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The differences between health fitness specialists and fitness instructors 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 instructor. Additionally, a health fitness specialist has an average salary of $37,089, which is higher than the $35,495 average annual salary of a fitness instructor.
The top three skills for a health fitness specialist include customer service, health fitness and administrative tasks. The most important skills for a fitness instructor are CPR, customer service, and work ethic.
| Health Fitness Specialist | Fitness Instructor | |
| Yearly salary | $37,089 | $35,495 |
| Hourly rate | $17.83 | $17.06 |
| Growth rate | 19% | 19% |
| Number of jobs | 57,379 | 31,212 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 80% | Bachelor's Degree, 64% |
| 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 instructor advocates good physical health by crafting different fitness programs and providing fitness training sessions to a group of clients or individuals. They focus on different kinds of work-out and exercise routines. A fitness instructor mostly works at a gym; however, there are instances when one can work independently or by providing house calls. Furthermore, a fitness instructor needs to build rapport with clients, making them feel at ease during sessions, which will also be beneficial in gaining a strong client base.
Health fitness specialists and fitness instructors have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Health Fitness Specialist | Fitness Instructor | |
| Average salary | $37,089 | $35,495 |
| Salary range | Between $27,000 And $49,000 | Between $23,000 And $53,000 |
| Highest paying City | Santa Clara, CA | Berkeley, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | STG International | Massachusetts General Hospital |
| Best paying industry | Hospitality | Education |
There are a few differences between a health fitness specialist and a fitness instructor in terms of educational background:
| Health Fitness Specialist | Fitness Instructor | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 80% | Bachelor's Degree, 64% |
| 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 instructors' demographics:
| Health Fitness Specialist | Fitness Instructor | |
| Average age | 37 | 37 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 41.3% Female, 58.7% | Male, 32.2% Female, 67.8% |
| 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% |