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Life skills instructor salary

Average life skills instructor salary

$14.83

$30,844 yearly

Entry-level life skills instructor salary
$21,000 yearly salary
Updated January 8, 2025

Understanding Life Skills Instructor Salaries

The average salary for a Life Skills Instructor is approximately $30,844 annually, translating to about $15 per hour. Salaries can vary significantly based on location, experience, and the specific sector in which an instructor works. For instance, instructors in urban areas often earn more due to higher demand and cost of living adjustments.

Highest Paying States for Life Skills Instructors

States such as California, Texas, and New York typically offer the highest salaries for Life Skills Instructors. In addition, industries like healthcare and education tend to provide better compensation packages. With various positions available, including those in nonprofit organizations and private practice, instructors have multiple avenues to explore for career advancement.

Career Opportunities

Life Skills Instructors can find opportunities in schools, rehabilitation centers, and community organizations. These professionals focus on fostering independence among individuals with disabilities or those facing life challenges, making their role crucial in promoting personal development. By enhancing their skills and pursuing additional certifications, instructors can increase their earning potential and impact within their communities.

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Where can a Life Skills Instructor earn more?

Compare salary by location
Vs
47k
27k
7k
-13k
Columbus, OH$35,939
Cincinnati, OH$17,458
Compare salary by company
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77k
57k
37k
17k
-3k
University of California-Berkeley$47,113
Ray Graham Association$26,828

Life skills instructor salary estimates from across the web

Based on the latest salary information compiled by Zippia, Salary.com, Glassdoor and Comparably, the average salary for a life skills instructor typically falls between $30,844 and $58,977.
zippia
$30,844yearly
glassdoor[1]
$46,028yearly
comparably[2]
$58,977yearly
Salary.com[3]
$43,914yearly

Average life skills instructor salary by state

The average life skills instructor salary in Connecticut, Massachusetts, and New Hampshire are the highest in the U.S. The lowest average life skills instructor salary states are Iowa, Nebraska, and Kansas.

  • State view
  • County view
Average salary:

Highest paying states for life skills instructors

RankStateAvg. salaryHourly rate
1Massachusetts$34,018$16.35
2New Jersey$32,025$15.40
3New York$32,774$15.76
4Connecticut$35,774$17.20
5Rhode Island$32,124$15.44
6Maine$32,366$15.56
7North Dakota$28,727$13.81
8Vermont$32,530$15.64
9West Virginia$26,638$12.81
10New Hampshire$33,745$16.22
11Delaware$26,848$12.91
12California$30,551$14.69
13Maryland$30,230$14.53
14Nevada$25,259$12.14
15Minnesota$25,554$12.29
16North Carolina$25,941$12.47
17Washington$30,389$14.61
18Wyoming$24,901$11.97
19Pennsylvania$24,360$11.71
20Alaska$24,992$12.02
21Virginia$26,406$12.70
22Colorado$25,455$12.24
23Illinois$27,195$13.07
24Mississippi$25,164$12.10
25Indiana$24,114$11.59
26Oregon$25,762$12.39
27Kentucky$25,971$12.49
28Georgia$24,015$11.55
29South Carolina$23,577$11.34
30Wisconsin$24,010$11.54
31Arizona$25,025$12.03
32Utah$24,950$12.00
33Hawaii$25,158$12.10
34Michigan$23,076$11.09
35District of Columbia$28,585$13.74
36Tennessee$21,915$10.54
37Montana$21,338$10.26
38Texas$22,207$10.68
39Oklahoma$22,007$10.58
40Iowa$19,066$9.17
41Louisiana$20,560$9.88
42Florida$20,365$9.79
43South Dakota$21,337$10.26
44New Mexico$19,740$9.49
45Missouri$19,962$9.60
46Kansas$18,340$8.82
47Idaho$18,137$8.72
48Nebraska$18,994$9.13
49Arkansas$19,604$9.43
50Ohio$17,913$8.61
51Alabama$17,836$8.57

Highest paying cities for life skills instructors

The highest-paying cities for life skills instructors are Norwich, CT, Lowell, MA, and Utica, NY.

RankCityAvg. salaryHourly rate
1Norwich, CT$35,939$17.28
2Lowell, MA$33,929$16.31
3Utica, NY$32,968$15.85
4Oakland, CA$30,616$14.72
5Spokane, WA$29,777$14.32
6Palatine, IL$27,341$13.14
7Richmond, KY$26,062$12.53
8Chapel Hill, NC$25,942$12.47
9Chaska, MN$25,441$12.23
10Las Vegas, NV$25,267$12.15
11Scottsdale, AZ$24,901$11.97
12Roy, UT$24,867$11.96
13Anderson, IN$24,087$11.58
14Spartanburg, SC$23,378$11.24
15Lawton, OK$22,169$10.66
16Memphis, TN$21,880$10.52
17Fort Myers, FL$20,520$9.87
18Cincinnati, OH$17,458$8.39

Life skills instructor salary details

A life skills instructor's salary ranges from $21,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $44,000 at the 90th percentile.

Average life skills instructor salary graph
Average life skills instructor salary graph, trends, and summary

What is a life skills instructor's salary?

PercentileAnnual salaryMonthly salaryHourly rate
90th Percentile$44,000$3,667$21
75th Percentile$37,000$3,083$18
Average$30,844$2,570$15
25th Percentile$25,000$2,083$12
10th Percentile$21,000$1,750$10

Highest paying life skills instructor jobs

The highest paying types of life skills instructors are communications instructor, instructor, and yoga instructor.

Job titleAnnual salaryMonthly salaryHourly rateJob openings
Direct Support Professional$32,077$2,673$15.42142,034
Program Counselor$43,820$3,652$21.07133,491
Direct Care Staffer$30,480$2,540$14.65117,658
Residential Counselor$34,117$2,843$16.4081,287
Direct Care Counselor$33,422$2,785$16.07123,519
Direct Support Staff$31,268$2,606$15.03182,001

Top companies hiring life skills instructors now:

  1. Lawrence Hall jobs (24)
  2. Community LIFE jobs (10)
  3. Development Workshop jobs (9)
  4. Little City jobs (42)
  5. The Arc of San Diego jobs (14)

Which companies pay life skills instructors the most?

Life skills instructor salaries at University of California, Berkeley and East Bay Innovations are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average life skills instructor salary at companies like Aspire Health and Devereux Arizona are highly competitive.

RankCompanyAverage salaryHourly rate
1University of California-Berkeley$47,113$22.65
2East Bay Innovations$37,163$17.87
3Aspire Health$33,822$16.26
4Devereux Arizona$30,814$14.81
5Cincinnati Public Schools$30,730$14.77
6Little City$30,646$14.73
7UNC Health Care$30,473$14.65
8Ability Beyond$30,166$14.50
9Charles Lea Center$30,043$14.44
10Munson Healthcare$29,386$14.13
11Carle Foundation$28,726$13.81
12Centerstone$28,439$13.67
13UCLA$28,359$13.63
14Aegis Therapies$28,297$13.60
15Key Autism Services$28,116$13.52
16The GEO Group$27,990$13.46
17Northeastern Services Lakeside$27,884$13.41
18Alternative Services-Connecticut Inc$27,884$13.41
19Crossroads Diversified Services$27,753$13.34
20Ray Graham Association$26,828$12.90

Wage gap by gender, race and education

$32,000$31,400$30,800$30,200$29,600$29,000
MaleFemale

Life Skills Instructor salary by industry

The average life skills instructor salary varies across industries:

  • The average life skills instructor salary in the professional industry is $30,119, the highest of any industry.
  • The average life skills instructor salary in the finance industry is $30,110.
  • Life skills instructors in the media industry earn an average salary of $28,105, the lowest of any industry.

Highest paying industries for life skills instructors

RankIndustryAverage salaryHourly rate
1Professional$30,119$14.48
2Health Care$30,110$14.48
3Non Profits$29,576$14.22
4Government$29,072$13.98
5Education$29,068$13.97
6Media$28,105$13.51

High paying life skills instructor jobs

Life skills instructor salary trends

The average life skills instructor salary has risen by $7,218 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average life skills instructor earned $23,626 annually, but today, they earn $30,844 a year. That works out to a 6% change in pay for life skills instructors over the last decade.

Compare life skills instructor salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.

Average life skills instructor salary over time

Compare life skills instructor salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.

Life skills instructor salary by year

YearAvg. salaryHourly rate% Change
2025$30,800$14.83+0.3%
2024$30,800$14.78+1.4%
2023$30,300$14.58+1.5%
2022$29,900$14.35+2.7%
2021$29,100$13.97+5.2%

Recently added life skills instructor salaries

CompanyJobLocationDate addedSalary
CenterstoneLife Skills InstructorAlton, IL06/30/2025$32,870
CentriaEarly Intervention Bcba-Life Skills Autism Academy (Center-Based)Fayetteville, NC06/22/2025$90,000
CentriaEarly Intervention Bcba-Life Skills Autism Academy (Center-Based)Phoenix, AZ06/22/2025$83,000
Little City FoundationLife Skills InstructorPalatine, IL06/11/2025$30,000
Christian Opportunity CenterLife Skills Instructor/Job CoachPella, IA05/28/2025$33,392
CenterstoneLife Skills InstructorAlton, IL05/27/2025$32,870
Future Transitions, Inc.Educator 1-Life Skills EducatorAlhambra, CA05/16/2025$40,697
LifeworksLife Skills Instructor-Education (Bilingual Preferred)Austin, TX05/13/2025$51,883
Proact Critical Care AcademyBasic Life Support InstructorMadison, WI05/12/2025$42,679
CenterstoneLife Skills InstructorAlton, IL04/29/2025$32,870

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