Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
The differences between personal trainers 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 personal trainer and a fitness instructor. Additionally, a personal trainer has an average salary of $37,214, which is higher than the $35,495 average annual salary of a fitness instructor.
The top three skills for a personal trainer include CPR, customer service and resuscitation. The most important skills for a fitness instructor are CPR, customer service, and work ethic.
| Personal Trainer | Fitness Instructor | |
| Yearly salary | $37,214 | $35,495 |
| Hourly rate | $17.89 | $17.06 |
| Growth rate | 19% | 19% |
| Number of jobs | 34,023 | 31,212 |
| Job satisfaction | 5 | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 67% | Bachelor's Degree, 64% |
| Average age | 37 | 37 |
| Years of experience | 12 | 12 |
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.
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.
Personal trainers and fitness instructors have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Personal Trainer | Fitness Instructor | |
| Average salary | $37,214 | $35,495 |
| Salary range | Between $26,000 And $53,000 | Between $23,000 And $53,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | Berkeley, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | AEA Investors | Massachusetts General Hospital |
| Best paying industry | Retail | Education |
There are a few differences between a personal trainer and a fitness instructor in terms of educational background:
| Personal Trainer | Fitness Instructor | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 67% | 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 personal trainers' and fitness instructors' demographics:
| Personal Trainer | Fitness Instructor | |
| Average age | 37 | 37 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 63.3% Female, 36.7% | 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% |