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Clinical exercise specialist salary

Quoted expert
Clinton Brawner Ph.D.

Average clinical exercise specialist salary

$62,387

$29.99 hourly rate

Entry-level clinical exercise specialist salary
$29,000 yearly salary
Updated January 8, 2025

Understanding the Clinical Exercise Specialist Salary

The average salary for a clinical exercise specialist in the United States is approximately $62,387 per year, equating to around $30 per hour. Salaries can vary significantly based on factors such as geographic location, years of experience, and the specific healthcare setting. For example, clinical exercise specialists working in hospitals or specialized rehabilitation clinics may earn higher wages compared to those in fitness centers.

Salary Variations by State

Some states offer higher salaries for clinical exercise specialists. For instance, professionals in California and New York often report above-average earnings due to the high demand for healthcare services and fitness expertise. The following list highlights the highest-paying states for clinical exercise specialists:

  • California
  • New York
  • Texas
  • Florida
  • Pennsylvania

Career Opportunities

As the focus on health and wellness continues to grow, so does the need for qualified clinical exercise specialists. Job opportunities exist in various environments, including:

  • Rehabilitation centers
  • Fitness and wellness programs
  • Corporate wellness initiatives
  • Community health organizations

This diverse range of settings ensures that clinical exercise specialists have numerous options to advance their careers while making a significant impact on clients' lives.

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Where can a Clinical Exercise Specialist earn more?

Compare salary by location
Vs
99k
79k
59k
39k
19k
Columbus, OH$85,732
Mercer Island, WA$49,203
Compare salary by company
Vs
163k
143k
123k
103k
83k
63k
43k
23k
Novant Health$145,051
Baylor Scott & White Health$52,570

Clinical exercise specialist salary estimates from across the web

Based on the latest salary information compiled by Zippia, Salary.com, Glassdoor and Ziprecruiter, the average salary for a clinical exercise specialist typically falls between $44,599 and $66,534.
zippia
$62,387yearly
glassdoor[1]
$66,534yearly
Salary.com[2]
$52,600yearly
ZipRecruiter[3]
$44,599yearly

Average clinical exercise specialist salary by state

The highest-paying states for clinical exercise specialists are New Jersey, New York, and California. The lowest average clinical exercise specialist salary states are South Dakota, Washington, and Idaho.

  • State view
  • County view
Average salary:

Highest paying states for clinical exercise specialists

RankStateAvg. salaryHourly rate
1New Jersey$91,773$44.12
2New York$83,792$40.28
3Rhode Island$78,720$37.85
4California$81,247$39.06
5Connecticut$79,655$38.30
6North Carolina$72,643$34.92
7Delaware$80,051$38.49
8Pennsylvania$75,728$36.41
9District of Columbia$78,663$37.82
10Indiana$73,336$35.26
11Nevada$70,933$34.10
12Maine$66,081$31.77
13Wisconsin$71,834$34.54
14West Virginia$68,079$32.73
15Iowa$65,910$31.69
16Massachusetts$76,393$36.73
17Vermont$68,604$32.98
18New Hampshire$73,174$35.18
19North Dakota$58,618$28.18
20Mississippi$69,032$33.19
21Ohio$66,816$32.12
22Arizona$62,047$29.83
23Missouri$65,062$31.28
24Michigan$61,832$29.73
25Maryland$65,704$31.59
26Louisiana$60,128$28.91
27Nebraska$60,733$29.20
28Florida$58,412$28.08
29Alaska$67,442$32.42
30Illinois$63,793$30.67
31Minnesota$62,218$29.91
32Virginia$67,553$32.48
33Kentucky$61,487$29.56
34Hawaii$51,865$24.94
35Oregon$52,940$25.45
36South Carolina$60,737$29.20
37Utah$59,021$28.38
38Alabama$59,351$28.53
39Kansas$52,745$25.36
40New Mexico$51,712$24.86
41South Dakota$49,545$23.82
42Oklahoma$49,705$23.90
43Tennessee$52,739$25.36
44Georgia$54,454$26.18
45Washington$49,161$23.64
46Wyoming$49,939$24.01
47Texas$52,352$25.17
48Montana$43,410$20.87
49Idaho$49,155$23.63
50Colorado$46,940$22.57
51Arkansas$46,519$22.36
Top clinical exercise specialist jobs near you

Highest paying cities for clinical exercise specialists

The highest-paying cities for clinical exercise specialists are New York, NY, White Plains, NY, and Jackson, NY.

RankCityAvg. salaryHourly rate
1New York, NY$85,732$41.22
2White Plains, NY$85,219$40.97
3Jackson, NY$78,461$37.72
4Bolivia, NC$71,124$34.19
5Charlotte, NC$70,275$33.79
6Gastonia, NC$69,907$33.61
7Grand Rapids, MI$60,034$28.86
8Round Rock, TX$53,112$25.53
9Temple, TX$52,673$25.32
10Fort Worth, TX$50,778$24.41
11Denton, TX$50,028$24.05
12Mercer Island, WA$49,203$23.66

Clinical exercise specialist salary details

A clinical exercise specialist's salary ranges from $29,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $130,000 at the 90th percentile.

Average clinical exercise specialist salary graph
Average clinical exercise specialist salary graph, trends, and summary

What is a clinical exercise specialist's salary?

PercentileAnnual salaryMonthly salaryHourly rate
90th Percentile$130,000$10,833$63
75th Percentile$92,000$7,667$44
Average$62,387$5,199$30
25th Percentile$42,000$3,500$20
10th Percentile$29,000$2,417$14

Highest paying clinical exercise specialist jobs

The highest paying types of clinical exercise specialists are director of cardiac rehabilitation, bariatric weight loss clinic manager and counselor, and clinical nurse specialist.

Job titleAnnual salaryMonthly salaryHourly rateJob openings
Exercise Physiologist$49,399$4,117$23.7538,633
Clinical Exercise Physiologist$53,276$4,440$25.61108,099

How would you rate the starting salaries for clinical exercise specialists, as well as the prospects for salary advancement?

Clinton Brawner Ph.D.

Clinical Exercise Physiology Core Laboratory Edith and Benson Ford Heart & Vascular Institute, Henry Ford Hospital

There is little data specific to the CEP. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics does not separate clinical and non-clinical exercise physiologists (https://www.bls.gov/ooh/healthcare/exercise-physiologists.htm). The CEPA has collected salary data from CEPs (attached). In general, starting salary for a bachelor's prepared CEP is likely $42k to $45k, with considerable variability across the U.S.

Top companies hiring clinical exercise specialists now:

  1. UT Health East Texas jobs (2)
  2. Essentia Health jobs (1)
  3. CHRISTUS Health jobs (1)
  4. Kessler Institute for Rehabilitation jobs (1)
  5. ExeterHospital jobs (1)

Which companies pay clinical exercise specialists the most?

Clinical exercise specialist salaries at Novant Health and CaroMont Health are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average clinical exercise specialist salary at companies like Spectrum Health and Williamsburg KY are highly competitive.

RankCompanyAverage salaryHourly rate
1Novant Health$145,051$69.74
2CaroMont Health$95,037$45.69
3Spectrum Health$79,572$38.26
4Williamsburg KY$57,870$27.82
5Baylor Scott & White Health$52,570$25.27

Wage gap by gender, race and education

$60,000$59,200$58,400$57,600$56,800$56,000
MaleFemale

Clinical exercise specialist salary trends

The average clinical exercise specialist salary has risen by $1,439 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average clinical exercise specialist earned $60,948 annually, but today, they earn $62,387 a year. That works out to a 6% change in pay for clinical exercise specialists over the last decade.

Compare clinical exercise specialist salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.

Average clinical exercise specialist salary over time

Compare clinical exercise specialist salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.

Clinical exercise specialist salary by year

YearAvg. salaryHourly rate% Change
2025$62,400$29.99+2.2%
2024$61,000$29.33-0.2%
2023$61,100$29.39+0.4%
2022$60,900$29.28+3.6%
2021$58,700$28.24+0.7%

Recently added clinical exercise specialist salaries

CompanyJobLocationDate addedSalary
Booz Allen HamiltonTest, Training, and Exercise ProfessionalChantilly, VA04/23/2025$69,400
Sentara HealthcareClinical Exercise SpecialistVirginia Beach, VA03/24/2025$44,704
UacareersCyberapolis Exercise SME (Multiple Positions)Sierra Vista, AZ09/26/2024$86,870
UacareersCyberapolis Exercise SME (Multiple Positions)Sierra Vista, AZ09/10/2024$86,870
University of ArizonaCyberapolis Exercise SME (Multiple Positions)Sierra Vista, AZ08/30/2024$86,870
Citimed Complete Medical Care PCClinical Exercise SpecialistNew York, NY05/20/2024$83,480
Red Core PT PTA and Rehabilitation, PLLCClinical Exercise SpecialistNew York05/18/2024$52,947
University of North Texas SystemTemporary Exercise Specialist-Foreverfit ClinicFort Worth, TX05/14/2024$45,267
University of North Texas SystemTemporary Exercise Specialist-Foreverfit ClinicFort Worth, TX05/14/2024$45,267
Red Core PT PTA and Rehabilitation, PLLCClinical Exercise SpecialistNew York, NY04/26/2024$52,947

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