Exercise Trainers and Group Fitness Instructors: salary, outlook & degrees
Instruct or coach groups or individuals in exercise activities for the primary purpose of personal fitness. Demonstrate techniques and form, observe participants, and explain to them corrective measures necessary to improve their skills. Develop and implement individualized approaches to exercise.
Middle half $35,280–$61,730. 322,930 jobs.
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025
61% hold a bachelor's or higher. Those with one: $34,633.
Census ACS 2020-2024 microdata, workers with at least a high school diploma; EducationGuide calculation
About 68,000 openings a year, including replacements.
BLS Employment Projections 2025-35
Medium preparation.
BLS; O*NET 31.0 job zone
Degrees that lead to this career
What workers ages 25-34 in this job studied, among those with a bachelor's or higher. This is what people actually did, not a requirement.
| Field of bachelor's degree | Share | Degree pages |
|---|---|---|
| Physical Fitness Parks Recreation And Leisure | 23% | Kinesiology / Exercise Science · Parks, Recreation, and Leisure Studies |
| Psychology | 6% | Psychology |
| Nursing | 3% | Nursing |
| Communications | 3% | Communications · Communication, Journalism, and Related Programs, Other |
| Visual And Performing Arts | 3% | Visual and Performing Arts · Dance |
| Business Management And Administration | 3% | Business Administration |
| General Business | 2% | Business |
| Nutrition Sciences | 2% | Nutrition Science |
| Biology | 2% | Biology |
| General Medical And Health Services | 2% | Health Sciences |
Census ACS 2020-2024 microdata (ages 25-34, employed, bachelor's or higher; top 10 fields); EducationGuide calculation.
Education workers say the job requires
O*NET 31.0 survey of workers (“required level of education”); small samples, so treat shares as approximate.
Pay by state and metro
| State | Median wage |
|---|---|
| Massachusetts | $64,620 |
| Connecticut | $61,580 |
| New Jersey | $59,870 |
| Oregon | $58,510 |
| California | $57,990 |
| Nevada | $57,960 |
| Vermont | $57,300 |
| Washington | $50,830 |
| Wyoming | $50,250 |
| Colorado | $49,900 |
| Idaho | $49,780 |
| New Hampshire | $49,360 |
| Hawaii | $48,290 |
| Arizona | $47,980 |
| Maryland | $47,420 |
| Tennessee | $47,380 |
| Georgia | $47,150 |
| New York | $47,090 |
| Maine | $47,060 |
| Illinois | $46,800 |
| North Carolina | $46,450 |
| Alaska | $46,210 |
| Rhode Island | $45,640 |
| Michigan | $45,520 |
| Kentucky | $45,280 |
| Pennsylvania | $45,250 |
| Utah | $44,800 |
| New Mexico | $44,680 |
| Oklahoma | $44,520 |
| Louisiana | $44,410 |
| Delaware | $44,340 |
| Wisconsin | $44,200 |
| Montana | $43,940 |
| South Carolina | $43,630 |
| Minnesota | $43,620 |
| Arkansas | $42,140 |
| Texas | $40,880 |
| Virginia | $40,820 |
| South Dakota | $40,070 |
| District of Columbia | $39,210 |
| Alabama | $39,180 |
| Florida | $38,800 |
| West Virginia | $38,120 |
| North Dakota | $37,760 |
| Missouri | $36,450 |
| Ohio | $36,370 |
| Iowa | $36,160 |
| Kansas | $35,900 |
| Indiana | $34,960 |
| Nebraska | $31,440 |
| Mississippi | $30,540 |
| PR | $22,020 |
Florida metro areas
- Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach$31,140
- Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater$45,490
- Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford$43,750
- Jacksonville$45,990
- North Port-Bradenton-Sarasota$39,660
- Deltona-Daytona Beach-Ormond Beach$38,810
- Port St. Lucie$41,180
- Cape Coral-Fort Myers$42,210
Virginia metro areas
- Washington-Arlington-Alexandria$46,190
- Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk$38,610
- Richmond$39,110
- Charlottesville$42,900
- Roanoke$38,650
- Lynchburg$36,460
- Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford$37,290
- Harrisonburg$35,020
California metro areas
- Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim$57,630
- San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont$61,000
- San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad$56,420
- San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara$62,010
- Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario$48,450
- Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom$51,240
- Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura$57,230
- Santa Rosa-Petaluma$62,500
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025: median annual wage, all workers in the job. Metro areas: the largest by employment.
What the work takes
Top skills
- Speaking
- Active Listening
- Learning Strategies
- Reading Comprehension
- Critical Thinking
Knowledge used
- Customer and Personal Service
- Education and Training
- English Language
- Psychology
- Biology
Work styles
- Optimism
- Social Orientation
- Cooperation
- Dependability
- Leadership Orientation
People in this job tend to have Social (helping), Realistic (hands-on) interests.
O*NET 31.0 (U.S. Department of Labor, CC BY 4.0): skills and knowledge by importance; work styles; interest high points.
Exercise Trainers and Group Fitness Instructors: questions
How much do exercise Trainers and Group Fitness Instructors make?
Exercise Trainers and Group Fitness Instructors earn a U.S. median $47,160 a year; the middle half earn $35,280 to $61,730 (BLS, May 2025). Workers ages 25-34 in this job earn a median $33,516 (Census ACS 2020-2024).
Is exercise Trainers and Group Fitness Instructors a growing field?
BLS projects growth of 7.3% from 2025 to 2035, with about 68,000 openings a year, including replacements.
What degree do you need to be an exercise Trainers and Group Fitness Instructor?
BLS lists the typical entry education as high school diploma or equivalent. In O*NET's survey, 38% of workers say a bachelor's or higher is required. Among workers ages 25-34 with a bachelor's, the most common field of degree is physical Fitness Parks Recreation And Leisure (23%).
How much do exercise Trainers and Group Fitness Instructors make in Florida?
The median in Florida is $38,800 a year (BLS, May 2025), compared with $47,160 nationally.
Sources: Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS May 2025; Employment Projections 2025-35); O*NET 31.0 (U.S. Department of Labor, CC BY 4.0); U.S. Census Bureau ACS microdata. SOC 39-9031. Method
Data: JSON · Markdown · all careers
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