--- title: "25% Cost Recovery: What NRPA's 2024 Data Shows" description: NRPA's 2024 review puts median cost recovery at 25.2% and the top quartile at 47%. See where your department sits and how to close the gap. image: https://www.recreationhq.net/hubfs/blog-images/photo-25-percent-cost-recovery-standard-nrpa.jpg --- [Skip to content](https://www.recreationhq.net/playbook/25-percent-cost-recovery-standard-nrpa#main-content) [![](https://www.recreationhq.net/hs-fs/hubfs/raw_assets/public/recreationhq/images/logo-N6.png?width=34&height=34&name=logo-N6.png) Recreation**HQ**](https://www.recreationhq.net/) [Free trial](https://app.recreationhq.net/register?utm_source=site&utm_medium=mobile_header) [Home](https://www.recreationhq.net/) [Platform](https://www.recreationhq.net/platform) [Solutions](https://www.recreationhq.net/solutions) [Pricing](https://www.recreationhq.net/pricing) [Playbook](https://www.recreationhq.net/playbook) [Sign In](https://app.recreationhq.net/) [Start Now](https://app.recreationhq.net/register) [Home](https://www.recreationhq.net/) / [Playbook](https://www.recreationhq.net/playbook) # The 25% Cost Recovery Benchmark: What NRPA's 2024 Data Shows BM Brian M. · Jan 1, 2026 ![Calculator, cash and a notebook of handwritten budget figures on a desk, as when working out program costs](https://www.recreationhq.net/hs-fs/hubfs/blog-images/photo-25-percent-cost-recovery-standard-nrpa.jpg?width=1520&name=photo-25-percent-cost-recovery-standard-nrpa.jpg) Most park and recreation agencies recover about a quarter of their operating costs from non-tax revenue. NRPA's [2024 Agency Performance Review](https://www.nrpa.org/siteassets/research/2024-agency-performance-review.pdf) puts the national median at 25.2 percent. The spread around that median is what should get a director's attention. ## What is cost recovery? NRPA measures cost recovery as revenue as a share of operating expenditures: the typical agency "recovers a quarter of its operating expenditures from non-tax revenue" ([NRPA, 2024](https://www.nrpa.org/siteassets/research/2024-agency-performance-review.pdf)). At the program level the same math works: **Cost Recovery = Revenue ÷ Expenses**. In a hypothetical example, a soccer league that costs $50,000 to run and takes in $12,500 in registration fees recovers 25 percent. ## Where the pressure comes from Two facts from the same report explain why departments are asked about this every budget season. The typical agency spends [$99.47 per capita](https://www.nrpa.org/siteassets/research/2024-agency-performance-review.pdf) on operations, and personnel services take an average of 54 percent of the budget ([NRPA, 2024](https://www.nrpa.org/siteassets/research/2024-agency-performance-review.pdf)). Families are also spending real money on youth sports. The Aspen Institute estimates parents now spend [more than $40 billion a year](https://projectplay.org/news/2025/2/24/project-play-survey-family-spending-on-youth-sports-rises-46-over-five-years) on their children's sports, and the average family paid nearly $1,500 for one child's sports experiences in 2024 ([Aspen Institute Project Play, 2025](https://projectplay.org/news/2025/2/24/project-play-survey-family-spending-on-youth-sports-rises-46-over-five-years)). That is spending across all providers, not only public departments, but it frames what families already budget for. For how parents weigh fees, see [what parents pay for youth sports](https://www.recreationhq.net/playbook/youth-sports-pricing-what-parents-pay). ## The gap between agencies The lower quartile of agencies recovers 12.8 percent of operating expenditures, the median is 25.2 percent, and the upper quartile recovers 47.0 percent ([NRPA, 2024](https://www.nrpa.org/siteassets/research/2024-agency-performance-review.pdf)). Size matters too: agencies serving fewer than 20,000 residents have a median of 29.5 percent, while agencies serving more than 250,000 have a median of 17.9 percent ([NRPA, 2024, Figure 22](https://www.nrpa.org/siteassets/research/2024-agency-performance-review.pdf)). As a hypothetical, a department with $1 million in operating expenses moving from 12.8 percent to the [25.2 percent median](https://www.nrpa.org/siteassets/research/2024-agency-performance-review.pdf) would bring in about $124,000 more each year in non-tax revenue. Your own numbers will differ, which is why the first step is measuring them. ## Three places to look for the gap These are practical levers, not guaranteed results. Test each against your own program data before you count on it. - **Pricing structure.** A tiered model (basic, standard, premium) lets you price to the value of a program instead of applying one flat increase. Our guide to the [three-tier pricing model](https://www.recreationhq.net/playbook/program-pricing-three-tier-model) walks through the setup. - **Program mix.** Rank every program by cost recovery. Programs far below your target need a pricing, staffing or scheduling fix, or a decision about whether they are a subsidized public benefit. The [90-day cost recovery challenge](https://www.recreationhq.net/playbook/90-day-cost-recovery-challenge) gives you a way to work through it. - **Revenue leakage.** Uncollected fees, no-shows, and manual billing errors all reduce revenue you already earned. See [where parks departments lose revenue](https://www.recreationhq.net/playbook/revenue-leakage-parks-departments). ## Cost recovery and access are a policy choice A higher recovery target does not have to mean less access, but it does require a deliberate fee assistance policy. Decide which programs are meant to be subsidized, fund scholarships explicitly, and report both numbers together. When you take the case to elected officials, [making the case to city council](https://www.recreationhq.net/playbook/making-case-city-council-recreation-budget) covers how to present it. ## Frequently asked questions ### What is the average cost recovery rate for parks and recreation agencies? [NRPA's 2024 Agency Performance Review](https://www.nrpa.org/siteassets/research/2024-agency-performance-review.pdf) reports a median of 25.2 percent of operating expenditures recovered from non-tax revenue. The lower quartile is 12.8 percent and the upper quartile is 47.0 percent. ### How do you calculate cost recovery? Divide revenue by operating expenses. [NRPA applies this at the agency level](https://www.nrpa.org/siteassets/research/2024-agency-performance-review.pdf). You can apply the same formula to a single program to see which ones cover their costs. ### Is 25 percent the required standard? No. 25.2 percent is the national median from [NRPA's benchmark data](https://www.nrpa.org/siteassets/research/2024-agency-performance-review.pdf), not a requirement. Targets depend on your community, your mix of programs, and your fee assistance policy. ### Does cost recovery vary by community size? Yes. In [NRPA's 2024 data](https://www.nrpa.org/siteassets/research/2024-agency-performance-review.pdf), agencies serving fewer than 20,000 residents have a median of 29.5 percent, and agencies serving more than 250,000 have a median of 17.9 percent. [See where your programs stand with a free cost-recovery audit →](https://www.recreationhq.net/cost-recovery) Find your leaks ## See what your organization could recover. A 20-minute audit, your numbers, no obligation. [Get my cost-recovery audit →](https://www.recreationhq.net/cost-recovery#audit) Or get one practical playbook like this by email, every week. [Start your 30-day free trial](https://app.recreationhq.net/register?utm_source=site&utm_medium=sticky_bar&utm_campaign=playbook) [![](https://www.recreationhq.net/hs-fs/hubfs/raw_assets/public/recreationhq/images/logo-N6.png?width=34&height=34&name=logo-N6.png)Recreation**HQ**](https://www.recreationhq.net/) Organization, never chaos. Recreation management software that pays for itself. 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All rights reserved. PCI-compliant payments Benchmarks: NRPA Agency Performance Review ```json { "@context" : "https://schema.org", "@type" : "BlogPosting", "author" : { "@type" : "Person", "description" : "Brian M. writes The Playbook for RecreationHQ: practical guides for parks and recreation teams on registration, payments, cost recovery, and switching software.", "name" : "Brian M.", "url" : "https://www.recreationhq.net/playbook/author/brian-m" }, "dateModified" : "2026-09-25", "datePublished" : "2026-01-01", "description" : "NRPA's 2024 review puts median cost recovery at 25.2% and the top quartile at 47%. 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