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2026 Highest Paid Recreation Administration Grads in Illinois

[Recreation Administration](/majors/parks-recreation-fitness/recreation-administration/) is a field where your choice of school can shape what you earn after graduation. A top-earning program sends graduates into careers with strong starting pay.

For its 2026 highest-paid-graduates ranking, College Factual looked at 4 schools to find where recreation administration graduates earn the most.

What’s on this page:

• Highest Paid Recreation Administration Grads in Illinois

2026 Highest Paid Recreation Administration Grads in Illinois

If you want to know which schools send recreation administration graduates into the highest-paying careers, see the list below.

Highest Paid Recreation Administration Graduates

1

Illinois State University
Normal, IL

$47,002 Average Early-Career Salary

Illinois State University tops our 2026 list of the highest-paying recreation administration schools in Illinois. Located in the suburb of Normal, Illinois State University is a public institution. Students who complete the recreation administration program here go on to a median salary of roughly $47,002.

2

University Of St Francis
Joliet, IL

$38,999 Average Early-Career Salary

Strong graduate earnings at University Of St Francis earned it the #2 place for recreation administration. University Of St Francis is a private not-for-profit school located in the suburb of Joliet. Early-career recreation administration graduates from University Of St Francis make a median of around $38,999 per year.

3

Eastern Illinois University
Charleston, IL

$35,425 Average Early-Career Salary

Eastern Illinois University came in at #3 on our 2026 list of the highest-paying recreation administration schools. Eastern Illinois University is a public school located in the town of Charleston. After graduating, recreation administration degree recipients from Eastern Illinois University typically earn about $35,425 annually.

4

Western Illinois University
Macomb, IL

$41,189 Average Early-Career Salary

Western Illinois University produces some of the highest-paid graduates in recreation administration, landing the #4 spot this year. Set in the town of Macomb, Western Illinois University is a public institution. Students who complete the recreation administration program here go on to a median salary of roughly $41,189.

View All Recreation Administration Rankings >

Notes and References

The ranking above is published by College Factual, 2026 edition. The methodology measures the salaries recreation administration graduates go on to earn early in their careers, drawn primarily from the U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard field-of-study earnings and IPEDS).

Ranking method: College Major Earnings · 4 schools evaluated.

*Salary figures reflect median early-career earnings (about 5 years after graduation) and may vary by how long a person takes to complete their degree.

• The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE), serves as the core of our data about colleges.
• Graduate earnings data comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard) field-of-study earnings.

More about our data sources and methodologies.