������һ����ӰԺ�ݲ�

The referee/umpire as an object of scorn is sort of a cliché. Every time I watch a movie or TV show that involves Little League baseball, there’s an obligatory sequence in which an annoying mom or dad abuses the ump for calling strike three on their myopic kid. In the real world, ref-bashing is a staple of sports punditry. Umps and refs are routinely scrutinized and derided by the fan hives of pro teams. They face threats and harassment and sometimes—especially in the world of soccer—. Refereeing, in other words, is a thankless job (Scroll down for average Referee and Umpire Salaries in the NFL, NBA, MLB, and NHL).

But now I can hear the staticky voice of Mike from Brooklyn or Steve from Jersey calling in to an early morning sports radio talk show, saying that the public ridicule is practically in these refs’ job description. They make a good living. It’s only fair. And it’s true—referees and umpires do make a good living. The average NFL referee salary is more than $200,000 per year. Still: I’ll leave it up to the reader to decide if that makes the ritualistic abuse worth it.

Average NFL referee salary

The average NFL referee salary is approximately $205,000. That figure is an approximation because, unlike player salaries, NFL referee salaries are not disclosed to the public. We know who the highest paid players in the NFL are, but when it comes to referees—and coaches, for that matter—we have to do a little guesswork.

So how do we know that the average NFL referee salary is around $205,000? That figure comes from old versions of the Collective Bargaining Agreement, which is periodically negotiated between the NFL and the NFL Referees Association.

In 2019, the referees’ union and the league came to a seven-year agreement. Prior to that agreement, the average NFL referee salary was around $150,000. In 2026, when the current CBA expires, the refs’ union and the league will come together once again to work out the terms of a new agreement.

What else do we know about the average NFL referee salary? Well, we know that the $205,000 per year estimate is just the average NFL referee salary. Individual referees take home more (or less) in salary based on the amount of time they’ve served in the league and their specific roles on the field—for example, head refs responsible for their entire on-field referee crews make more. According to , veterans Brad Allen and Craig Wrolstad are the highest earning NFL referees, with salaries around $250,000 per year. An NFL referee salary can also be boosted by bonuses. In the playoffs, NFL referees reportedly make double their regular season rate.

What is a typical NBA referee salary?

Like the NFL, the NBA doesn’t make the salaries of its referees publicly available. In 2022, the league and the NBA Referees Association negotiated the terms of a new collective bargaining agreement; the current CBA between the NBA and the refs’ union will remain in effect through the 2028-29 season. Per league policy, the details of the agreement aren’t released to the public.

So then how do we know what a typical NBA referee salary looks like? We don’t. But a few reports can give us an idea of the broad range of a given NBA referee salary. First, like most jobs, an NBA referee’s salary is determined in part by seniority. According to one reporter, an entry-level NBA ref might make $150,000 per year. With every additional year in the league, a referee’s salary increases, and it continues increasing until it maxes out at 30 years of experience. The most senior referees in the NBA reportedly make around $7000 per game, or $555,000 per year. Veterans like James Capers, Tony Brothers, Sean Corbin, and Scott Foster all have accrued more than 25 years of service time, so it’s safe to say that they’re amongst the highest paid NBA referees.

Referee and Umpire Salaries in the NFL, NBA, MLB, and NHL (Continued)

An NBA referee salary can also increase according to performance. Since the details of the collective bargaining agreement between the referees’ union and the NBA aren’t made available to the public, we can only speculate as to what specific incentives can boost a ref’s pay. But in all likelihood, those incentives have to do with things like the speed and accuracy of a ref’s calls, which can be reviewed and analyzed via replay.

As is the case in other leagues, NBA referees make more if they’re selected to work playoff games.

Average MLB umpire salary

Of all the sports-officiating positions discussed in this article, I find the MLB umpire the most interesting. That’s because the future of MLB umpires isn’t too clear. The Major League umpire—and in particular, the home plate umpire—might soon be a relic of the past. An automated balls-and-strikes system is becoming more and more of a possibility with each passing season. The league has been an automated strike zone in the minor leagues for the past two years, and by now it’s clear that MLB decision-makers use the minors to beta-test their major-league product. The changes that Major League Baseball implemented in 2023, for example—the pitch clock, bigger bases, rules curtailing the use of defensive shifts—were introduced in the minor leagues years prior.

The prospect of robo-umps is polarizing. Traditionalists, purists, old heads, etc., oppose the idea. The new school, sabermetrically-driven set (and a majority of players) are robo-ump advocates. My thoughts on the issue are muddled. It doesn’t seem controversial to think that a more accurate strike-zone (i.e., a fairer strike-zone) would be good for the game. But then the Luddite part of my brain takes over. I love the fact that baseball, maybe more than any other major American sport, has its own, self-policed code of mores.

Referee and Umpire Salaries in the NFL, NBA, MLB, and NHL (Continued)

For example: don’t bunt to break up a no hitter. Or: don’t swing on a 3-0 pitch if your team is winning by a large margin. When one of those unwritten rules gets broken, the opposing team retaliates, usually in the form of a fastball to a hitter’s lower back. It might be a little barbaric, but I can’t help but think that there’s something deeply human about baseball. And umpires—and their fallibility—are a big part of what makes baseball so human. We’ve already quantized and digitized and sterilized so many aspects of the sport. Maybe we can let the umps keep their jobs.

Umpires don’t make nearly as much as players. Baseball is the only major American sport without a salary cap. In 2024, the average MLB player , and in the past couple of off-seasons we’ve seen two contracts—one for Shohei Ohtani and the other for Juan Soto—hit and exceed the $700 million mark.

Last year, I wrote an article for ������һ����ӰԺ�ݲ� on the highest paid MLB players. Juan Soto came in at 17th on that list, making $31 million for his 2024 campaign with the New York Yankees. Soto hadn’t hit free agency yet, and in the article, I noted that MLB insiders were speculating that he could land a $600 million deal on the open market. At the time, that speculation was considered bullish. But then Steven Cohen signed him to an astronomical $765 million, 15-year contract with the New York Mets (which could exceed $800 million if he hits certain contract incentives).

Referee and Umpire Salaries in the NFL, NBA, MLB, and NHL (Continued)

So yeah. MLB umpires don’t make that kind of bread. But they still make good money. MLB umpire salaries range from $150,000 to $450,000 annually. That’s according to . As with an NFL referee salary, an MLB ump’s pay jumps in tandem with experience.

In addition to the great salary, MLB umpires get Supreme Court-style job security. There are currently 68 umps at the Major League level, and a new position becomes available only when one of those 68 umps retires or otherwise becomes unable to work.

Average NHL referee salary

I’d rank the level of umpire/referee athleticism, from least athletic to most athletic, as follows: MLB umpires, NFL referees, NBA referees, NHL referees. MLB umpires don’t have to move much at all. The home plate umpire’s job is definitely grueling and hard on the body, but I wouldn’t necessarily say it requires a high level of athleticism. NFL refs mostly patrol the sidelines. NBA refs have to move up and down the court with the action of the game, and they have to keep up with some of the most dynamic athletes in the world. Having to run after Damian Lillard or Russell Westbrook all night sounds exhausting.

And NHL refs, in some ways, have to participate in the sport itself—at the very least, they have to be able to skate at the level of pro ice hockey players. Many NHL referees played some level of competitive hockey, whether it was at the high school level, college, or a professional but lower-caliber developmental league like the AHL. In fact, there are currently nine referees in the NHL right now that were once drafted into the league as players.

Ref Compensation (Continued)

Typical NHL referee salaries range from $165,000 to $360,000 per year. But those numbers don’t tell the whole story. Officiating NHL games requires two types of position: referees and linesmen. Referees cover the big-picture aspects of the game. They’re the central authority figure, so they make major calls, assess penalties, and award goals. Basically, they’re responsible for the overall flow of the game. So things like behavior management—handling disputes, doling out penalties for unsportsmanlike conduct—fall under their jurisdiction, too. Linesmen, also known as assistant referees, work to support the main referee. Linesmen are in charge of things like offsides plays, icing violations, and minor penalties.

So as you’d expect, referees make more than linesmen. And as is the case in the NFL, NBA, and MLB, a referee’s pay increases as he or she accumulates more time in the league. A rookie referee, for example, might make around $200,000 per year, and a rookie linesman’s salary might be somewhat less, around $137,000. (Side note: there are no rules barring women from becoming NHL refs, but in the league’s more than 100-year history, only once has a woman officiated a game—Heather McDaniel reffed a single game in 1995.)

Referee and Umpire Salaries in the NFL, NBA, MLB, and NHL (Continued)

NHL referees also make more if they work the playoffs. Being selected to ref the playoffs is a career milestone, and it also carries major financial benefits. Refs and linesmen calling playoff games get paid on a per-round basis. For refs, they make around $27,000 per round, for linesmen, around $17,000.

Because numbers aren’t disclosed to the public, we don’t know who the highest paid NHL referee is. Refs Eric Furlatt, Steve Kozari, Wes McCauley, and Dan O’Rourke all have more than 20 years of service time, so in all likelihood, they’re compensated at the high end of the scale.

Additional Resources

• Wealthiest NFL Owners – 2025
• Oldest College Football Players (2024 and All-Time)
• Colleges with the Most NFL Players
• 25 Largest College Football Stadiums