judge, Football Referee, Horse Show Judge, Major League Baseball Umpire (MLB Umpire)

Median pay in Greater Boston
$49,410
Jobs in Greater Boston
140
Massachusetts 2024–2034
+9.0%
60 openings a year
Typical U.S. entry requirement
High school diploma or equivalent
plus Moderate-term on-the-job training

Greater Boston: Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH metro area, May 2025. Growth and openings: Massachusetts statewide projection.

Pay range in Greater Boston

Yearly pay in Greater Boston by percentile
10th25thMedian75th90th
$32,600$32,810$49,410$88,460$92,880

10% of workers earn less than the first figure and 10% earn more than the last.

What you’d do

  • Officiate at sporting events, games, or competitions, to maintain standards of play and to ensure that game rules are observed.
  • Inspect game sites for compliance with regulations or safety requirements.
  • Resolve claims of rule infractions or complaints by participants and assess any necessary penalties, according to regulations.
  • Signal participants or other officials to make them aware of infractions or to otherwise regulate play or competition.
  • Teach and explain the rules and regulations governing a specific sport.
  • Inspect sporting equipment or examine participants to ensure compliance with event and safety regulations.

AI and this job

AI exposure: how much of this job’s work AI tools can do or help with, based on national research. It is not a forecast of job loss.

Moderate exposure40 of 100

The index averages three national research measures, each shown as a percentile of all jobs:

  • AIOE 45
  • Language-model AIOE 42
  • GPTs-are-GPTs 33

Observed AI use today: Little or none (Anthropic Economic Index)

Umpires, referees, and other sports officials have moderate AI exposure, and observed AI use is little or none. AI tools may help with learning and explaining rules. Making fast calls during play, handling disputes, and checking game sites in person rely on people.

Likely to change

  • Looking up and studying rule details
  • Training materials for explaining rules

Still relies on people

  • Making fast calls during live play
  • Resolving disputes with players and coaches

Written with AI from the data on this page. Check with a career coach before making a decision.

Next steps from here

Related jobs that build on what you already do.

  • Exercise Trainers and Group Fitness Instructors

    Knowing rules, watching participants closely, and explaining corrections carry over. This move offers faster growth and higher median pay.

    Pay difference
    +$15,780 median
    AI exposure
    Lower
    MA growth
    +14.0%
    To get started
    High school diploma or equivalent

  • Maintenance and Repair Workers, General

    Inspecting sites and equipment for safety carries over. The move uses hands-on checking and offers higher median pay with moderate on-the-job training.

    Pay difference
    +$10,260 median
    AI exposure
    Lower
    MA growth
    +5.2%
    To get started
    High school diploma or equivalent

  • Firefighters

    Quick decisions under pressure and a focus on safety carry over. The move needs long-term training and offers higher median pay.

    Pay difference
    +$24,580 median
    AI exposure
    Lower
    MA growth
    +4.4%
    To get started
    Postsecondary nondegree award

Training near Boston

College and school programs in the Boston metro area that lead to this job, with 2023-24 completions (IPEDS).

No college programs near Boston map to this job. Many people enter through on-the-job training or apprenticeship.

Talk to a career coach at the Office of Workforce Development about apprenticeships and City partner programs.

Related occupations

Talk to a career coach

A coach at the Office of Workforce Development can help you plan your next step, and connect you with training, apprenticeships and City partner programs that are not listed here.

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