Exercise Trainers and Group Fitness Instructors Salaries by State

Mean and median pay, wage percentiles, employment, and top-paying metro areas for exercise trainers and group fitness instructorss across the U.S. Source: BLS OEWS May 2025 (data.bls.gov OEWS tool /OESServices/combo/table, all-occupation crawl by area).

National mean salary $52,420 ≈ $25/hr
National median salary $47,160
Total employment 322,930 nationwide

Job Outlook, 2024–2034

Source: BLS Employment Projections 2024-2034.

Projected growth +11.9% Much faster than average
Annual openings 74,200 per year (avg)
Employment 2024→2034 370,100 → 414,200 (+44,100)
Typical entry education High school diploma or equivalent

Salary Map

Brighter tiles = higher average pay; dashed tiles have no data. Click a state for details.

💰 Top 5 Highest-Paying States

  1. Massachusetts$72,370
  2. Connecticut$66,870
  3. New Jersey$65,470
  4. California$62,890
  5. Washington$61,800

📉 5 Lowest-Paying States

  1. Indiana$37,330
  2. Mississippi$37,390
  3. Nebraska$37,940
  4. Iowa$38,290
  5. Alabama$39,330
#StateMeanMedian Hourlyvs. U.S.Employment
1 Massachusetts $72,370 $64,620 $35 +38.1% 9,200
2 Connecticut $66,870 $61,580 $32 +27.6% 2,850
3 New Jersey $65,470 $59,870 $31 +24.9% 11,350
4 California $62,890 $57,990 $30 +20% 43,600
5 Washington $61,800 $50,830 $30 +17.9% 9,270
6 New York $60,770 $47,090 $29 +15.9% 20,140
7 Oregon $60,470 $58,510 $29 +15.4% 4,800
8 Vermont $59,960 $57,300 $29 +14.4% 710
9 Nevada $58,100 $57,960 $28 +10.8% 3,010
10 Wyoming $57,570 $50,250 $28 +9.8% 560
11 Colorado $56,400 $49,900 $27 +7.6% 10,500
12 District of Columbia $55,190 $39,210 $27 +5.3% 1,480
13 Hawaii $54,980 $48,290 $26 +4.9% 990
14 New Hampshire $54,120 $49,360 $26 +3.2% 1,500
15 Maryland $54,110 $47,420 $26 +3.2% 8,650

Top-Paying Metro Areas

Highest median pay among 472 metro areas.

#Metro areaMedianMeanEmployment
1 Bridgeport-Stamford-Danbury, CT $73,910 $74,300 1,120
2 New Haven, CT $72,800 $69,470 420
3 Norwich-New London-Willimantic, CT $65,990 $66,330 110
4 Balance of Nevada nonmetropolitan area $65,380 $66,130 120
5 Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH $65,190 $72,780 7,350
6 Reno, NV $64,300 $60,920 700
7 Santa Rosa-Petaluma, CA $62,500 $66,260 780
8 Barnstable Town, MA $62,400 $74,780 230
9 Carson City, NV $62,400 $56,850 50
10 San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA $62,010 $70,600 2,740

Pay by Industry

Highest-paying industries employing exercise trainers and group fitness instructorss (BLS OEWS, by median).

#IndustryMedianMeanEmployment
1 Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services $85,100 $90,800 110
2 Sector 54 - Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services $85,100 $90,800 110
3 Residential Mental Health and Substance Abuse Facilities $79,310 $93,250 60
4 Temporary Help Services $78,370 $80,160 240
5 Employment Services $68,610 $67,280 990
6 Administrative and Support Services $65,820 $68,110 1,050
7 Sector 56 - Administrative and Support and Waste Management and Remediation Services $65,820 $68,110 1,050
8 Psychiatric and Substance Abuse Hospitals, Privately Owned $65,430 $68,180 50
9 Child Care Services $64,690 $65,590 570
10 Specialty (except Psychiatric and Substance Abuse) Hospitals $62,450 $76,930 50
11 Specialty (except Psychiatric and Substance Abuse) Hospitals, Privately Owned $62,450 $77,660 50
12 Offices of All Other Health Practitioners $62,400 $63,590 630

Workforce Deep-Dive

Distribution and demographics from Census ACS (2023, self-reported). Wage figures here are ACS averages and run lower than the authoritative BLS wages above; use them for shape, not exact pay.

Annual wage distribution

< $10K
178,789
$10-20k
45,132
$20-30k
32,987
$30-40k
28,961
$40-50k
20,354
$50-60k
14,003
$60-70k
11,341
$70-80k
4,688
$80-90k
3,620
$90-100k
1,635
$100-110k
2,416
$110-120k
943
$120-130k
707
$130-140k
358
$140-150k
121
$150-160k
227
$170-180k
198
$180-190k
73
$190-200k
35
$200k+
1,396

Pay by age band

16-24
$11,568
25-34
$31,725
35-44
$21,677
45-54
$18,834
55-64
$13,067
65+
$9,579

Education level

Bachelors Degree
$23,480
1 or more years of college credit, no degree
$17,551
Masters Degree
$19,436
Regular high school diploma
$19,076
Associates Degree
$15,934
Some college, but less than 1 year
$19,719
Professional degree
$12,148
GED or alternative credential
$18,538
Grade 11
$9,341
Grade 10
$6,161
Doctorate degree
$18,426
12th grade - no diploma
$10,839
No schooling completed
$14,107
Grade 9
$2,700
Grade 6
$16,716
Grade 8
$1,094

Full-time vs part-time

Part-time
141,105 · $17,541
Full-time
89,990 · $47,253

Race / ethnicity

White
$19,066
Two or More Races
$20,735
Black
$23,013
Other
$24,840
Asian
$18,474
American Indian
$19,906
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander
$17,414
American Indian and Alaska Native tribes specified; or American Indian or Alaska Native, not specified and no other races
Alaska Native
$25,488

Top fields of study

Physical Fitness Parks Recreation And Leisure
$28,377
Psychology
$18,387
Nursing
$30,524
Communications
$25,126
General Business
$10,974
Business Management And Administration
$26,793
English Language And Literature
$11,256
Biology
$18,004

Frequently Asked Questions

How much do exercise trainers and group fitness instructors make in the U.S.?

The median exercise trainers and group fitness instructors salary in the United States is $47,160 per year (mean $52,420), and about 80% earn between $28,800 and $83,100.

How much do exercise trainers and group fitness instructors make per hour?

Roughly $25 per hour, based on a mean annual wage of $52,420 and 2,080 work hours per year.

Which state pays exercise trainers and group fitness instructors the most?

Massachusetts has the highest average pay for exercise trainers and group fitness instructors at $72,370 per year (median $64,620).

What is the job outlook for exercise trainers and group fitness instructors?

Employment is projected to change +11.9% from 2024 to 2034 (Much faster than average), with about 74,200 openings per year.