Healthcare Practitioners and Technical Occupations
BLS May 2025 wages Peer-group outlier SOC 29-1128

Exercise Physiologists

Median pay sits 82% below the mid peer in Healthcare Practitioners and Technical Occupations (neighbors include Surgeons, All Other, Psychiatrists, Anesthesiologists, Prosthodontists).

Full salary details → About this data

Same-major-group titles next to Exercise Physiologists: Surgeons, All Other ($414K) , Psychiatrists ($282K) , Anesthesiologists ($391K) , Prosthodontists ($311K) . Hash-ordered per card so residual SOC siblings do not share an identical peer sentence.

What Exercise Physiologists publish as work

O*NET task statements for SOC 29-1128 - occupation-level descriptions, not every employer's posting. Sibling cards diverge here because the task set is entity-keyed.

  1. 1. Develop exercise programs to improve participant strength, flexibility, endurance, or circulatory functioning, in accordance with exercis…
  2. 2. Provide emergency or other appropriate medical care to participants with symptoms or signs of physical distress
  3. 3. Demonstrate correct use of exercise equipment or performance of exercise routines
  4. 4. Recommend methods to increase lifestyle physical activity
  5. 5. Interpret exercise program participant data to evaluate progress or identify needed program changes
  6. 6. Prescribe individualized exercise programs, specifying equipment, such as treadmill, exercise bicycle, ergometers, or perceptual goggles
  7. 7. Provide clinical oversight of exercise for participants at all risk levels
  8. 8. Explain exercise program or physiological testing procedures to participants
  9. 9. Interview participants to obtain medical history or assess participant goals
  10. 10. Assess physical performance requirements to aid in the development of individualized recovery or rehabilitation exercise programs
  11. 11. Teach behavior modification classes related to topics such as stress management or weight control
  12. 12. Conduct stress tests, using electrocardiograph (EKG) machines

Exercise Physiologists: O*NET ranks Reading Comprehension first

Importance-ranked O*NET profile for SOC 29-1128 - lead skill Reading Comprehension at 4.0 ; lead knowledge Customer and Personal Service. Sibling cards diverge here even when peer titles overlap.

Top skills

  1. 1. Reading Comprehension 4.0
  2. 2. Active Listening 4.0
  3. 3. Speaking 4.0
  4. 4. Critical Thinking 4.0
  5. 5. Instructing 4.0
  6. 6. Writing 3.9
  7. 7. Monitoring 3.8
  8. 8. Social Perceptiveness 3.8

Knowledge areas

  1. 1. Customer and Personal Service 4.4
  2. 2. Medicine and Dentistry 3.9
  3. 3. Therapy and Counseling 3.8
  4. 4. Education and Training 3.8
  5. 5. English Language 3.7
  6. 6. Biology 3.5
Pay vs Healthcare Practitioners and Technical Occupations peers
-82%
vs mid peer median $335,550
This role $59,460/yr
$59K
National median
↑ +10%
Growth 2024-2034
1,700
Annual openings
8,560
Estimated US jobs
Surgeons, All Other
Highest-pay peer · $414K

Typical Entry and Preparation Assignments

Entry education Bachelor's degree

Top Paying States for Exercise Physiologists

1. New Jersey $64,680
2. New Hampshire $63,590
3. Connecticut $62,510
4. Minnesota $67,230
5. California $62,440
6. Massachusetts $65,950
7. Colorado $63,800
8. Oregon $71,630
9. Washington $81,310
10. Wisconsin $63,210

Other Healthcare Practitioners and Technical Occupations titles

  1. 1. Surgeons, All Other $414,010
  2. 2. Anesthesiologists $391,490
  3. 3. Prosthodontists $311,180
  4. 4. Dermatologists $328,730
  5. 5. Obstetricians and Gynecologists $292,910
  6. 6. Psychiatrists $281,870

Among Healthcare Practitioners and Technical Occupations peers on this card, Exercise Physiologists sits 82% below the mid peer median ($335,550). Its own median is $59,460.

Employment Projections expect +10% change between 2024 and 2034 (much faster than average vs baseline 3.1%). About 1,700 annual openings are projected. BLS assigns Bachelor's degree as typical education needed for entry. These are occupation-level assignments, not universal requirements. BLS does not publish a separate occupation-specific safety rate for this role; its broad SOC-group rate is excluded from this career card's grade.

Highest published state median in this ranking: New Jersey at $64,680. The table records differences without proving causes. Highest-pay peer shown here: Surgeons, All Other at $414,010. Compare the same statistic in the relevant local wage area before treating the national median as a personal benchmark; OEWS excludes employer benefits.

Exercise Physiologists pay-rank #62 in Healthcare Practitioners and Technical Occupations

On the Healthcare Practitioners and Technical Occupations median table (71 detailed occupations with OEWS medians), Exercise Physiologists lands at #62, in the lower third. That rank is a table position, not a statement about individual workers.

Other lower-third titles · closest medians

Full Salary Details Compare this role

Data from U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025. Projections from BLS Employment Projections program, 2024-2034.

Exercise Physiologists pays 82% below its major-group peer median. See the state map and the peers closest to (and furthest from) this line.

Exercise Physiologists salary map

State, metro, and percentile for SOC 29-1128

New Jersey · top state for Exercise Physiologists

$65K published median

New Hampshire · #2 state pay

$64K · behind New Jersey

Surgeons, All Other

Highest-pay peer vs Exercise Physiologists · $414K

Psychiatrists

Lower-pay peer beside Exercise Physiologists · $282K

Compare Exercise Physiologists

Head-to-head OEWS medians with another SOC
Compare Exercise Physiologists with another occupation →

Peer-comparison next reads

Compare Exercise Physiologists

Against another occupation

Surgeons, All Other card

Top peer in this major group

Frequently Asked Questions

Where does Exercise Physiologists land on the Healthcare Practitioners and Technical Occupations median table? ▼
Exercise Physiologists is pay-rank #62 of 71 in this major group, lower third of the median table. Closest lower-third titles: Paramedics ($61K), Recreational Therapists ($62K), Athletic Trainers ($63K), Clinical Laboratory Technologists and Technicians ($63K). That position is a table rank, not a worker percentile.
What do exercise physiologists do day to day? ▼
O*NET lists published task statements for Exercise Physiologists. Leading ones include: Develop exercise programs to improve participant strength, flexibility, endurance, or circulatory functioning, in accordance with exercis…; Provide emergency or other appropriate medical care to participants with symptoms or signs of physical distress; Demonstrate correct use of exercise equipment or performance of exercise routines; Recommend methods to increase lifestyle physical activity. These are occupation-level task descriptions, not every employer's job description.
Which O*NET skills rank highest for exercise physiologists? ▼
For SOC 29-1128, O*NET importance scores lead with Reading Comprehension (4.0), Active Listening (4.0), Speaking (4.0), Critical Thinking (4.0). Knowledge areas emphasize Customer and Personal Service, Medicine and Dentistry, Therapy and Counseling. These are occupation-level profiles, not a hiring checklist for every employer.
What is the OEWS national median for Exercise Physiologists? ▼
May 2025 OEWS reports $59,460 as the national median for Exercise Physiologists. The published 10th-90th range is $42,760 to $80,560. Beside Surgeons, All Other ($414,010), this is the occupation-level national figure, not a local offer.
What employment change does BLS publish for Exercise Physiologists? ▼
The 2024-2034 projection for Exercise Physiologists is +10%. Projected annual openings: about 1,700. Relative to the current all-occupations baseline of 3.1%: much faster than average.
What typical entry education does BLS assign to Exercise Physiologists? ▼
BLS assigns Bachelor's degree as the typical-education-needed-for-entry category for Exercise Physiologists. These are occupation-level labels, not every employer's hiring rule.
Which three states show the highest OEWS medians for Exercise Physiologists? ▼
New Jersey ($64,680), New Hampshire ($63,590), Connecticut ($62,510) lead this ranking. The table does not identify why those state estimates differ.

Source data and WageDex calculations are identified in context on this page. Wage and state figures use BLS OEWS May 2025; growth and education use BLS Employment Projections for 2024-2034; safety fields cite BLS CFOI/SOII; task statements cite O*NET where shown. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.

Disclaimer: Wage and outlook figures on this page are provided for informational purposes only and do not constitute career, financial, or salary-negotiation advice. Actual pay varies by employer, experience, and local conditions; consult a career counselor or the hiring employer for guidance specific to your situation.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OES Occupational wage estimates by area and industry · 2025

Federal sources on this Exercise Physiologists card
  • BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS / OES) - national median and percentiles for SOC 29-1128. bls.gov/oes
  • O*NET OnLine - task and skill statements for Exercise Physiologists. onetcenter.org
  • BLS Employment Projections - 2024-2034 change and openings for this occupation. bls.gov/emp
  • U.S. Census Bureau ACS - demographic and labor-force context for state and metro geography. census.gov/programs-surveys/acs
  • IRS Statistics of Income (SOI) - payroll-tax aggregate context for wage comparisons. irs.gov/statistics