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The differences between certified personal trainers and fitness directors can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 6-12 months to become both a certified personal trainer and a fitness director. Additionally, a fitness director has an average salary of $53,238, which is higher than the $32,039 average annual salary of a certified personal trainer.
The top three skills for a certified personal trainer include CPR, customer service and injury prevention. The most important skills for a fitness director are customer service, CPR, and kids.
| Certified Personal Trainer | Fitness Director | |
| Yearly salary | $32,039 | $53,238 |
| Hourly rate | $15.40 | $25.60 |
| Growth rate | 19% | 19% |
| Number of jobs | 65,615 | 9,837 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 5 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 66% | Bachelor's Degree, 72% |
| Average age | 37 | 37 |
| Years of experience | 12 | 12 |
A Certified Personal Trainer is a person who will guide, help, and motivate you to move forward and become successful. Anyone with a mastery of a specific subject can become a personal trainer; however, certification is given only by accredited organizations that can offer licensure or certification programs. Many hope to find their own certified personal trainer in this hectic and convoluted society to accompany them through thick and thin in life.
A fitness director manages a fitness facility's operations. These operations include creating fitness programs, monitoring staff, scheduling shifts, and even managing the fitness center budget. They can also train fitness instructors and even hire and terminate them. They procure the equipment necessary and make sure it works well and is safe. Aside from these tasks, fitness directors must also be akin to the needs of the center, decide on solutions, and have the ability to motivate clients to follow the program that was created for their betterment.
Certified personal trainers and fitness directors have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Certified Personal Trainer | Fitness Director | |
| Average salary | $32,039 | $53,238 |
| Salary range | Between $21,000 And $47,000 | Between $33,000 And $85,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | Springfield, MA |
| Highest paying state | California | Massachusetts |
| Best paying company | City and County of Denver Government | |
| Best paying industry | Retail | Government |
There are a few differences between a certified personal trainer and a fitness director in terms of educational background:
| Certified Personal Trainer | Fitness Director | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 66% | Bachelor's Degree, 72% |
| Most common major | Kinesiology | Kinesiology |
| Most common college | University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill | University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill |
Here are the differences between certified personal trainers' and fitness directors' demographics:
| Certified Personal Trainer | Fitness Director | |
| Average age | 37 | 37 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 53.5% Female, 46.5% | Male, 54.8% Female, 45.2% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 7.1% Unknown, 5.4% Hispanic or Latino, 10.6% Asian, 5.1% White, 71.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5% | Black or African American, 7.1% Unknown, 5.4% Hispanic or Latino, 10.6% Asian, 5.1% White, 71.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5% |
| LGBT Percentage | 13% | 13% |