City of Cincinnati / Lifeguard
Role across City of Cincinnati
Lifeguard
Carry out the duties of this position in support of the agency's public mission.
252 people hold the Lifeguard role across 2 departments in City of Cincinnati, with a median total compensation of $27,144. Among 19 jurisdictions where this role is reported, City of Cincinnati ranks #4 by median pay.
- Employees
- 252
- Median pay
- $27,144
- Departments
- 2
- Cross-jurisdiction
- #4 of 19
Compared with the local labor market
Lifeguard pay vs. the Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN area
Across all employers in the Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN area, the median wage for Lifeguards, Ski Patrol, and Other Recreational Protective Service Workers — about 1,540 people — is $30,320. City of Cincinnati pays a median base salary of $27,144 for this role, 10% below that figure — about the 34th percentile of local pay for the occupation.
Where City of Cincinnati sits in the local pay range
The bar is the range of annual wages for Lifeguards, Ski Patrol, and Other Recreational Protective Service Workers across every employer in the Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN area, from the 10th to the 90th percentile, with the middle 50% highlighted. The marker shows City of Cincinnati’s median base salary for this role. Both figures are base pay only.
And across the country
Nationwide, the median wage for Lifeguards, Ski Patrol, and Other Recreational Protective Service Workers — about 157,550 people — is $33,580. City of Cincinnati’s median base salary is 19% below that national figure, about the 17th percentile of pay for the occupation nationally.
Local and national wages differ for reasons beyond how well a job pays — cost of living, the mix of employers, and local demand for the occupation all move the Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN range relative to the national one.
Computed over the 196 of 252 people in this role paid at least $25,000 in base salary. The rest are part-year or part-time records, whose actual pay isn’t comparable to a full-time annual wage.
Median total compensation for this role at City of Cincinnati is $27,144, which includes overtime and employer-paid benefits. The benchmark above excludes both, so total compensation is deliberately not compared against it.
Benchmark: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (May 2025). BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) covers all employers in the area — private, non-profit, and government alike — so this is a comparison against the whole local labor market for the occupation, not against private-sector pay. OEWS wages are straight-time pay and exclude overtime, shift differentials, and employer-paid benefits, so the government figure shown here is base pay on the same basis. Total compensation is not comparable to it. Job titles are matched to the closest standard occupation, so the comparison is between similar work rather than an identical job classification.
Compare jurisdictions
Lifeguard pay in other jurisdictions
Where Lifeguards are paid most
Median total compensation for comparable Lifeguard roles in other jurisdictions (highest first). Titles are matched by normalized name across sources, not by identical job classification, and pay is not cost-of-living adjusted. Each bar links to that jurisdiction’s page for this role.
Within City of Cincinnati
Departments with this role
Largest City of Cincinnati departments for this role
Departments in City of Cincinnati employing the most people in this role. Each bar links to that department’s page for the role.