Prior to the implementation of the automated balls-strikes (ABS) system at the start of the 2026 season, signing up to be an MLB umpire meant you signed up to be ridiculed at just about every stage of the game, with each decision having a potentially monumental impact on a pro baseball game.
While baseline umpires have it slightly easier, the umpire behind home plate calling balls and strikes is most in the limelight.
ABS has created a certain strategy that has slightly eased the pressure on home plate umpires to get every single pitch right, but with pitchers throwing harder and catchers becoming more deceptive, the job of the umpire is hardly enviable.
So, how much does an MLB umpire get paid for their time and often nationally-televised human error?
How Do People Become MLB Umpires?
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The first step to becoming an MLB umpire is to first attend one of several free MLB umpire camps each year, where positioning and rule interpretations are taught.
From there, top performers are invited to a four-week, all-expenses paid development course called the MLB Umpire Prospect Development Camp in Florida.
If a candidate continues to perform at a high level, they may be given a Minor League umpiring position, which can be parlayed into a Triple-A classification, and then a big league call-up in the event that one of MLB’s current umpires retires or is deemed unable to work.
How Many Full-Time MLB Umpires Are There?
As of 2021, there were 76 full-time umpires in the Majors, each of whom is organized into four-person umpiring crews.
That number comes in sharp contrast to the number of MLB players, which is roughly 700 in a given year, making the position of MLB umpire that much more competitive and sought-after.
How Much Is an MLB Umpire Paid?
According to Front Office Sports, “MLB umpires earn some of the highest salaries in U.S. pro sports,” and are paid on a tiered system based on experience:
- Rookie/Starting Pay: $150,000
- Early-Career: $150,000-$250,000
- Mid-Career: $250,000-$350,000
- Veteran Umpire: $350,000-$450,000
- Crew Chief: $500,000+
The average across all umpires is an annual salary of $300,000, or roughly $1,852 per game.
Umpires are also paid bonuses in certain instances, with playoff umpires earning a per-round bonus of $17,500 plus travel expenses, and World Series umpires earning a bonus of $20,000 plus travel expenses.
The umpires who earn these sorts of bonuses tend to be much deeper into their career and more veteran in nature.
Do MLB Umpires Have Second Jobs?
Umpires generally work year-round, spending the offseason planning the next season, reviewing performance, selecting new crews and crew chiefs, while also working Spring Training games starting in February.
MLB covers travel expenses for all umpires, who also receive four weeks of vacation time during the season.
It’s definitely not the easiest job, and umpires aren’t paid like slouches for judging whether a 105 mph Jacob Misiorowski fastball is at the letters or not.
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