Certified Personal Trainers are fitness professionals who have earned certification for creating and implementing health programs. They work closely with their clients to tailor their training regimen to their individual needs. Certified Personal Trainers go beyond diet and exercise plans. Many of them use a more holistic approach to health and wellness, noting their client's professional, mental, and personal goals.

Certified Personal Trainers don't necessarily need a college education. A high school diploma or GED is enough to get you through the door. What's more important is personal training certification. Many programs and institutions offer personal training certification. Be sure to look for accredited ones by the National Commission for Certifying Agencies (NCAA).

The average Certified Personal Trainer in the United States earns a yearly salary of $32,000. That's more or less $15 an hour. However, employers like the Conway Regional Medical Center, Lifetime, Planet Fitness, and Anytime Fitness pay their Certified Personal Trainer a highly competitive salary of $36,000 or more on average.

What Does a Certified Personal Trainer Do

There are certain skills that many certified personal trainers have in order to accomplish their responsibilities. By taking a look through resumes, we were able to narrow down the most common skills for a person in this position. We discovered that a lot of resumes listed customer-service skills, communication skills and listening skills.

Learn more about what a Certified Personal Trainer does

How To Become a Certified Personal Trainer

If you're interested in becoming a certified personal trainer, one of the first things to consider is how much education you need. We've determined that 66.1% of certified personal trainers have a bachelor's degree. In terms of higher education levels, we found that 7.7% of certified personal trainers have master's degrees. Even though most certified personal trainers have a college degree, it's possible to become one with only a high school degree or GED.

Certified Personal Trainer Career Paths

Average Salary for a Certified Personal Trainer

Certified Personal Trainers in America make an average salary of $32,039 per year or $15 per hour. The top 10 percent makes over $47,000 per year, while the bottom 10 percent under $21,000 per year.
Average Certified Personal Trainer Salary
$32,039 Yearly
$15.40 hourly

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Roles and Types of Certified Personal Trainer

There are several types of certified personal trainer, including:

Trainer

Role:

There are a lot of different types of trainers. Your definition of a trainer would be very different from someone else's definition. Maybe you think of a gymnasium setting when you think of a trainer. Or maybe you imagine an office setting. Either way, you would be right.

As a trainer, you have unlimited job opportunities to look forward to. From gym trainers and personal trainers to corporate trainers and technical trainers, you get to decide what office you'd rather work in. A lot of the responsibilities between the different types of trainers remain the same.

At the heart of being a trainer, your goal is to motivate your team. Whether it's pushing out five more push-ups or committing to five more minutes of productivity, you get to be their coach and mentor. You're going to be the person they come to when they're struggling with accomplishing a goal. So your listening skills need to be off the charts.
  • Average Salary: $47,574
  • Degree: Bachelor's Degree

Personal Trainer

Role:

A personal trainer is a qualified fitness instructor who helps people get fit, gain muscle, or lose weight, and increase their willpower and physical stamina. They make their clients sweat one-on-one, accept no excuses, and give personalized dietary advice, as well.

As a personal trainer, you might work in a gym or take your clients outdoors. But wherever the training takes place, what really matters is creating a trusting relationship with your clients. Setting realistic goals and designing a tailored and effective exercise plan will be crucial as well because nothing is as motivating as seeing your own progress.

This is a currently booming profession that may be rewarding both monetarily and personally because no one decides to become a personal trainer overnight without having experienced the numerous growth opportunities working out can lead to. Not just thinking about your biceps here, obviously.
  • Average Salary: $37,214
  • Degree: Bachelor's Degree

Fitness Instructor

Role:

A fabricator is someone who builds or creates machines or objects. A fabricator produces and manufactures tools and equipment with various raw materials based on the production guidelines specified by the design experts to produce a standardized product. A fabricator may also work to create large-scale products from small-scale models. As a fabricator, you will ensure that your works are aligned with the instructions from the designer or the owner of the equipment or machinery you are fabricating. A fabricator also works to ensure coupled parts fit in properly and is also in charge of reporting product malfunctions.

A fabricator must be able to read and interpret blueprints, design diagrams, and engineering drawings correctly. The academic qualification requirement of a fabricator is a GED or high school diploma. Experience in the field of fabrication and relevant fabrication skills is necessary as well. A certification in welding and an in-depth understanding of basic construction tasks, as well as dexterity, are essential as well. A fabricator's average salary ranges from $21 to $24 per hour, and they make up to $33,290 per year.
  • Average Salary: $35,495
  • Degree: Bachelor's Degree

States With The Most Certified Personal Trainer Jobs

Mouse over a state to see the number of active certified personal trainer jobs in each state. The darker areas on the map show where certified personal trainers earn the highest salaries across all 50 states.

Average Salary: Job Openings:

Number Of Certified Personal Trainer Jobs By State

RankStateNumber of JobsAverage Salary
1California4,244$50,027
2Texas3,429$34,461
3New York2,274$30,676
4Illinois2,125$35,257
5Georgia1,783$27,212
6Virginia1,674$29,379
7Indiana1,410$26,640
8New Jersey1,377$35,133
9Missouri1,118$26,635
10Pennsylvania1,085$31,885
11Florida1,005$34,156
12Arizona961$34,551
13Maryland883$38,580
14Ohio864$20,762
15Oregon838$39,336
16Kentucky789$34,139
17Louisiana693$30,273
18Michigan678$33,750
19North Carolina673$27,824
20Alabama627$30,619
21Oklahoma603$34,349
22Massachusetts471$39,201
23Mississippi465$33,996
24Utah464$33,331
25Washington444$37,397
26Minnesota444$34,030
27Connecticut429$41,099
28Wisconsin426$29,361
29Colorado425$37,816
30Tennessee402$27,024
31Arkansas380$26,212
32Idaho322$25,939
33Iowa306$22,817
34South Carolina302$21,186
35Kansas284$30,377
36Nevada270$39,876
37Delaware234$33,593
38South Dakota210$27,864
39New Hampshire194$40,885
40Hawaii151$48,523
41Nebraska150$32,196
42New Mexico110$34,296
43Alaska101$45,568
44West Virginia96$34,603
45Vermont90$41,431
46Rhode Island86$39,511
47Wyoming82$34,095
48North Dakota68$37,056
49Maine57$38,000
50Montana56$29,227

Certified Personal Trainer Education

Certified Personal Trainer Majors

15.1 %

Certified Personal Trainer Degrees

Bachelors

66.1 %

Associate

16.1 %

Masters

7.7 %

Top Colleges for Certified Personal Trainers

1. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Chapel Hill, NC • Private

In-State Tuition

$8,987

Enrollment

18,946

Admissions
Most Popular Majors
Business
Biology
Communication
Psychology
Kinesiology

2. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

In-State Tuition

$54,568

Enrollment

8,451

Admissions
Most Popular Majors
Biology
Business
Liberal Arts
Communication
Psychology

3. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-State Tuition

$56,225

Enrollment

19,548

Admissions
Most Popular Majors
Business
Education
Communication
Biology
Psychology

4. California State University - Bakersfield

Bakersfield, CA • Private

In-State Tuition

$7,309

Enrollment

9,142

Admissions
Most Popular Majors
Liberal Arts
Business
Education
Biology
Psychology

5. San Diego State University

San Diego, CA • Private

In-State Tuition

$7,488

Enrollment

30,018

Admissions
Most Popular Majors
Business
Education
Biology
Psychology
Liberal Arts

6. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

In-State Tuition

$51,354

Enrollment

7,083

Admissions
Most Popular Majors
Business
Biology
Education
Health And Wellness
Communication

7. University of Minnesota - Twin Cities

Minneapolis, MN • Private

In-State Tuition

$14,760

Enrollment

31,451

Admissions
Most Popular Majors
Biology
Business
Psychology
Nursing
Marketing

8. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Champaign, IL • Private

In-State Tuition

$15,094

Enrollment

32,974

Admissions
Most Popular Majors
Education
Biology
Psychology
Business
Communication

9. Howard University

Washington, DC • Private

In-State Tuition

$26,756

Enrollment

6,166

Admissions
Most Popular Majors
Biology
Psychology
Kinesiology
Business
Nursing

10. SUNY at Buffalo

Buffalo, NY • Private

In-State Tuition

$10,099

Enrollment

21,404

Admissions
Most Popular Majors
Health And Wellness
Business
Biology
Psychology
Communication

Top Skills For a Certified Personal Trainer

The skills section on your resume can be almost as important as the experience section, so you want it to be an accurate portrayal of what you can do. Luckily, we've found all of the skills you'll need so even if you don't have these skills yet, you know what you need to work on. Out of all the resumes we looked through, 20.8% of certified personal trainers listed cpr on their resume, but soft skills such as customer-service skills and communication skills are important as well.

Choose From 10+ Customizable Certified Personal Trainer Resume templates

Zippia allows you to choose from different easy-to-use Certified Personal Trainer templates, and provides you with expert advice. Using the templates, you can rest assured that the structure and format of your Certified Personal Trainer resume is top notch. Choose a template with the colors, fonts & text sizes that are appropriate for your industry.

Certified Personal Trainer Resume
Certified Personal Trainer Resume
Certified Personal Trainer Resume
Certified Personal Trainer Resume
Certified Personal Trainer Resume
Certified Personal Trainer Resume
Certified Personal Trainer Resume
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Certified Personal Trainer Resume
Certified Personal Trainer Resume
Certified Personal Trainer Resume
Certified Personal Trainer Resume
Certified Personal Trainer Resume
Certified Personal Trainer Resume
Certified Personal Trainer Resume
Certified Personal Trainer Resume

Certified Personal Trainer Demographics

Certified Personal Trainer Gender Distribution

Male
Male
54%
Female
Female
47%

After extensive research and analysis, Zippia's data science team found that:

  • Among certified personal trainers, 46.5% of them are women, while 53.5% are men.

  • The most common race/ethnicity among certified personal trainers is White, which makes up 71.3% of all certified personal trainers.

  • The most common foreign language among certified personal trainers is Spanish at 58.8%.

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Best States For a Certified Personal Trainer

Some places are better than others when it comes to starting a career as a certified personal trainer. The best states for people in this position are California, Hawaii, Alaska, and Vermont. Certified personal trainers make the most in California with an average salary of $50,027. Whereas in Hawaii and Alaska, they would average $48,523 and $45,568, respectively. While certified personal trainers would only make an average of $41,431 in Vermont, you would still make more there than in the rest of the country. We determined these as the best states based on job availability and pay. By finding the median salary, cost of living, and using the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Location Quotient, we narrowed down our list of states to these four.

1. California

Total Certified Personal Trainer Jobs: 4,244
Highest 10% Earn:
$75,000
Location Quotient:
1.13

2. Oregon

Total Certified Personal Trainer Jobs: 838
Highest 10% Earn:
$60,000
Location Quotient:
1.57

3. Hawaii

Total Certified Personal Trainer Jobs: 151
Highest 10% Earn:
$55,000
Location Quotient:
1.4
Full List Of Best States For Certified Personal Trainers

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Top Certified Personal Trainer Employers

Most Common Employers For Certified Personal Trainer

RankCompanyAverage SalaryHourly RateJob Openings
1AEA Investors$121,024$58.18369
2Retail$44,230$21.2642
3National Academy of Medicine$43,179$20.7651
4VASA Fitness$39,823$19.1532
5Lifestyle Family Fitness, Inc.$39,388$18.9424
6American Family Fitness$38,886$18.7016
7Life Fitness$38,216$18.3728
8Town Sports International Holdings$38,161$18.3513
9Independent Contractor$36,819$17.7012
10ISSA$36,034$17.3233

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