In the United States, parks are managed by governmental agencies. These agencies fall into three categories: national, state, and municipal. People interested in working for a park system become employees of the national, state, or municipal government entity that manages the specific park. In addition to the jobs that are inherent in every business, such as accountants, purchasing agents, and marketing personnel, the most common jobs at parks are the park manager, park ranger, education specialists or program managers, conservationists, and public information specialists.

The United States has a long history of valuing and caring for public land in the form of national parks. These parks are open to the public and provide a place for recreation in many forms, as well as the opportunity to interact with nature in a more natural setting. Most parks provide programming of some kind to attract visitors, and others also provide lodges, cabins, or campgrounds, where visitors can stay on site for several days.

In addition to the work involved with ensuring the safety and smooth stay for all visitors to the park, workers also care for the grounds and keep careful reports about the conditions of the forests, water sources, and nature that are part of them.

The number of acres of national parkland is the largest of the three types of parkland. The National Park Service reports that it administers more than 419 park areas comprising more than 85 million acres in all 50 states and U.S. territories. State parks also are widespread across the country and present many employment opportunities. According to America's State Parks, an organization representing state parks, there are about 8,565 state park areas in the country, and they receive more than 807 million visits annually. City parks, while not representing the extent of land or units that national or state parks do, is a division of parks that is growing and may present the most opportunities. This ...