Also called: Major League Umpire
Calls balls, strikes, and plays in Major League Baseball games.
Umpires travel with a four-person crew for months, working nearly every day. The plate umpire calls around 150 pitches a game. Robot-assisted challenge systems are now part of the game, adding new pressure.
Estimate based on reported MLB umpire pay; minor league umpires earn far less.
Approximate: anchored on Bureau of Labor Statistics data for a broader job group.
Certificate, about 10 years after high school. Professional umpire school, then years in the minor leagues before reaching the majors.
Ways in: Trade school, On-the-job training. Training cost: Under $15k.
Majors to look at: Physical Education.
Growing about average (about 3% over 10 years). About 76 MLB umpire jobs; rare openings.
Medium risk for 10 years. The automated ball-strike challenge system now handles some pitch calls; umpires still run games and call plays.
Classes: Physical education, Speech, Psychology.
Official data: O*NET occupation 27-2023.
Career Universe is an early version. Pay, training and AI-risk figures are estimates to start your own research, not verified facts. The research was written with AI research assistants, checked by validation scripts and spot-checked by hand. Check anything important with schools, employers and official sources. How the numbers work.