Salary comparison
Recreation Workers: College Station vs Olympia
College Station, TX pays about 18.7% more for recreation workers on paper — $47,870 vs $40,330. But once you factor in what it costs to live there, College Station comes out ahead by $7,540 a year in real buying power.
College Station, TX
$47,870
$47,700
$47,870
$23.02
100
$47,870/yr
Median adjusted for local cost of living.
Olympia, WA
$40,330
$36,900
$46,970
$19.39
100
$40,330/yr
Median adjusted for local cost of living.
What the numbers mean in practice
The headline gap is $7,540 a year (18.7%) in favor of College Station. That is the raw salary difference before any living costs.
College Station runs a cost index of 100 against the national baseline of 100; Olympia sits at 100. After adjusting the median for those costs, College Station is the better deal by $7,540 a year — that is what each paycheck actually buys locally.
If you are weighing a move from Olympia to College Station for this role, the raise needs to beat 18.7% to come out ahead after living costs. Anything below that and you are earning more on paper but keeping less.
Common questions
Where do recreation workers earn more, College Station or Olympia?
College Station pays $47,870 on median — about 18.7% more than Olympia ($40,330). Based on BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics.
Which city is the better deal after living costs?
College Station. Once you divide each median by the local cost index, College Station gives you roughly$47,870 of real buying power versus $40,330 in the other city.