Sports trainer vs fitness instructor

The differences between sports 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 sports trainer and a fitness instructor. Additionally, a fitness instructor has an average salary of $35,495, which is higher than the $31,455 average annual salary of a sports trainer.

The top three skills for a sports trainer include professional athletes, CPR and strength training. The most important skills for a fitness instructor are CPR, customer service, and work ethic.

Sports trainer vs fitness instructor overview

	Sports Trainer	Fitness Instructor
Yearly salary	$31,455	$35,495
Hourly rate	$15.12	$17.06
Growth rate	19%	19%
Number of jobs	22,164	31,212
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 72%	Bachelor's Degree, 64%
Average age	37	37
Years of experience	12	12

Sports trainer vs fitness instructor salary

Sports trainers and fitness instructors have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Sports Trainer	Fitness Instructor
Average salary	$31,455	$35,495
Salary range	Between $22,000 And $44,000	Between $23,000 And $53,000
Highest paying City	-	Berkeley, CA
Highest paying state	-	California
Best paying company	-	Massachusetts General Hospital
Best paying industry	-	Education

Differences between sports trainer and fitness instructor education

There are a few differences between a sports trainer and a fitness instructor in terms of educational background:

	Sports Trainer	Fitness Instructor
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 72%	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

Sports trainer vs fitness instructor demographics

Here are the differences between sports trainers' and fitness instructors' demographics:

	Sports Trainer	Fitness Instructor
Average age	37	37
Gender ratio	Male, 71.4% Female, 28.6%	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%

Differences between sports trainer and fitness instructor duties and responsibilities

Sports trainer example responsibilities.

Achieve high customer satisfaction and budget efficiency in the group fitness department and yoga department.
Launch an ongoing event agenda that include soccer practices and games and numerous community excursions.
Administer a strict curriculum of basic soccer skills and technique to several youth and adult teams.
Create feedback and progress reports regarding development for on boarding new associates and provide official information on a SharePoint database.
Incorporate a monthly fit test and BMI calculation to evaluate individual client growth.

Fitness instructor example responsibilities.

Provide market research and generate leads using social media (facebook) in order to target prospective clients.
Train in community water safety as well as deep water aerobics, first aid, life-guard assistance, and CPR.
Teach adult swimming lessons; staff lifeguard; implement department staff training
Step aerobic instructor, lifeguard and swim instructor, swim team coach.
Engage kids with a learning activity, and communicate achievements and behaviors to parents
Host and participate in company workshops, health fairs, and kids' day events.

Sports trainer vs fitness instructor skills

Common sports trainer skills

Professional Athletes, 39%
CPR, 22%
Strength Training, 9%
Soccer, 7%
Sports Training, 7%
Student Athletes, 4%

Common fitness instructor skills

CPR, 25%
Customer Service, 17%
Work Ethic, 6%
Front Desk, 6%
Yoga, 6%
Cleanliness, 6%