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The differences between performance coaches and sports psychologists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 4-6 years to become a performance coach, becoming a sports psychologist takes usually requires 1-2 years. Additionally, a sports psychologist has an average salary of $79,617, which is higher than the $48,571 average annual salary of a performance coach.
The top three skills for a performance coach include customer service, rehabilitation and kids. The most important skills for a sports psychologist are crisis intervention, clinical psychology, and performance enhancement.
| Performance Coach | Sports Psychologist | |
| Yearly salary | $48,571 | $79,617 |
| Hourly rate | $23.35 | $38.28 |
| Growth rate | 20% | 14% |
| Number of jobs | 18,116 | 12,683 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 72% | Bachelor's Degree, 64% |
| Average age | 36 | 43 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 2 |
Performance coaches and sports psychologists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Performance Coach | Sports Psychologist | |
| Average salary | $48,571 | $79,617 |
| Salary range | Between $29,000 And $79,000 | Between $54,000 And $115,000 |
| Highest paying City | Amherst, MA | - |
| Highest paying state | Massachusetts | - |
| Best paying company | UMass Lowell | - |
| Best paying industry | Technology | - |
There are a few differences between a performance coach and a sports psychologist in terms of educational background:
| Performance Coach | Sports Psychologist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 72% | Bachelor's Degree, 64% |
| Most common major | Kinesiology | Psychology |
| Most common college | Northwestern University | Northwestern University |
Here are the differences between performance coaches' and sports psychologists' demographics:
| Performance Coach | Sports Psychologist | |
| Average age | 36 | 43 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 67.3% Female, 32.7% | Male, 51.0% Female, 49.0% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 8.9% Unknown, 5.6% Hispanic or Latino, 13.2% Asian, 5.4% White, 66.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% | Black or African American, 6.2% Unknown, 3.4% Hispanic or Latino, 10.4% Asian, 3.3% White, 76.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 8% | 12% |