Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
The differences between assistant coaches and head coaches can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 4-6 years to become both an assistant coach and a head coach. Additionally, a head coach has an average salary of $44,062, which is higher than the $43,838 average annual salary of an assistant coach.
The top three skills for an assistant coach include CPR, NCAA and player development. The most important skills for a head coach are CPR, NCAA, and athletic program.
| Assistant Coach | Head Coach | |
| Yearly salary | $43,838 | $44,062 |
| Hourly rate | $21.08 | $21.18 |
| Growth rate | 20% | 20% |
| Number of jobs | 14,724 | 22,027 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 3 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 73% | Bachelor's Degree, 73% |
| Average age | 36 | 36 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 6 |
An assistant coach's role is to provide administrative and organizational support to a coach and team of athletes. Most of the tasks will depend upon the coach's directions. However, their responsibilities primarily revolve around arranging schedules of team events and practices, responding to calls and inquiries, producing and organizing documentation, and taking part in the recruitment and budgeting process of the team. It is also an assistant coach's responsibility to keep records of all players and personnel involved, including data and progress reports.
A head coach is responsible for managing teams, monitoring each player's performance, conditioning the team's skills by conducting training sessions, and encouraging the trainees to reach their full potential. Head coaches assess the team's coordination during training or a game, adjusting strategies and improving techniques as needed. A head coach evaluates the team's strengths and weaknesses while educating them on the proper sports ethic. A head coach must have strong leadership and organizational skills to develop plans and reach set goals.
Assistant coaches and head coaches have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Assistant Coach | Head Coach | |
| Average salary | $43,838 | $44,062 |
| Salary range | Between $30,000 And $63,000 | Between $30,000 And $63,000 |
| Highest paying City | Boston, MA | New York, NY |
| Highest paying state | Massachusetts | New York |
| Best paying company | The Branson School | Kern Community College District |
| Best paying industry | Education | Education |
There are a few differences between an assistant coach and a head coach in terms of educational background:
| Assistant Coach | Head Coach | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 73% | Bachelor's Degree, 73% |
| Most common major | Kinesiology | Kinesiology |
| Most common college | Northwestern University | Northwestern University |
Here are the differences between assistant coaches' and head coaches' demographics:
| Assistant Coach | Head Coach | |
| Average age | 36 | 36 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 62.5% Female, 37.5% | Male, 66.3% Female, 33.7% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 8.8% Unknown, 5.8% Hispanic or Latino, 13.1% Asian, 5.4% White, 66.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% | Black or African American, 9.0% Unknown, 5.8% Hispanic or Latino, 13.4% Asian, 5.5% White, 66.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 8% | 8% |