The National Football League (NFL) pays many referees top dollar depending on how much experience they have in the job. In 2012 and 2013 rookie NFL referees earned a salary of $50,000 while those with average experience earned $149,000 per year and seasoned referees were earning $160,000 salaries. In 2013 the NFL was paying its referees $173,000 per year in salary. From 2013 to 2014 rookie referees have been earning $78,000 per year while those with average experience have been earning $173,000 per year and seasoned referees have been earning $205,000 for the year. By 2018 NFL referees are expected to earn a salary of $210,000.
Referee’s Union
The Referee’s Union has struck a deal with the NFL to raise their salaries by anywhere from 5% to 11% each year.
NFL Referees That Have Made The Most Money ($149,000)
Ed Hochuli is an NFL referee with an average yearly salary of $149,000. He has been a referee in pro football since 1992 and is now among history’s most famous NFL referees. Many Championship games and Super Bowl games have been refereed by Ed Hochuli.
The raises that referees get are meant to reflect the money that it costs to travel from NFL game to NFL game and money that must be spent on meeting fees. In addition to the salary each NFL referee gets they are also entitled to a 401K plan that the NFL deposits an average of $20,000 per referee.
A referee that earns a yearly $70,000 salary from the NFL makes $291.76 per day. This works out to be a weekly salary of $1,458 and a monthly salary of $5,833 every month. The average NFL referee works 16 weeks each year. Mike Carey is among the NFL referees that earn a yearly salary of $70,000, having just started in 2013.
NFL referees make a more than live able salary in the U.S. It is a popular occupation for U.S. referees.