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The differences between personal trainers and athletic trainers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 6-12 months to become a personal trainer, becoming an athletic trainer takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, an athletic trainer has an average salary of $47,028, which is higher than the $37,214 average annual salary of a personal trainer.
The top three skills for a personal trainer include CPR, customer service and resuscitation. The most important skills for an athletic trainer are patients, rehabilitation, and CPR.
| Personal Trainer | Athletic Trainer | |
| Yearly salary | $37,214 | $47,028 |
| Hourly rate | $17.89 | $22.61 |
| Growth rate | 19% | 17% |
| Number of jobs | 34,023 | 56,812 |
| Job satisfaction | 5 | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 67% | Bachelor's Degree, 73% |
| Average age | 37 | 40 |
| Years of experience | 12 | 4 |
A personal trainer is responsible for monitoring the client's fitness goals by assisting the client with specific and customized routines and exercises to promote healthy well-being. Duties of a personal trainer also include evaluating the client's fitness progress, creating safe programs to improve the client's stamina, educating the client with workout benefits, suggesting on a client's best nutrition plans, and motivating clients with their capabilities. A personal trainer should have excellent knowledge of the fitness industry to support the client's needs.
An athletic trainer is a healthcare professional who works with physicians to improve a patient's quality of life. Their profession encompasses the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of chronic medical conditions involving disabilities, functional limitations, and impairments. As an athletic trainer, you will typically do various tasks, including recognizing and evaluating injuries, providing emergency care or first aid, and developing and implementing rehabilitation programs. You are also responsible for planning and implementing programs to help prevent sports injuries among athletes.
Personal trainers and athletic trainers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Personal Trainer | Athletic Trainer | |
| Average salary | $37,214 | $47,028 |
| Salary range | Between $26,000 And $53,000 | Between $35,000 And $61,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | Greenwich, CT |
| Highest paying state | California | Connecticut |
| Best paying company | AEA Investors | Ethical Culture Fieldston School |
| Best paying industry | Retail | - |
There are a few differences between a personal trainer and an athletic trainer in terms of educational background:
| Personal Trainer | Athletic Trainer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 67% | Bachelor's Degree, 73% |
| Most common major | Kinesiology | Athletic Training |
| Most common college | University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill | University of Michigan - Ann Arbor |
Here are the differences between personal trainers' and athletic trainers' demographics:
| Personal Trainer | Athletic Trainer | |
| Average age | 37 | 40 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 63.3% Female, 36.7% | Male, 53.1% Female, 46.9% |
| 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, 9.6% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 14.9% Asian, 8.3% White, 61.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.5% |
| LGBT Percentage | 13% | 10% |