If you are looking to start a career as a personal trainer, it’s important to arm yourself with as much information as possible about this industry. Such data will provide you with vital personal training industry insights and statistics, thus helping to inform your decision-making about launching a career as a personal trainer.
And to gather that data, you will need to scour through different personal training industry reports. As you may expect, going through all those reports can be a time-consuming and tedious process. Fortunately, you don’t have to worry about that, as we’ve done the heavy lifting for you.
In this article, we’ve put together the most important and updated personal training industry statistics, covering various aspects like the market size, income, demographics, jobs outlook, and growth trends, among others.
1. Personal Trainer Market Size
The personal training industry is currently valued at approximately $13 billion. According to IBIS World, the personal trainer market size in the U.S is expected to grow by 1% in 2022. According to personal training statistics from the same report, the industry has grown by approximately 4.3%, between 2017 and 2022. Compared to other industries, the personal trainers' industry grew at a faster rate than the economy.
The increase in disposable incomes and rise in health awareness, as well as the growing popularity of physical fitness, are among the key drivers of this industry. Therefore, in the coming years, the personal trainers' industry is expected to continue with its steady growth, thus increasing the number of available opportunities for personal trainers.
Hence, if you are an aspiring personal trainer or fitness coach, there are plenty of available opportunities for you in the industry, based on these personal trainer industry statistics. As long as you have the proper certifications, such as ACE, it shouldn’t be hard to land a job as a personal trainer.
2. Personal Trainers Income Statistics
If you are looking to join the personal training industry as a fitness coach, you may be probably asking yourself whether you can make enough money to live a comfortable life, once you've figured out a good pricing strategy for your services.
According to the U.S Bureau of Labor Statistics, the average income of a personal trainer was approximately $40,510 in 2020. And this translates to approximately $20 per hour. Several other sources also support this figure. According to Payscale.com, the average personal trainer annual pay is around $39,746 or $19.68 per hour
According to Salary.com, personal trainers in the U.S earn approximately $63,474. On the lower end, personal trainers earn around $45,798 while those on the higher end of the spectrum earn approximately $77,982. Indeed quotes a figure of approximately $35,957 per year. According to Zippia, the average personal trainer salary in the U.S is $38,000 annually and $18.64 hourly.
In the U.K, personal trainers earn approximately £15,000 to £60,000, which is almost similar to personal trainer earnings in the U.S. Overall, the average income of a personal trainer is well above the minimum wage. And it should be enough to help you pay your bills comfortably.
However, it’s important to mention that the personal trainer rates we’ve quoted above are just averages or estimates. Hence, the actual figure you will earn will depend on various factors like experience, location, certifications, and specialization. For example, an experienced personal trainer will command higher rates than someone who has only worked for a few months. At the same time, a personal trainer working in a big city will earn a higher wage than someone offering personal training services in a small rural town.
3. Personal Training Demographics
According to Zippia, the number of personal trainers in the U.S stands at approximately 133,181. From this number, approximately 58% of personal trainers in the U.S are male while 34.6% are female. According to a report published in the U.S National Library of Medicine, the average age of personal trainers is around 39 years. The demand for personal trainers in the U.S is highest in Illinois, Chicago. Illinois is also quoted as the best place for personal trainers to live, according to Zippia.
In terms of education, a bachelor’s degree is the most common one among personal trainers, with 67% of personal trainers having one. An associate degree comes a distant second at 14% while a master’s degree is the least popular one. Only 7% of personal trainers have a master’s degree.
Most personal trainers work at private companies, with only a small percentage working in public institutions. Healthcare employs most of the personal trainers in the market, followed closely by education, hospitality and non-profits. According to Zippia, healthcare employs 26% of personal trainers, education employs 23% while hospitality employs approximately 7%. The other personal trainers are spread across non-profits, government, manufacturing, technology, media, finance, and fortune 50, just to name a few.
4. Personal Trainer Certifications
Several bodies offer personal trainer certifications. According to the National Institutes of Health, the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) personal trainer certification is the most popular one in the market. Approximately 59% of personal trainers have an ACSM personal trainer certification. Other popular personal trainer certifications include the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA), American Council on Exercise, National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM) and the Aerobics and Fitness Association of America (AFAA).
5. Personal Trainers Jobs Outlook
According to personal training industry statistics published by the U.S Bureau of Labor Statistics, the number of personal trainer jobs in 2020 was around 309,800. The number of available jobs is projected to grow by approximately 39%, between 2020 and 2030, which is much faster than most of the other occupations.
Around 69,100 job openings for personal trainers are projected every year between 2020 and 2030. Again, this is a sign that the job market for personal trainers will remain strong throughout this decade.
6. Personal Training Industry Growth Areas
While the personal training industry is expected to witness steady growth over the next couple of years, the number of personal trainers joining the industry is also growing by the day.
Fortunately, there are also plenty of growth areas coming up, which you can tap into and continue earning a decent income. In this section, we will explore the possible growth areas for personal trainers in the coming years.
6.1 Online Personal Training
The online personal training field has witnessed considerable growth over the last ten years. And this sector is expected to continue growing in the coming years, thanks to the growing technological innovations.
And while live personal training will still be around, there will be plenty of opportunities for fitness coaches who can learn how to integrate in-person training with live fitness coaching.
6.2 Youth Exercise
Obesity affects both adults and children. And considering that most children these days spend approximately five to seven hours per day watching TV, playing video games or working on a computer, obesity will become even greater risk for this age group.
Consequently, personal trainers who will learn how to work with young people will have plenty of opportunities working with this age group.
6.3 Sports Performance Coaching
Sports performance coaching presents yet another opportunity, for personal trainers who will specialize in youth exercise. Most parents and guardians want to see their kids specialize and succeed in various sports.
To this end, some have already started sending their children to various sports performance facilities and academies, to help them sharpen their skills. Hence, personal trainers who will master how to design exercise programs for young people will have lots of opportunities in this growing fitness sector.
6.4 Senior Fitness Coaching
Senior citizens are increasingly becoming more health-conscious. And this explains why there is a growing number of people within this age group joining gyms and health clubs.
However, senior citizens require special fitness regiments, to help them achieve their health and fitness goals. But, most personal trainers don’t have such skills. Hence, this presents yet another field to venture into and make money as a personal trainer.
6.5 Mini Workouts
As their name suggests, mini-workouts are designed for people who may not have adequate time to dedicate to a workout. And considering that our lifestyles are getting busier by the day, you can also expect the popularity of mini-workouts to grow.
And as a personal trainer, you can also leverage this growing market by creating and selling mini-workout training programs. You can also be offering short workout training sessions online, during tea breaks or lunch breaks.
6.6 Leadership Roles
The personal training industry also presents plenty of opportunities for fitness coaches that want to venture into leadership roles such as general managers, regional managers, or department managers in various fitness-related businesses.
Hence, if you want to enjoy a long and lucrative personal training career that doesn’t involve working directly with clients, then you should begin working on developing leadership and management skills, to be ready for such opportunities when they come up.
7. Wrapping It Up
Going by the above personal training industry statistics, it’s clear that the industry will continue growing in the coming years. And this translates to more job opportunities for personal trainers. Also, there are plenty of new opportunities coming up in various fitness segments. Furthermore, the wages are decent, compared to other industries. So, if personal training is your dream career, you should go ahead and get that personal trainer certification.