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The differences between health fitness specialists 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 health fitness specialist and a fitness director. Additionally, a fitness director has an average salary of $53,238, which is higher than the $37,089 average annual salary of a health fitness specialist.
The top three skills for a health fitness specialist include customer service, health fitness and administrative tasks. The most important skills for a fitness director are customer service, CPR, and kids.
| Health Fitness Specialist | Fitness Director | |
| Yearly salary | $37,089 | $53,238 |
| Hourly rate | $17.83 | $25.60 |
| Growth rate | 19% | 19% |
| Number of jobs | 57,379 | 9,837 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 5 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 80% | Bachelor's Degree, 72% |
| Average age | 37 | 37 |
| Years of experience | 12 | 12 |
A health fitness specialist's role is to promote fitness through different strategies and health programs. Their responsibilities mostly revolve around researching and developing exercise routines for various people, conducting fitness training sessions for small or large groups, assisting clients in their fitness goals, and ensuring a safe and healthy environment for all clients. Moreover, a health fitness specialist may provide private training sessions at home, to clients who are recovering from ailments or injuries, and even to private institutions such as universities and hospitals.
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.
Health fitness specialists and fitness directors have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Health Fitness Specialist | Fitness Director | |
| Average salary | $37,089 | $53,238 |
| Salary range | Between $27,000 And $49,000 | Between $33,000 And $85,000 |
| Highest paying City | Santa Clara, CA | Springfield, MA |
| Highest paying state | California | Massachusetts |
| Best paying company | STG International | |
| Best paying industry | Hospitality | Government |
There are a few differences between a health fitness specialist and a fitness director in terms of educational background:
| Health Fitness Specialist | Fitness Director | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 80% | 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 health fitness specialists' and fitness directors' demographics:
| Health Fitness Specialist | Fitness Director | |
| Average age | 37 | 37 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 41.3% Female, 58.7% | 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% |