Fitness director vs fitness manager

The differences between fitness directors and fitness managers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a fitness director has an average salary of $53,238, which is higher than the $44,522 average annual salary of a fitness manager.

The top three skills for a fitness director include customer service, CPR and kids. The most important skills for a fitness manager are CPR, cleanliness, and program design.

Fitness director vs fitness manager overview

	Fitness Director	Fitness Manager
Yearly salary	$53,238	$44,522
Hourly rate	$25.60	$21.40
Growth rate	19%	19%
Number of jobs	9,837	98,611
Job satisfaction	5	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 72%	Bachelor's Degree, 68%
Average age	37	47
Years of experience	12	-

What does a fitness director do?

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.

What does a fitness manager do?

A fitness manager specializes in helping clients to fulfill their goals in health and lifestyle. Typically working in gyms and health facilities, they oversee fitness classes and supervise personal trainers to ensure efficiency and client satisfaction. They also participate in developing workout plans and programs, manage the facility's budget and schedules, offer gym memberships to potential clients, and monitor the conditions of equipment to ensure everyone's safety. Furthermore, as a manager, it is essential to lead and encourage the team to reach goals, all while implementing the facility's policies and regulations.

Fitness director vs fitness manager salary

Fitness directors and fitness managers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Fitness Director	Fitness Manager
Average salary	$53,238	$44,522
Salary range	Between $33,000 And $85,000	Between $30,000 And $65,000
Highest paying City	Springfield, MA	Stamford, CT
Highest paying state	Massachusetts	Connecticut
Best paying company	Google	AEA Investors
Best paying industry	Government	Hospitality

Differences between fitness director and fitness manager education

There are a few differences between a fitness director and a fitness manager in terms of educational background:

	Fitness Director	Fitness Manager
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 72%	Bachelor's Degree, 68%
Most common major	Kinesiology	Kinesiology
Most common college	University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill	University of Southern California

Fitness director vs fitness manager demographics

Here are the differences between fitness directors' and fitness managers' demographics:

	Fitness Director	Fitness Manager
Average age	37	47
Gender ratio	Male, 54.8% Female, 45.2%	Male, 65.3% Female, 34.7%
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, 7.7% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 12.9% Asian, 7.7% White, 66.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%
LGBT Percentage	13%	10%

Differences between fitness director and fitness manager duties and responsibilities

Fitness director example responsibilities.

Manage business administration including cash management, budgets and payroll; interface with members and resolve conflicts.
Enforce fitness center policies and ensure cleanliness of fitness equipment and customer safety.
Create SaaS offering for global central booking and POS management.
Assist patrons in workouts design to improve structural integrity, cardio capacity, and overall fitness.
Provide staff with information to keep up CPR education and safety procedures according to policy within the facility.
Implement biannual employee safety training that consist of first aid, CPR training, and job-relate safety precautions.

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Fitness manager example responsibilities.

Supervise hiring and managing of personal trainers and group exercise instructors, including payroll information.
Establish a CPR and AFAA Pre-Training for instructors to comply with industry standards.
Individualize exercise prescription plan development and implementation, facility maintenance, payroll management, sales, recreation programming
Answer phones, handle any complaints and make sure everything run smoothly in the gym.

Fitness director vs fitness manager skills

Common fitness director skills

Customer Service, 20%
CPR, 15%
Kids, 9%
Payroll, 7%
Yoga, 5%
Training Sessions, 4%

Common fitness manager skills

CPR, 29%
Cleanliness, 14%
Program Design, 10%
Fitness Programs, 5%
Direct Reports, 5%
Punctuality, 5%

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Updated January 8, 2025

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