SalaryRow

Gambling and Sports Book Writers and Runners salary

SOC 39-3012 · BLS OEWS May 2025

Median
$34,980
per year, nationally
Middle half
$28,150–$44,840
25th to 75th percentile
Employed
8,950
in the U.S.
Growth 2024–34
-6.1%
1,200 openings/yr

What the range looks like

A single median hides most of what a job pays. The bar below is the full national range: the wash spans the 10th to 90th percentile, the solid bar is the middle half, and the tick is the median.

$22,090$48,270
10th
$22,090
25th
$28,150
Median
$34,980
75th
$44,840
90th
$48,270

Getting in

Typical education to enter
High school diploma or equivalent
Related work experience
None
On-the-job training
Short-term on-the-job training

Entry requirements describe what is typical, not mandatory. Source: BLS Employment Projections, 2024–34.

Where gambling and sports book writers and runners earn the most

Nominal pay and pay adjusted for local prices rank states differently — a high-wage state with high costs can be worse off in real terms than a middling one. Switch between the two below.

The median wage as published, before local prices are taken into account.

#StateMedianCost of livingEmployedConcentrationvs. national
1New York$54,740107.91000.19×
2New Jersey$48,260108.8900.36×
3Massachusetts$47,720105.8
4Wisconsin$47,25094.1800.46×
5California$44,860110.71,4801.41×
6Washington$42,180107.02201.06×
7Ohio$38,46092.83601.13×
8Kentucky$37,91090.2600.50×
9Michigan$37,72096.2
10Nevada$37,500100.01,44016.09×
11Iowa$37,44087.81001.16×
12Arizona$35,640100.72601.41×
13Minnesota$35,37098.63502.09×
14Maryland$35,230105.0
15Illinois$34,610100.01300.37×
16Colorado$34,450103.1
17Connecticut$34,420103.6700.70×
18Florida$34,160103.4
19South Carolina$33,65093.71301.01×
20Indiana$32,73093.3900.47×
21Kansas$31,55090.1400.43×
22Pennsylvania$30,69097.6900.27×
23Texas$30,66097.14400.54×
24North Dakota$30,64089.01104.36×
25South Dakota$30,62088.6803.14×
26Nebraska$29,67090.13606.14×
27Mississippi$28,34087.01101.68×
28Louisiana$26,62088.21801.59×
29Montana$22,03094.61,05035.57×
30West Virginia$19,74089.51804.50×

Cost of living is the BEA regional price parity for all items, where 100 is the national average. Concentration is the BLS location quotient: how much more of the local workforce does this job than the national average, so 2.00× means twice the national share. It is often the reason wages differ — a place that concentrates an occupation has the employers and the competition for it. States where gambling and sports book writers and runners wages are suppressed by BLS for confidentiality are omitted.

Best paying metro areas for gambling and sports book writers and runners

The 27 highest-paying metros with a published estimate. BLS suppresses roughly half of all occupation-by-metro cells, so a metro absent here has no local figure rather than a low one.

The median wage as published, before local prices are taken into account.

#Metro areaMedianCost of livingEmployedConcentrationvs. national
1New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ$57,880112.6900.16×
2San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA$52,140111.9600.73×
3Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH$47,720108.31400.90×
4Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA$43,790111.1900.74×
5Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI$43,680104.8
6Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA$39,660106.4700.72×
7Las Vegas-Henderson-North Las Vegas, NV$38,390100.21,19018.11×
8Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ$37,000103.31901.42×
9San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA$36,360115.62401.76×
10Atlantic City-Hammonton, NJ$36,19098.9303.40×
11Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN$35,58093.1501.24×
12Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN$35,440103.6800.29×
13Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA$35,370106.7600.95×
14Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV$35,100108.9
15Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN$34,98095.4901.45×
16Reno, NV$33,780101.01107.17×
17St. Louis, MO-IL$31,87095.1300.41×
18Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX$31,690103.1900.40×
19Omaha, NE-IA$30,61091.91906.65×
20Oklahoma City, OK$29,97090.4401.14×
21Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL$29,800114.2800.49×
22New Orleans-Metairie, LA$29,78092.6501.93×
23Lincoln, NE$29,67091.6606.06×
24Fargo, ND-MN$28,62090.9505.26×
25Gulfport-Biloxi, MS$28,58090.0606.77×
26Missoula, MT$22,58096.412030.29×
27Helena, MT$22,30095.78031.94×

Cost of living is the BEA regional price parity for all items, where 100 is the national average. Concentration is the BLS location quotient: how much more of the local workforce does this job than the national average, so 2.00× means twice the national share. It is often the reason wages differ — a place that concentrates an occupation has the employers and the competition for it. Metro areas where gambling and sports book writers and runners wages are suppressed by BLS for confidentiality are omitted.

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