The typical park and recreation agency is staffed with 38.2 full-time equivalents (FTEs) that include a mix of full-time and part-time staff. But, the size of the staff expands exponentially as the size of the jurisdiction served by the agency expands.

Another way to view agency staffing is to measure it relative to the population of the area that the agency serves. The typical park and recreation agency has 8.3 FTEs on staff for each 10,000 residents living in the jurisdiction served by the agency. Agencies tend to have fewer FTEs on staff when located in more populated areas. There are many responsibilities covered by an agency’s park and recreation professionals but nearly half of all primary work responsibilities involve operations and maintenance.