Original Data · Updated Nov 2, 2026
Seasonal Job Housing Report 2026
Which outdoor jobs come with a place to live, and what the listings themselves say it costs, from all 400 listings live on WildWork. Updated as listings open and close.
- Include Housing
- 38%
- 153 of 400 listings
- Free or Included
- 30
- of 153 with housing
- Cost Not Stated
- 68%
- ask before you go
- Median Stated Charge
- $392
- a month, 6 employers
Key Findings
- 38% of the 400 outdoor job listings live on WildWork say the employer provides housing (153 listings). 78 of those also provide meals.
- 68% of listings with housing do not say what it costs (104 of 153). 30 say it is free or included, and 19 say there is a charge.
- About $392/mo is the median housing charge where an employer states one by the day, week or month (6 employers; $108 to $600 a month).
- 83% of fishing guide listings include housing, the highest share of any job type (6 listings).
What Does Staff Housing Cost?
Of the 153 listings that provide housing, what the listing itself says about the cost.
Every Housing Charge Stated in a Live Listing
As the employer wrote it, cheapest first. “About a Month” converts daily charges at 30 days and weekly at 4.33 weeks; some daily charges apply only on days worked, so the monthly figure is an upper bound.
| Employer | Charge | About a Month | What the Listing Says |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hiking Big Bend | $25 a week | $108 | Housing with electric hookups is available at the outpost for $25 a week. |
| Far Flung Outdoor Center | $50 per pay period | – | Limited guide housing is $50 per pay period. |
| Borealis Basecamp (4 listings) | $10.50 a day | $315 | On-site shared housing costs $10.50 a day. |
| C Lazy U Ranch | $350 a month | $350 | Dorm housing costs at most $350 a month. |
| Ocean Gold Seafoods, Inc. | $100 a week | $433 | Optional employer housing costs $100 per week. |
| North Pacific Seafoods, Inc. | $15 a day | $450 | Non-local hires can stay in the company bunkhouse for up to $15 a day. |
| Westward Seafoods | $20 a day includes meals | $600 | Company housing and meals are provided at a $20-per-day deduction on days you work at least eight hours. |
Which Outdoor Jobs Come With Housing?
Share of listings that provide housing, by job type (job types with at least 3 live listings; the number of listings is in brackets).
| Job Type | Listings | Housing | Meals | Free or Included | Charge Stated | Cost Not Stated |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fishing Guide | 6 | 83% | 67% | 0 | 2 | 3 |
| Wrangler | 22 | 73% | 55% | 3 | 0 | 13 |
| Dude Ranch | 15 | 73% | 67% | 0 | 3 | 8 |
| Backcountry Cook | 11 | 73% | 55% | 1 | 0 | 7 |
| Ranch Hand | 61 | 59% | 7% | 12 | 1 | 23 |
| Hunting Guide | 9 | 56% | 56% | 0 | 0 | 5 |
| Rafting Guide | 11 | 55% | 9% | 0 | 4 | 2 |
| Fishing Crew | 26 | 54% | 38% | 5 | 3 | 6 |
| Trail Crew | 19 | 37% | 26% | 1 | 0 | 6 |
| Deckhand | 11 | 36% | 27% | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| Packer | 9 | 33% | 33% | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| Fisheries & Hatchery | 17 | 29% | 0% | 2 | 0 | 3 |
| Lodge Staff | 79 | 25% | 20% | 5 | 5 | 10 |
| Park Ranger | 30 | 20% | 0% | 0 | 1 | 5 |
| Cowboy | 25 | 16% | 0% | 1 | 0 | 3 |
| Wildlife & Forestry | 20 | 15% | 0% | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| Wildland Firefighter | 25 | 0% | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Caretaker | 4 | 0% | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Housing by State
States with at least five live listings.
| State | Listings | Housing | Meals | Free or Included | Charge Stated |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alaska | 63 | 63% | 48% | 10 | 9 |
| Colorado | 39 | 38% | 21% | 0 | 5 |
| Montana | 38 | 47% | 29% | 2 | 0 |
| Wyoming | 31 | 68% | 42% | 6 | 0 |
| Washington | 28 | 21% | 4% | 0 | 2 |
| Texas | 21 | 43% | 5% | 1 | 2 |
| Oregon | 19 | 16% | 0% | 1 | 0 |
| California | 17 | 41% | 35% | 0 | 0 |
| Idaho | 16 | 13% | 0% | 0 | 0 |
| New York | 14 | 0% | 0% | 0 | 0 |
| Arizona | 11 | 55% | 36% | 2 | 0 |
| Nevada | 11 | 45% | 0% | 1 | 0 |
| Utah | 9 | 22% | 22% | 0 | 1 |
| Kansas | 8 | 25% | 13% | 1 | 0 |
| North Dakota | 7 | 57% | 0% | 2 | 0 |
| South Dakota | 7 | 57% | 14% | 1 | 0 |
| Vermont | 7 | 0% | 0% | 0 | 0 |
| New Mexico | 6 | 50% | 17% | 1 | 0 |
| Minnesota | 6 | 0% | 0% | 0 | 0 |
| Nebraska | 5 | 40% | 0% | 1 | 0 |
| North Carolina | 5 | 0% | 0% | 0 | 0 |
| Oklahoma | 5 | 80% | 0% | 1 | 0 |
What to Ask Before You Take a Job With Housing
Details listings give about the housing, among the 153 that provide it: shared (17), cabin (10), house or apartment (9), bunkhouse or dorm (8), rv, trailer or camper (6), utilities included (1).
- What it costs, and how it is charged. A daily co-pay, a weekly or pay-period deduction, or rent. Ask whether you pay on days off.
- Shared or private. How many to a room, and whether bathrooms and kitchens are shared.
- What comes with it. Utilities, laundry, internet, and whether meals are included or charged separately.
- Couples, pets and your own rig. Whether a partner can live with you, whether dogs are allowed, and whether there is space for an RV or trailer.
- Get it in writing. The housing and any charge should be in your offer. How housing jobs work covers the rest, and employers can read the rules on counting housing as pay.
How These Numbers Are Calculated
- Source. Every job listing live on WildWork at the time shown above. Listings come from employers who post here and from public employer career pages and job boards, and each links to the original posting.
- Housing share. A listing counts as providing housing when the employer says so, free or at a charge. This is the same measure the pay report uses.
- Cost. Read from the listing’s own words. “Charge Stated” means the listing names a charge, deduction, co-pay, subsidised or below-market rent; the table shows the ones that give an amount. Anything unclear counts as “cost not stated”. Identical charges from the same employer are listed once.
- Monthly figures. Only daily and weekly charges are converted (30 days, 4.33 weeks); pay-period charges are shown as posted. The median uses employers that state a daily, weekly or monthly charge, and is shown only when at least 3 do.
- Posted, not verified. These are what listings say. Housing terms change; confirm them with the employer before you travel.
Use These Numbers
Free to quote with a link. Suggested citation: WildWork Seasonal Job Housing Report, Nov 2, 2026, wildwork.io/housing-report/