Average Fitness Instructor Salary in United States for 2024

In this article, we will look at the average Fitness Instructor salary for 2024 in United States and how that compares to other countries and professions. We'll also look at interesting salary data points like median salary, 25th and 75th percentile salaries, salary amounts based on experience, bonus ranges and more!

The data in this article has been compiled using official government salary data, salary surveys, and other sources such as job postings which contain salary information.

All salary information is in the local currency, which is the United States dollar. To keep things simple, we are using the USD currency code instead of the currency symbol $.

How Much Does a Fitness Instructor Make in United States?

A Fitness Instructor working in United States will typically earn around 57,200 USD per year, and this can range from the lowest average salary of about 27,300 USD to the highest average salary of 88,300 USD.

Average Annual Salary
57,200 USD
Average Monthly Salary
4,766 USD

Lowest Annual Salary
27,300 USD
Lowest Monthly Salary
2,275 USD

Highest Annual Salary
88,300 USD
Highest Monthly Salary
7,358 USD

These are average salaries for a Fitness Instructor in United States and include benefits such as housing and transport. It's also possible for a Fitness Instructor to earn more or less than the average salaries shown above.

Fitness Instructor salaries will vary a lot based on your experience, location, skills, and gender. Keep reading below to research more data on each of these areas.

Distribution of Fitness Instructor Salaries in United States

So we've looked at the average salaries a Fitness Instructor will earn in United States. The next interesting data point is the distribution of salaries.

Salary ranges

We already know that a Fitness Instructor can earn between 27,300 USD and 88,300 USD on average in United States. This is known as the range in statistics.

The difference between the maximum and minimum values is a good indicator of variability in salaries, and can be used by employers to figure out how much they can expect to pay, and for employees to know how much they can earn.

Median salary

The median salary for a Fitness Instructor in United States is 61,400 USD. This is the middle value in the distribution of salaries.

What this means is that approximately 50% of the population earn less than 61,400 USD, and 50% of the population earn more than 61,400 USD.

If you are earning more than the median salary, that's a good indicator that you are being paid well.

If you're not earning more than the median salary, your objective should be to increase your earnings to be at least as high as the median salary (which you can do by asking for a pay rise, looking for a better paying job, etc).

Percentiles

Percentiles are similar to the median salary, but instead of looking at the middle value, they look at the values in the top and bottom half of the distribution.

For the average Fitness Instructor salary in United States, 25% of the population are earning less than 39,800 USD while 75% of the population earn more than 39,800 USD.

75% of the population earn less than 78,400 USD, and 25% of the population earn more than 78,400 USD.

Like the median salary, the 25th and 75th percentile salaries can be used to determine which quartile you fall into so that you know whether you are being paid well enough compared to others in your profession and location.

The difference between a median and an average salary

The median and average salary are both indicators you can use to see if you are being paid fairly based on the overall population.

  • If your salary is higher than the average and the median salary, you are earning well compared to others.
  • If your salary is lower than the average and the median salary, it could indicate you are not being paid well enough.
  • If you are somewhere in between then it's tricky to determine if you are being paid well enough and you might need to research more closely.

Fitness Instructor Salary by Experience Level in United States

The most important factor in determining your salary after the specific profession is the number of years experience you have. It stands to reason that more years of experience will result in a higher wage.

We have researched the average fitness instructor salary based on years of experience to give you an idea of how the average changes once you've worked for a certain amount of time.

  • 0 - 2 Years Experience. A Fitness Instructor in United States that has less than two years of experience can expect to earn somewhere in the region of 29,100 USD.
  • 2 - 5 Years Experience. With two to five years of experience the average Fitness Instructor salary would increase to 41,500 USD.
  • 5 - 10 Years Experience. From five to ten years of experience as a Fitness Instructor, the average salary would be 60,000 USD.
  • 10 - 15 Years Experience. Once you have more than ten years of experience the average salary reaches around 71,700 USD.
  • 15 - 20 Years Experience. A Fitness Instructor with 15 to 20 years of experience can earn an average of 78,200 USD.
  • 20+ Years Experience. For a Fitness Instructor with more than 20 years, the expected average salary increases to 85,100 USD.

Average Salary by Experience Chart

0-2 Years
29,100 USD
2-5 Years +38%
41,500 USD
5-10 Years +42%
60,000 USD
10-15 Years +22%
71,700 USD
15-20 Years +6%
78,200 USD
20+ Years +9%
85,100 USD

Fitness Instructor Salary by Education Level in United States

As well as experience in a job, your education plays a big role in how much you can earn. A lot of higher paying positions require a high level of education, but how much can a degree increase your salary?

In our research we have compared the salaries of employees in the same job and career level with different levels of education to see how much more you can earn at each education level.

The salary you can earn based on your education is very specific to both your location and the career path you choose.

In our research, we looked at the average salary for a Fitness Instructor in United States based on the education level of the employees in order to find out whether a better education level would increase your salary.

  • High School. A Fitness Instructor in United States with a high school education can earn an average salary of 36,800 USD.

  • Certificate or Diploma. A Fitness Instructor in United States with a certificate or diploma education can earn an average salary of 54,100 USD.

  • Bachelor's Degree. A Fitness Instructor in United States with a bachelor's degree education can earn an average salary of 83,800 USD.

Average Salary by Education Chart

High School
36,800 USD
Certificate or Diploma +51%
54,100 USD
Bachelor's Degree +50%
83,800 USD

How Much is a Master's Degree or MBA Program?

The approximate cost of a master's degree or post-graduate program like an MBA in United States is around 39,500 to 118,000 USD and takes two years to complete.

As you can see above, there are financial benefits from reaching master's degree level, but don't expect to see much of a salary increase until you have completed the degree.

It's common for people to pursue an MBA or other post-graduate program in order to switch to a a job that pays more. On average, you can expect to earn around 10% more when switching to a new company.

Whether you decide to pursue a master's degree depends on many factors. If you are able to afford it, the numbers suggest that the return on investment is worth it and you could recover the costs in a few years from the salary increase you would receive.

Fitness Instructor Salary Compared by Gender

In the modern age, we know that there should never be a pay gap between men and women. Unfortunately, in many professions, there is still a significant difference between the salaries earned by men when compared to the salary of women in the same job.

In United States, a male fitness instructor will earn an average of 54,200 USD, while a female fitness instructor will earn around 59,000 USD.

This means that a male fitness instructor earns approximately 8% less than a female fitness instructor for performing the same job.

Average Salary by Gender Chart in United States

Male
54,200 USD
Female +8%
59,000 USD

Fitness Instructor Average Pay Raise in United States

In many countries, an annual pay raise is often given to employees to reward their service with a salary increase.

From our research, we can see that the average pay raise for a Fitness Instructor in United States is around 10% every 16 months.

The national average pay raise across all professions and industries in United States is around 8% every 16 months.

In this case, we can see that the number of months between the average pay raise is higher than the typical 12 months.

To make the data more meaningful, we can calculate what the approximate annual pay raise would be using a simple formula:

Annual Increase = ( Increase Rate ÷ Months ) × 12

So for this example, it would be:

Annual Increase = ( 10 ÷ 16 ) × 12  = 8%

What this means is that a Fitness Instructor in United States can expect to receive an average pay raise of around 8% every 12 months.

Annual Pay Raise by Industry in United States for 2024

In the chart below, you can see the average annual pay raise percentages for each of the major industries in United States.

You will see that companies in bigger and more lucrative industries tend to have the higher annual pay raises.

Banking
4%
Energy
8%
Information Technology
3%
Healthcare
7%
Travel
2%
Construction
6%
Education
1%

Fitness Instructor Bonus and Incentive Rates in United States

Another part of your overall compensation in a job is how much bonus you receive. Some job roles will be more likely to pay a bonus than others and also more likely to have higher bonus rates.

Generally speaking, jobs that are more involved with direct revenue generation will receive higher bonuses based on the performance towards revenue goals.

A Fitness Instructor is a moderate bonus based job, with 58% of employees reporting at least one bonus in the last 12 months.

42% reported that they had not received any bonuses in the previous 12 months.

For the employees that did receive a bonus in the previous 12 months, the reported bonuses ranged from 2% to 7%.

Received Bonus
58%
No Bonus
42%

What are the Types of Bonus?

There are a number of difference types of bonus you can receive in a job. Including:

  • Individual performance bonus - This is a bonus that is awarded to an individual employee for general performance in the job. It's the most common type of bonus.
  • Company performance bonus - This is a bonus that is awarded to a company employees to share profit with the staff.
  • Goal based bonus - This is a bonus that is awarded to an individual employee (or a team) for achieving specific goals, objectives, or milestones.
  • Holiday bonus - This type of bonus is usually paid around the holidays, often the end of the year, and is a token of appreciation for the hard work throughout the year.

Government vs Private Sector Salaries

Another commonly asked question is whether you get paid a higher salary working in the public (government) sector or the private sector.

Public sector employees in United States earn approximately 6% more than private sector employees in the same role.

Public Sector
98,800 USD
Private Sector -6%
93,100 USD

Salaries for Jobs Similar to a Fitness Instructor

In the table below, we have salary information for jobs that are similar to a Fitness Instructor in United States.

Job Title Category Salary
Aromatherapist Fitness / Hair / Beauty 102,700 USD
Art Therapist Fitness / Hair / Beauty 71,700 USD
Assistant Spa Manager Fitness / Hair / Beauty 79,800 USD
Beauty Advisor Fitness / Hair / Beauty 71,900 USD
Beauty Educator Fitness / Hair / Beauty 93,600 USD
Beauty Shop Coordinator Fitness / Hair / Beauty 51,600 USD
Beauty Specialist Fitness / Hair / Beauty 73,800 USD
Beauty Supply Manager Fitness / Hair / Beauty 128,200 USD
Beauty Therapist Fitness / Hair / Beauty 80,200 USD
Cosmetic Sales Fitness / Hair / Beauty 37,900 USD
Cosmetologist Fitness / Hair / Beauty 66,000 USD
Day Spa Manager Fitness / Hair / Beauty 140,700 USD
Esthetician Fitness / Hair / Beauty 35,600 USD
Fitness and Wellness Coordinator Fitness / Hair / Beauty 81,600 USD
Grooming Salon Manager Fitness / Hair / Beauty 117,100 USD
Hair Replacement Specialist Fitness / Hair / Beauty 114,300 USD
Hair Stylist Fitness / Hair / Beauty 44,900 USD
Health Coach Fitness / Hair / Beauty 99,900 USD
Health Educator Fitness / Hair / Beauty 115,600 USD
Manicurist and Pedicurist Fitness / Hair / Beauty 29,300 USD
Massage Therapist Fitness / Hair / Beauty 54,100 USD
Masseur Fitness / Hair / Beauty 47,400 USD
Natural Remedy Consultant Fitness / Hair / Beauty 102,700 USD
Naturopath and Acupuncturist Fitness / Hair / Beauty 41,500 USD
Occupational Therapist Fitness / Hair / Beauty 58,600 USD
Occupational Therapy Assistant Fitness / Hair / Beauty 48,600 USD
Physical Therapy Attendant Fitness / Hair / Beauty 43,500 USD
Recreational Therapist Fitness / Hair / Beauty 56,600 USD
Salon Assistant Fitness / Hair / Beauty 46,100 USD
Salon Manager Fitness / Hair / Beauty 117,100 USD
Spa Manager Fitness / Hair / Beauty 137,100 USD
Spa Supervisor Fitness / Hair / Beauty 102,700 USD
Sport and Recreation Manager Fitness / Hair / Beauty 140,200 USD
Tattoo Artist Fitness / Hair / Beauty 35,500 USD
Weight Loss Consultant Fitness / Hair / Beauty 130,500 USD
Yoga Instructor Fitness / Hair / Beauty 83,200 USD

Salary Comparison by City

If you want to compare salaries with different cities in United States, you can use the links below to explore the data for each specific city we have researched.

City Average Salary
Atlanta 51,800 USD
Austin 60,100 USD
Baltimore 56,100 USD
Boston 56,600 USD
Bristol 44,200 USD
Chicago 60,600 USD
Cincinnati 46,700 USD
Cleveland 46,200 USD
Dallas 58,700 USD
Denver 54,500 USD
Detroit 53,300 USD
Honolulu 44,500 USD
Houston 66,900 USD
Indianapolis 55,300 USD
Iowa City 44,900 USD
Jacksonville 58,000 USD
Kansas City 52,300 USD
Kent 45,400 USD
Las Vegas 54,200 USD
Long Beach 50,500 USD
Los Angeles 63,200 USD
Memphis 54,300 USD
Miami 48,000 USD
Minneapolis 47,200 USD
New Orleans 49,400 USD
New York 66,200 USD
Oakland 52,000 USD
Oklahoma City 54,500 USD
Orlando 45,300 USD
Philadelphia 60,700 USD
Phoenix 60,600 USD
Sacramento 54,300 USD
San Antonio 62,500 USD
San Diego 60,400 USD
San Francisco 57,800 USD
San Jose 61,600 USD
Seattle 54,200 USD
Tampa 47,400 USD
Vancouver 48,600 USD
Washington D.C. 60,500 USD

Salary Comparison by State

The table below includes links to the average salary for each state in United States.

City Average Salary
Alabama 54,500 USD
Alaska 46,200 USD
Arizona 58,000 USD
Arkansas 51,100 USD
California 56,600 USD
Colorado 54,200 USD
Connecticut 53,600 USD
Delaware 51,400 USD
District of Columbia 49,700 USD
Florida 59,000 USD
Georgia 59,800 USD
Hawaii 51,500 USD
Idaho 54,600 USD
Illinois 60,700 USD
Indiana 54,900 USD
Iowa 55,100 USD
Kansas 51,300 USD
Kentucky 53,600 USD
Louisiana 54,900 USD
Maine 50,800 USD
Maryland 60,900 USD
Massachusetts 57,900 USD
Michigan 57,900 USD
Minnesota 57,100 USD
Mississippi 51,400 USD
Missouri 54,100 USD
Montana 51,600 USD
Nebraska 50,700 USD
Nevada 55,700 USD
New Hampshire 49,100 USD
New Jersey 57,000 USD
New Mexico 54,600 USD
New York 61,400 USD
North Carolina 54,200 USD
North Dakota 49,700 USD
Ohio 58,500 USD
Oklahoma 54,200 USD
Oregon 55,200 USD
Pennsylvania 58,600 USD
Rhode Island 50,700 USD
South Carolina 55,600 USD
South Dakota 52,600 USD
Tennessee 58,700 USD
Texas 60,900 USD
Utah 53,600 USD
Vermont 49,400 USD
Virginia 54,500 USD
Washington 60,400 USD
West Virginia 49,100 USD
Wisconsin 59,800 USD
Wyoming 46,700 USD

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