What Lifeguards, Ski Patrol, and Other Recreational Protective Service Workers earn in Monmouth County, NJ
The median pay for Lifeguards, Ski Patrol, and Other Recreational Protective Service Workers in Monmouth County, NJ is $36,600 per year, which works out to $17.60 per hour. The figure comes from the Bureau of Labor Statistics wage survey for the New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ metropolitan area, the labor market that Monmouth County, NJ belongs to. Half of the workers in this occupation earn more than the median and half earn less, which makes it a sturdier yardstick than an average that a few very high earners can pull upward.
The mean wage is $38,200, which is 4.4% above the median, a sign that a group of high earners lifts the average. The survey counts about 9,610 people working in this occupation across the New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ metropolitan area, so the estimate rests on a substantial pool of workers. Monmouth County, NJ has roughly 645,353 residents, according to the population figures used by the rent data.
The salary range, from entry level to top earners
Pay for Lifeguards, Ski Patrol, and Other Recreational Protective Service Workers in the New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ metropolitan area is not one number. The lowest-paid tenth of workers earn up to $32,240 a year ($15.50 an hour), while the highest-paid tenth earn $45,530 or more ($21.89 an hour). That is a gap of $13,290 between the bottom and the top of the scale. The middle half of workers falls between $34,310 at the 25th percentile and $40,590 at the 75th percentile. A top-tier earner makes 1.4 times what someone at the bottom makes, so experience, certification and employer all matter.
What the hourly rate looks like
Employers quote this occupation by the hour or by the year, so here are both: $17.60 an hour or $36,600 a year at the median for Monmouth County, NJ. Before any deductions, that is $3,050 a month, $1,408 every two weeks and $704 each week. After taxes the same job pays $14.89 per hour of take-home income, which is the number that actually has to cover rent and groceries.
How pay in Monmouth County, NJ compares
Compared with the New Jersey average
A worker in this occupation in Monmouth County, NJ earns $1,112 more than the New Jersey average of $35,488, a premium of 3.1%. Over a year that premium is worth $1,112 before tax and roughly $941 after tax. Within New Jersey, Monmouth County, NJ already has the highest median we track for this job.
Compared with the national average
The national employment-weighted average for Lifeguards, Ski Patrol, and Other Recreational Protective Service Workers is $33,651 across the contiguous United States. At $36,600, Monmouth County, NJ pays $2,949 more, which is 8.8% above that benchmark. Keep in mind that a higher salary only helps if living costs do not rise faster, which is why the cost sections below matter as much as the headline number.
Where this job ranks in Monmouth County, NJ
Among the 671 occupations with published wages in Monmouth County, NJ, Lifeguards, Ski Patrol, and Other Recreational Protective Service Workers ranks number 655 by median pay, ahead of about 2% of them. The best-paying occupation we track here is Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers at $335,270 a year, which is $298,670 more than the median for Lifeguards, Ski Patrol, and Other Recreational Protective Service Workers.
From gross pay to take-home pay
Three separate tax bills sit between the gross salary and the bank account: federal income tax, FICA, and state income tax. For Lifeguards, Ski Patrol, and Other Recreational Protective Service Workers earning the Monmouth County, NJ median of $36,600, they add up to $5,627. The result is $30,973 of take-home pay a year ($2,581 a month), based on a single filer using the standard deduction.
Put another way, of every $100 earned, about $15 goes to taxes and $85 reaches the paycheck. The overall effective tax rate is 15.4%.
Federal income tax
After the $15,750 standard deduction, taxable income is $20,850. Federal brackets are marginal, so only the slice of income above each threshold is taxed at the higher rate; the last dollars of this salary fall in the 12% bracket. The resulting federal income tax is $2,264, an effective 6.2% of gross pay, well below the 12% marginal rate because the lower brackets are cheaper.
Social Security and Medicare (FICA)
Payroll taxes are a flat percentage of wages. Social Security takes 6.2% up to a wage base of $176,100, which costs $2,269 on this salary. Medicare takes 1.45%, or $531. FICA totals $2,800, which is 7.6% of gross pay.
State income tax in New Jersey
New Jersey income tax on this salary is $564 a year, or 1.5% of gross pay, after the state's own deductions and exemptions are applied. That is 25% of the federal income tax bill, and it comes out to $47 a month. Local taxes such as county or city income taxes are not included, so a few jurisdictions may withhold slightly more.
A cross-check with IRS data for Monmouth County, NJ
IRS Statistics of Income data for Monmouth County, NJ show an average adjusted gross income of $143,771 per return and an average effective federal income tax rate of 18.1% across all filers. Filers in the $25,000 to under $50,000 bracket, where this salary falls, paid an average of 5.8%, compared with the 6.2% estimated here for a single filer taking the standard deduction. Gaps between the two reflect filing status, dependents, credits and other income, none of which a single-person wage estimate includes.
Cost of living in Monmouth County, NJ
Take-home pay only means something next to what life costs. We price four basics for one adult in Monmouth County, NJ: a one-bedroom apartment, food, home energy and gasoline. All of them are converted to annual figures first, then compared with the $30,973 of take-home pay.
Rent
Housing is the largest line in most budgets. For Monmouth County, NJ, HUD sets the Fair Market Rent for a one-bedroom unit at $1,847 a month ($22,164 a year), and at $2,283 for two bedrooms. For Lifeguards, Ski Patrol, and Other Recreational Protective Service Workers, a one-bedroom absorbs 71.6% of take-home pay and 60.6% of gross pay.
Food
The USDA Thrifty Food Plan (August 2026) puts the cost of a nutritious home-cooked diet for an adult at about $3,436 a year, which is $286 a month or $66.07 a week. That equals 9.4% of gross pay for Lifeguards, Ski Patrol, and Other Recreational Protective Service Workers in Monmouth County, NJ. It is a thrifty budget with no restaurant meals, so treat it as a floor.
Energy and gasoline
Using New Jersey residential prices from the Energy Information Administration and national household averages for consumption, electricity costs about $2,044 a year and other home energy such as natural gas about $518, for $2,562 in total. Gasoline in New Jersey averages $3.21 per gallon; at about 463 gallons a year (11,106 miles at 24 miles per gallon) fuel adds $1,484.
What is left over
Rent, food, energy and gasoline cost $29,645 a year in Monmouth County, NJ. Subtract that from $30,973 of take-home pay and $1,328 remains, which is $111 a month of breathing room. That margin equals 3.6% of gross pay, a thin cushion that one unexpected expense could erase.
Can Lifeguards, Ski Patrol, and Other Recreational Protective Service Workers afford to live in Monmouth County, NJ?
The 30% rent guideline
A common rule of thumb says rent should stay under 30% of gross income. For a gross salary of $36,600 that ceiling is $915 a month. The one-bedroom Fair Market Rent of $1,847 is $932 over it, so rent breaks the guideline. Put as a wage, covering a one-bedroom at the 30% guideline takes $35.52 an hour; the median for Lifeguards, Ski Patrol, and Other Recreational Protective Service Workers is $17.60, which is 50% below that mark. Another way to see it: at $14.89 of take-home pay an hour, a one-bedroom takes about 28.6 working hours every week.
Splitting a two-bedroom
Sharing a two-bedroom at $2,283 a month means $1,142 each. Compared with renting a one-bedroom alone, that saves $8,466 a year. With a roommate, the yearly margin after the basics becomes $9,794.
How fast you can save
At $111 a month of margin, building a $10,000 emergency fund would take about 91 months (7.6 years). Setting aside half of the margin stretches the same goal to about 182 months. These figures ignore interest, raises and any spending beyond the four basics.
Frequently asked questions about Lifeguards, Ski Patrol, and Other Recreational Protective Service Workers pay in Monmouth County, NJ
How much do Lifeguards, Ski Patrol, and Other Recreational Protective Service Workers make per hour in Monmouth County, NJ?
The median is $17.60 per hour, based on $36,600 a year over 2,080 hours. Hourly pay runs from about $15.50 at the 10th percentile to $21.89 at the 90th percentile.
How much do Lifeguards, Ski Patrol, and Other Recreational Protective Service Workers take home after taxes in Monmouth County, NJ?
After federal income tax, FICA and state income tax, the median salary of $36,600 becomes $30,973 a year. That is $2,581 a month, $1,191 every two weeks or $596 a week.
How much tax do Lifeguards, Ski Patrol, and Other Recreational Protective Service Workers pay in Monmouth County, NJ?
Total taxes are $5,627 a year, an effective rate of 15.4%: $2,264 federal income tax, $2,800 FICA and $564 New Jersey income tax.
Do Lifeguards, Ski Patrol, and Other Recreational Protective Service Workers earn more in Monmouth County, NJ than elsewhere in New Jersey?
Yes. The local median of $36,600 is +3.1% versus the New Jersey average of $35,488, a difference of $1,112 a year.
Can Lifeguards, Ski Patrol, and Other Recreational Protective Service Workers afford a one-bedroom apartment in Monmouth County, NJ?
A one-bedroom costs $1,847 a month against take-home pay of $2,581, which is 71.6% of take-home pay. That does not meet the 30%-of-gross guideline, which allows up to $915 a month.
What is the monthly budget margin for Lifeguards, Ski Patrol, and Other Recreational Protective Service Workers in Monmouth County, NJ?
About $111 a month ($1,328 a year) remains after a one-bedroom apartment, food, home energy and gasoline, which together cost $29,645 a year.
What hourly wage covers a one-bedroom in Monmouth County, NJ at the 30% guideline?
$35.52 an hour for a full-time schedule, calculated as the $22,164 annual rent divided by 0.30 and by 2,080 hours. The median for Lifeguards, Ski Patrol, and Other Recreational Protective Service Workers is $17.60.
How we calculated these numbers
Wages are May 2025 medians from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey for the New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ metropolitan area; hourly-only values are annualized at 2,080 hours. Rents are HUD Fair Market Rents, food costs come from the USDA Thrifty Food Plan, and energy prices come from the Energy Information Administration. County-level tax statistics come from the IRS Statistics of Income.
Taxes use tax-year 2025 federal brackets, FICA rates and the New Jersey rules for a single filer with wage income only. Figures are estimates for planning and comparison, not tax or financial advice, and they exclude local income taxes, benefits, retirement contributions and individual circumstances.