Best colleges for Parks, Recreation, and Leisure Studies in California
Program-level earnings — not school prestige — rank these. Among the California programs in the federal field-of-study file, California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo leads: its Parks, Recreation, and Leisure Studies graduates earn a median $75,181 four years after finishing, against the field's $50,983 national median. (Scorecard field-of-study, 2026.)
| # | College | Grad earnings, 4 yrs | Vs field median |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo | $75,181 | +$24,198 |
| 2 | California State University-East Bay | $68,227 | +$17,244 |
| 3 | California State University-Chico | $59,765 | +$8,782 |
| 4 | California State University-Sacramento | $59,041 | +$8,058 |
| 5 | San Diego State University | $57,093 | +$6,110 |
| 6 | California State University-Fresno | $56,336 | +$5,353 |
How big is the earnings gap between California Parks programs?
$18,845 separates the top and bottom of this list — $75,181 at California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo against $56,336 at California State University-Fresno, four years after finishing. Same field, same state, same federal measure: where you study moves pay by that much.
Do California Parks graduates earn more than the national median?
The state's strongest program pays $24,198 above the $50,983 national median for the field. Program-level medians come from federal tax records of graduates who received aid, so they track actual pay rather than advertised salaries.