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The differences between athletic coaches and athletic trainers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 4-6 years to become an athletic coach, becoming an athletic trainer takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, an athletic trainer has an average salary of $47,028, which is higher than the $45,554 average annual salary of an athletic coach.
The top three skills for an athletic coach include CPR, student athletes and volleyball. The most important skills for an athletic trainer are patients, rehabilitation, and CPR.
| Athletic Coach | Athletic Trainer | |
| Yearly salary | $45,554 | $47,028 |
| Hourly rate | $21.90 | $22.61 |
| Growth rate | 20% | 17% |
| Number of jobs | 16,935 | 56,812 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 70% | Bachelor's Degree, 73% |
| Average age | 36 | 40 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 4 |
Athletic coaches organize professional and amateur athletes and teach them the basics of sports. The coaches train athletes to compete individually or as a team. They work before and after a match or game in the sphere of administrative duties. They provide assistance to the athletes to develop their full potential. They work as game coaches, leaders, performance managers, trainers, and leaders of the athletes. Also, they honor their clients as experts in their work and lives.
An athletic trainer is a healthcare professional who works with physicians to improve a patient's quality of life. Their profession encompasses the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of chronic medical conditions involving disabilities, functional limitations, and impairments. As an athletic trainer, you will typically do various tasks, including recognizing and evaluating injuries, providing emergency care or first aid, and developing and implementing rehabilitation programs. You are also responsible for planning and implementing programs to help prevent sports injuries among athletes.
Athletic coaches and athletic trainers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Athletic Coach | Athletic Trainer | |
| Average salary | $45,554 | $47,028 |
| Salary range | Between $29,000 And $71,000 | Between $35,000 And $61,000 |
| Highest paying City | Boston, MA | Greenwich, CT |
| Highest paying state | New York | Connecticut |
| Best paying company | Boston Public Schools | Ethical Culture Fieldston School |
| Best paying industry | Government | - |
There are a few differences between an athletic coach and an athletic trainer in terms of educational background:
| Athletic Coach | Athletic Trainer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 70% | Bachelor's Degree, 73% |
| Most common major | Kinesiology | Athletic Training |
| Most common college | Northwestern University | University of Michigan - Ann Arbor |
Here are the differences between athletic coaches' and athletic trainers' demographics:
| Athletic Coach | Athletic Trainer | |
| Average age | 36 | 40 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 69.6% Female, 30.4% | Male, 53.1% Female, 46.9% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 9.1% Unknown, 5.8% Hispanic or Latino, 13.5% Asian, 5.5% White, 65.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% | Black or African American, 9.6% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 14.9% Asian, 8.3% White, 61.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.5% |
| LGBT Percentage | 8% | 10% |