Average Swim Instructor Salary in United States for 2024

In this article, we will look at the average Swim 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 Swim Instructor Make in United States?

A Swim Instructor working in United States will typically earn around 80,700 USD per year, and this can range from the lowest average salary of about 43,500 USD to the highest average salary of 123,000 USD.

Average Annual Salary
80,700 USD
Average Monthly Salary
6,725 USD

Lowest Annual Salary
43,500 USD
Lowest Monthly Salary
3,625 USD

Highest Annual Salary
123,000 USD
Highest Monthly Salary
10,250 USD

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

Swim 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 Swim Instructor Salaries in United States

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

Salary ranges

We already know that a Swim Instructor can earn between 43,500 USD and 123,000 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 Swim Instructor in United States is 74,600 USD. This is the middle value in the distribution of salaries.

What this means is that approximately 50% of the population earn less than 74,600 USD, and 50% of the population earn more than 74,600 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 Swim Instructor salary in United States, 25% of the population are earning less than 51,100 USD while 75% of the population earn more than 51,100 USD.

75% of the population earn less than 91,600 USD, and 25% of the population earn more than 91,600 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.

Swim 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 swim 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 Swim Instructor in United States that has less than two years of experience can expect to earn somewhere in the region of 46,900 USD.
  • 2 - 5 Years Experience. With two to five years of experience the average Swim Instructor salary would increase to 61,400 USD.
  • 5 - 10 Years Experience. From five to ten years of experience as a Swim Instructor, the average salary would be 86,400 USD.
  • 10 - 15 Years Experience. Once you have more than ten years of experience the average salary reaches around 97,300 USD.
  • 15 - 20 Years Experience. A Swim Instructor with 15 to 20 years of experience can earn an average of 109,700 USD.
  • 20+ Years Experience. For a Swim Instructor with more than 20 years, the expected average salary increases to 116,400 USD.

Average Salary by Experience Chart

0-2 Years
46,900 USD
2-5 Years +23%
61,400 USD
5-10 Years +42%
86,400 USD
10-15 Years +17%
97,300 USD
15-20 Years +10%
109,700 USD
20+ Years +6%
116,400 USD

Swim 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 Swim 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 Swim Instructor in United States with a high school education can earn an average salary of 63,700 USD.

  • Certificate or Diploma. A Swim Instructor in United States with a certificate or diploma education can earn an average salary of 105,200 USD.

Average Salary by Education Chart

High School
63,700 USD
Certificate or Diploma +61%
105,200 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.

Swim 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 swim instructor will earn an average of 83,700 USD, while a female swim instructor will earn around 78,100 USD.

This means that a male swim instructor earns approximately 7% more than a female swim instructor for performing the same job.

Average Salary by Gender Chart in United States

Male
83,700 USD
Female -7%
78,100 USD

Swim 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 Swim Instructor in United States is around 10% every 17 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 ÷ 17 ) × 12  = 7%

What this means is that a Swim Instructor in United States can expect to receive an average pay raise of around 7% 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%

Swim 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 Swim Instructor is a low bonus based job, with 28% of employees reporting at least one bonus in the last 12 months.

72% 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 1% to 3%.

Received Bonus
28%
No Bonus
72%

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 Swim Instructor

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

Job Title Category Salary
Activities Assistant Recreation and Sports 46,200 USD
Amusement and Recreation Attendant Recreation and Sports 41,100 USD
Aquatic Coordinator Recreation and Sports 45,300 USD
Aquatic Supervisor Recreation and Sports 71,700 USD
Assistant Cinema Manager Recreation and Sports 56,100 USD
Assistant Coach Recreation and Sports 79,000 USD
Athletic Trainer Recreation and Sports 68,100 USD
Exercise Specialist Recreation and Sports 71,100 USD
Fitness Manager Recreation and Sports 142,300 USD
Fitness Trainer Recreation and Sports 75,000 USD
Game Manager Recreation and Sports 73,100 USD
Gaming Supervisor Recreation and Sports 69,400 USD
Golf Cart Attendant Recreation and Sports 29,600 USD
Head Coach Recreation and Sports 134,700 USD
Head Gymnastics Instructor Recreation and Sports 94,400 USD
Party Host Recreation and Sports 54,100 USD
Personal Trainer Recreation and Sports 70,000 USD
Pool Attendant / Lifeguard Recreation and Sports 46,200 USD
Recreation Aide Recreation and Sports 32,900 USD
Recreation Assistant Recreation and Sports 35,500 USD
Recreation Director Recreation and Sports 158,700 USD
Recreation Manager Recreation and Sports 153,800 USD
Ski Instructor Recreation and Sports 82,300 USD
Sports Manager Recreation and Sports 161,300 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 76,000 USD
Austin 87,200 USD
Baltimore 78,500 USD
Boston 81,400 USD
Bristol 66,000 USD
Chicago 86,600 USD
Cincinnati 67,800 USD
Cleveland 66,900 USD
Dallas 79,600 USD
Denver 77,000 USD
Detroit 75,500 USD
Honolulu 64,300 USD
Houston 92,100 USD
Indianapolis 80,000 USD
Iowa City 61,600 USD
Jacksonville 83,300 USD
Kansas City 73,100 USD
Kent 63,700 USD
Las Vegas 79,600 USD
Long Beach 70,900 USD
Los Angeles 91,200 USD
Memphis 76,000 USD
Miami 68,400 USD
Minneapolis 69,700 USD
New Orleans 69,700 USD
New York 95,100 USD
Oakland 73,500 USD
Oklahoma City 77,000 USD
Orlando 61,700 USD
Philadelphia 84,600 USD
Phoenix 88,300 USD
Sacramento 76,000 USD
San Antonio 87,400 USD
San Diego 83,800 USD
San Francisco 82,300 USD
San Jose 86,300 USD
Seattle 76,800 USD
Tampa 68,800 USD
Vancouver 67,900 USD
Washington D.C. 83,300 USD

Salary Comparison by State

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

City Average Salary
Alabama 77,000 USD
Alaska 66,900 USD
Arizona 85,500 USD
Arkansas 73,300 USD
California 81,400 USD
Colorado 77,000 USD
Connecticut 71,900 USD
Delaware 72,000 USD
District of Columbia 69,100 USD
Florida 80,500 USD
Georgia 87,500 USD
Hawaii 71,000 USD
Idaho 74,600 USD
Illinois 86,800 USD
Indiana 77,100 USD
Iowa 76,900 USD
Kansas 74,100 USD
Kentucky 73,100 USD
Louisiana 77,100 USD
Maine 71,200 USD
Maryland 83,000 USD
Massachusetts 80,400 USD
Michigan 79,600 USD
Minnesota 79,500 USD
Mississippi 71,700 USD
Missouri 75,400 USD
Montana 71,600 USD
Nebraska 72,400 USD
Nevada 75,800 USD
New Hampshire 69,200 USD
New Jersey 79,600 USD
New Mexico 74,600 USD
New York 86,100 USD
North Carolina 79,600 USD
North Dakota 69,100 USD
Ohio 80,500 USD
Oklahoma 78,700 USD
Oregon 74,300 USD
Pennsylvania 80,300 USD
Rhode Island 69,700 USD
South Carolina 75,900 USD
South Dakota 72,700 USD
Tennessee 79,600 USD
Texas 83,000 USD
Utah 77,400 USD
Vermont 65,700 USD
Virginia 80,200 USD
Washington 83,800 USD
West Virginia 69,200 USD
Wisconsin 84,600 USD
Wyoming 66,200 USD

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