16 | 2023 National Recreation and Park Association STAFFING Because park and recreation agencies differ by size and jurisdiction served, so too do staffing levels. Staffing at the typical park and recreation agency includes 51.5 full-time equivalent employees (FTEs) with a mix of both full-time and part-time staff. Staff size, however, expands rapidly as the size of the population served by an agency increases. Park and recreation agencies serving jurisdictions of less than 20,000 residents have a median of 11.3 FTEs on staff. Agencies serving areas with 50,000 to 99,999 people have a median of 75.8 FTEs, while those in jurisdictions of more than 250,000 residents have a median of 264.1 FTEs on staff. The median number of FTEs on staff also positively correlates with: • Number of acres maintained: 250 or fewer acres — 20.4 FTEs; more than 3,500 acres — 263.0 FTEs • Number of parks maintained: Less than 10 parks — 13.8 FTEs; 50 or more parks — 218.2 FTEs • Operating expenditures: Less than $500,000 — 4.1 FTEs; more than $10 million — 184.5 FTEs • Population served by the agency: Less than 500 people per square mile — 22.3 FTEs; more than 2,500 people per square mile — 95.8 FTEs One way to view agency staffing is to measure it relative to the population that an agency serves. The typical park and recreation agency has 8.9 FTEs on staff for every 10,000 residents in the jurisdiction served by that agency. Agencies in more populated areas tend to have fewer FTEs on staff per population. Agencies serving jurisdictions of less than 20,000 people have 11.5 FTEs for every 10,000 residents; this measure decreases to 4.9 FTEs for 10,000 residents in areas with more than 250,000 people. Agencies that serve areas with greater population density tend to have more FTEs per number of residents. Those operating in jurisdictions of less than 500 people per square mile have 5.8 FTEs per 10,000 people served compared to 10.2 FTEs per 10,000 residents in areas with more than 2,500 people per square mile. FIGURE 10: PARK AND RECREATION AGENCY STAFFING: FULL-TIME EQUIVALENTS (FTEs) (BY JURISDICTION POPULATION) All Agencies Less Than 20,000 20,000 to 49,999 50,000 to 99,999 100,000 to 250,000 More Than 250,000 300 250 200 150 100 50 0 NUMBER OF FTE STAFF All Agencies Less Than 20,000 20,000 to 49,999 50,000 to 99,999 100,000 to 250,000 More Than 250,000 Median 51.5 11.3 32.3 75.8 121.5 264.1 Lower Quartile 17.3 6.0 17.0 46.0 72.8 103.9 Upper Quartile 134.7 22.0 67.8 127.5 198.3 533.0 A summer camper shows off her mermaid art in Kettering, Ohio. PHOTO COURTESY OF CITY OF KETTERING PARKS, RECREATION AND CULTURAL ARTS DEPARTMENT
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