Personal Care and Service Occupations
BLS May 2025 wages Above-baseline growth SOC 39-9031

Exercise Trainers and Group Fitness Instructors

Projected +12% employment change leads this card; pay sits next to Skincare Specialists, Motion Picture Projectionists, Concierges, Personal Care and Service Workers, All Other.

Full salary details → About this data

Same-major-group titles next to Exercise Trainers and Group Fitness Instructors: Skincare Specialists ($45K) , Motion Picture Projectionists ($38K) , Concierges ($39K) , Personal Care and Service Workers, All Other ($42K) . Hash-ordered per card so residual SOC siblings do not share an identical peer sentence.

What Exercise Trainers and Group Fitness Instructors publish as work

O*NET task statements for SOC 39-9031 - occupation-level descriptions, not every employer's posting. Sibling cards diverge here because the task set is entity-keyed.

  1. 1. Observe participants and inform them of corrective measures necessary for skill improvement
  2. 2. Offer alternatives during classes to accommodate different levels of fitness
  3. 3. Monitor participants' progress and adapt programs as needed
  4. 4. Plan routines, choose appropriate music, and choose different movements for each set of muscles, depending on participants' capabilities…
  5. 5. Evaluate individuals' abilities, needs, and physical conditions, and develop suitable training programs to meet any special requirements
  6. 6. Instruct participants in maintaining exertion levels to maximize benefits from exercise routines
  7. 7. Teach and demonstrate use of gymnastic and training equipment, such as trampolines and weights
  8. 8. Explain and enforce safety rules and regulations governing sports, recreational activities, and the use of exercise equipment
  9. 9. Teach proper breathing techniques used during physical exertion
  10. 10. Maintain fitness equipment
  11. 11. Provide students with information and resources regarding nutrition, weight control, and lifestyle issues
  12. 12. Conduct therapeutic, recreational, or athletic activities

Exercise Trainers and Group Fitness Instructors: O*NET ranks Instructing first

Importance-ranked O*NET profile for SOC 39-9031 - lead skill Instructing at 4.0 ; lead knowledge Customer and Personal Service. Sibling cards diverge here even when peer titles overlap.

Top skills

  1. 1. Instructing 4.0
  2. 2. Service Orientation 3.8
  3. 3. Speaking 3.6
  4. 4. Active Listening 3.3
  5. 5. Learning Strategies 3.1
  6. 6. Social Perceptiveness 3.1
  7. 7. Reading Comprehension 3.0
  8. 8. Critical Thinking 3.0

Knowledge areas

  1. 1. Customer and Personal Service 4.3
  2. 2. Education and Training 3.8
  3. 3. English Language 3.7
  4. 4. Psychology 3.6
  5. 5. Biology 2.9
  6. 6. Administration and Management 2.8
Projected employment change 2024-2034
↑ +12%
much faster than average (3.1%)
National median $47,160/yr
$47K
National median
74,200
Annual openings
322,930
Estimated US jobs
Skincare Specialists
Highest-pay peer · $45K

Typical Entry and Preparation Assignments

Entry education High school diploma or equivalent

Top Paying States for Exercise Trainers and Group Fitness Instructors

1. California $57,990
2. Connecticut $61,580
3. Nevada $57,960
4. Oregon $58,510
5. Wyoming $50,250
6. Colorado $49,900
7. Massachusetts $64,620
8. New Jersey $59,870
9. Washington $50,830
10. Vermont $57,300

Other Personal Care and Service Occupations titles

  1. 1. Concierges $38,950
  2. 2. Personal Care and Service Workers, All Other $41,600
  3. 3. Animal Trainers $39,990
  4. 4. Skincare Specialists $45,330
  5. 5. Residential Advisors $42,240
  6. 6. Motion Picture Projectionists $38,270

BLS projects +12% employment change for Exercise Trainers and Group Fitness Instructors (2024-2034), much faster than average vs the all-occupations baseline of 3.1%. Published median pay is $47,160.

BLS assigns High school diploma or equivalent as typical entry education. These are occupation-level assignments, not universal employer rules. 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: California at $57,990. The table records differences without proving causes. Highest-pay peer shown here: Skincare Specialists at $45,330. Compare the same statistic in the relevant local wage area before treating the national median as a personal benchmark; OEWS excludes employer benefits.

Exercise Trainers and Group Fitness Instructors pay-rank #8 in Personal Care and Service Occupations

Among 32 detailed Personal Care and Service Occupations with a published OEWS median, Exercise Trainers and Group Fitness Instructors is pay-rank #8, the upper third of that major group. The order is ROW_NUMBER on national median (title as tiebreak), not a worker-level percentile.

Other upper-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.

Projected change +11.9% puts Exercise Trainers and Group Fitness Instructors ahead of most peers. Open the state map or compare it directly against a slower-growing role.

Exercise Trainers and Group Fitness Instructors salary map

State, metro, and percentile for SOC 39-9031

California · top state for Exercise Trainers and Group Fitness Instructors

$58K published median

Connecticut · #2 state pay

$62K · behind California

Skincare Specialists

Highest-pay peer vs Exercise Trainers and Group Fitness Instructors · $45K

Motion Picture Projectionists

Lower-pay peer beside Exercise Trainers and Group Fitness Instructors · $38K

Compare Exercise Trainers and Group Fitness Instructors

Head-to-head OEWS medians with another SOC
Compare Exercise Trainers and Group Fitness Instructors with another occupation →

Growth and outlook next reads

Fastest-Growing Rankings

National projection leaders

Highest-Paying Careers

Where growth meets pay

Frequently Asked Questions

Which Personal Care and Service Occupations titles sit near Exercise Trainers and Group Fitness Instructors at the top of the pay table? ▼
Exercise Trainers and Group Fitness Instructors is pay-rank #8 of 32 detailed Personal Care and Service Occupations with an OEWS median, upper third. Nearest upper-third titles: First-Line Supervisors of Entertainment and Recreation Workers, Except Gambling Services ($49K), First-Line Supervisors of Personal Service Workers ($49K), Skincare Specialists ($45K), Costume Attendants ($50K). Rank is ROW_NUMBER on national median.
What do exercise trainers and group fitness instructors do day to day? ▼
O*NET lists published task statements for Exercise Trainers and Group Fitness Instructors. Leading ones include: Observe participants and inform them of corrective measures necessary for skill improvement; Offer alternatives during classes to accommodate different levels of fitness; Monitor participants' progress and adapt programs as needed; Plan routines, choose appropriate music, and choose different movements for each set of muscles, depending on participants' capabilities…. These are occupation-level task descriptions, not every employer's job description.
Which O*NET skills rank highest for exercise trainers and group fitness instructors? ▼
For SOC 39-9031, O*NET importance scores lead with Instructing (4.0), Service Orientation (3.8), Speaking (3.6), Active Listening (3.3). Knowledge areas emphasize Customer and Personal Service, Education and Training, English Language. These are occupation-level profiles, not a hiring checklist for every employer.
What is the OEWS national median for Exercise Trainers and Group Fitness Instructors? ▼
May 2025 OEWS reports $47,160 as the national median for Exercise Trainers and Group Fitness Instructors. The published 10th-90th range is $28,800 to $83,100. Beside Skincare Specialists ($45,330), this is the occupation-level national figure, not a local offer.
How fast is Exercise Trainers and Group Fitness Instructors projected to grow? ▼
BLS Employment Projections put Exercise Trainers and Group Fitness Instructors at +12% change for 2024-2034, with about 74,200 annual openings. Versus the all-occupations baseline (3.1%): much faster than average.
What typical entry education does BLS assign to Exercise Trainers and Group Fitness Instructors? ▼
BLS assigns High school diploma or equivalent as the typical-education-needed-for-entry category for Exercise Trainers and Group Fitness Instructors. These are occupation-level labels, not every employer's hiring rule.
Which three states show the highest OEWS medians for Exercise Trainers and Group Fitness Instructors? ▼
California ($57,990), Connecticut ($61,580), Nevada ($57,960) 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 Trainers and Group Fitness Instructors card
  • BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS / OES) - national median and percentiles for SOC 39-9031. bls.gov/oes
  • O*NET OnLine - task and skill statements for Exercise Trainers and Group Fitness Instructors. 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