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The differences between personal trainers and coaches 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 a coach takes usually requires 4-6 years. Additionally, a coach has an average salary of $42,716, 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 a coach are customer service, CPR, and food handling.
| Personal Trainer | Coach | |
| Yearly salary | $37,214 | $42,716 |
| Hourly rate | $17.89 | $20.54 |
| Growth rate | 19% | 20% |
| Number of jobs | 34,023 | 16,688 |
| Job satisfaction | 5 | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 67% | Bachelor's Degree, 62% |
| Average age | 37 | 36 |
| Years of experience | 12 | 6 |
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.
The main responsibility of a coach is to motivate an individual or an entire team. Coaches are focused on improving the performance and skills of athletes by conducting training sessions, coordinating practice drills, and providing guidance. Their work is conducted both on and off the field - not only while an athletic event is in session. Coaches are sometimes tasked with recruitment activities in order to fill a team's roster to help them succeed. Other duties of a coach include fundraising, overseeing facilities, and promoting a safe environment.
Personal trainers and coaches have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Personal Trainer | Coach | |
| Average salary | $37,214 | $42,716 |
| Salary range | Between $26,000 And $53,000 | Between $27,000 And $66,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | Piscataway, NJ |
| Highest paying state | California | Hawaii |
| Best paying company | AEA Investors | AEA Investors |
| Best paying industry | Retail | Technology |
There are a few differences between a personal trainer and a coach in terms of educational background:
| Personal Trainer | Coach | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 67% | Bachelor's Degree, 62% |
| Most common major | Kinesiology | Business |
| Most common college | University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill | Northwestern University |
Here are the differences between personal trainers' and coaches' demographics:
| Personal Trainer | Coach | |
| Average age | 37 | 36 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 63.3% Female, 36.7% | Male, 48.3% Female, 51.7% |
| 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, 8.9% Unknown, 5.9% Hispanic or Latino, 13.2% Asian, 5.4% White, 66.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 13% | 8% |