Apparently, spending all day at the beach really, really pays off.
According to a recent report titled “Baywatch on Pay Watch,” a watchdog group known as Open the Books reveals that the highest-paid lifeguard in Los Angeles County made $510,283 in 2021. This particular lifeguard, a captain, reportedly made a sizable chunk of this money in overtime.
A lifeguard at Santa Monica Beach in Los Angeles County (Mario Tama/Getty Images)
Of course, $510,000 in Los Angeles will barely get you a studio apartment in Century City, but that’s still more than the average American might suspect a lifeguard would make.
However, this captain wasn’t alone in raking in the big bucks in 2021—another lifeguard at the management level made over $463k with no overtime whatsoever.
As for the rank-and-file lifeguards, they cashed in as well. The report states that over 90 other lifeguards made over $200k, with 20 of them making over $300k.
“And it’s not only about the cash compensation,” the report states. “After 30 years of service, LA lifeguards can retire as young as 55 on 79-percent of their pay.”
With soaring inflation and unemployment very much an issue, reports such as these will likely lead many to want to try their hand at lifeguarding. Of course, there is that whole thing about needing to be in elite physical condition, having the ability to work under pressure, and the medical knowledge to save lives and treat wounds, but people can dream.