Recreation Workers
Median $36,560
Occupation · SOC 39-9031
Exercise Trainers and Group Fitness Instructors: pay and where the jobs are
What exercise trainers and group fitness instructors earn in the U.S., how pay varies across workers and states, and tools to plan around it.
National pay, May 2025
$47,160 median annual wage
- Mean (average) annual wage
- $52,420
- Median hourly wage
- $22.67
- Mean hourly wage
- $25.20
- Employment
- 322,930
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025 (released 2026-05-15), SOC 39-9031.
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See where your pay falls among exercise trainers and group fitness instructors nationally and in your state. Nothing you type leaves your browser.
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How much do exercise trainers and group fitness instructors make?
The median annual wage for exercise trainers and group fitness instructors was $47,160 in May 2025, so half of workers earned more and half earned less. The lowest-paid 10% earned less than $28,800 and the highest-paid 10% more than $83,100. As an hourly rate, the median is $22.67. About 322,930 people work in this occupation nationwide. The highest state medians are in Massachusetts ($64,620), Connecticut ($61,580) and New Jersey ($59,870). After taxes and local prices, though, a median paycheck goes furthest in Nevada.
Pay ladder
What each step of the pay range for exercise trainers and group fitness instructors looks like per month. Take-home here includes federal tax, Social Security and Medicare for a single filer; add your state in the paycheck calculator.
| Step | Annual | Hourly | Monthly gross | Monthly after federal tax & FICA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $28,800 | $13.85 | $2,400 | $2,110 |
| 25th percentile | $35,280 | $16.96 | $2,940 | $2,544 |
| Median | $47,160 | $22.67 | $3,930 | $3,339 |
| 75th percentile | $61,730 | $29.68 | $5,144 | $4,315 |
| 90th percentile | $83,100 | $39.95 | $6,925 | $5,608 |
Exercise Trainers and Group Fitness Instructors: pay by state
52 states and territories have a published median, sorted from highest to lowest. The last two columns are our estimates: the median after 2026 federal and state taxes, and that take-home restated in national-average prices.
1
$48,761 take-home in national prices
2
$48,029 take-home in national prices
3
$47,709 take-home in national prices
Where a median exercise trainers and group fitness instructor paycheck goes furthest after 2026 taxes and BEA price levels.
| State | Employment | Median | 10th pct. | 90th pct. | Median after tax* | In national prices† |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Massachusetts | 9,200 | $64,620 | $36,110 | $105,390 | $50,794 | $48,029 |
| Connecticut | 2,850 | $61,580 | $34,010 | $103,590 | $48,715 | $47,017 |
| New Jersey | 11,350 | $59,870 | $34,620 | $104,000 | $48,084 | $44,192 |
| Oregon | 4,800 | $58,510 | $35,390 | $101,380 | $44,982 | $43,520 |
| California | 43,600 | $57,990 | $36,750 | $100,920 | $46,502 | $42,000 |
| Nevada | 3,010 | $57,960 | $32,880 | $84,180 | $48,751 | $48,761 |
| Vermont | 710 | $57,300 | $34,210 | $98,730 | $46,735 | $47,709 |
| Washington | 9,270 | $50,830 | $38,960 | $93,450 | $42,317 | $39,544 |
| Wyoming | 560 | $50,250 | $22,150 | $99,490 | $42,556 | $45,912 |
| Colorado | 10,500 | $49,900 | $34,110 | $87,340 | $40,568 | $39,366 |
| Idaho | 2,360 | $49,780 | $29,170 | $76,340 | $40,648 | $42,566 |
| New Hampshire | 1,500 | $49,360 | $30,750 | $82,600 | $41,841 | $40,168 |
| Hawaii | 990 | $48,290 | $33,420 | $81,090 | $38,838 | $35,323 |
| Arizona | 7,010 | $47,980 | $30,770 | $83,200 | $39,926 | $39,658 |
| Maryland | 8,650 | $47,420 | $33,130 | $81,730 | $38,396 | $36,581 |
| Tennessee | 5,080 | $47,380 | $26,000 | $74,920 | $40,250 | $43,812 |
| Georgia | 7,500 | $47,150 | $28,330 | $80,940 | $38,461 | $39,941 |
| New York | 20,140 | $47,090 | $34,300 | $105,700 | $37,836 | $35,059 |
| Maine | 1,140 | $47,060 | $35,230 | $79,040 | $38,246 | $39,408 |
| Illinois | 19,830 | $46,800 | $31,210 | $92,780 | $37,612 | $37,628 |
| North Carolina | 10,670 | $46,450 | $24,910 | $74,210 | $38,158 | $40,453 |
| Alaska | 800 | $46,210 | $27,700 | $61,650 | $39,079 | $38,178 |
| Rhode Island | 990 | $45,640 | $31,200 | $77,230 | $37,255 | $36,425 |
| Michigan | 6,050 | $45,520 | $28,040 | $76,970 | $37,071 | $38,529 |
| Kentucky | 1,990 | $45,280 | $23,720 | $70,790 | $37,095 | $41,144 |
| Pennsylvania | 11,580 | $45,250 | $27,780 | $67,450 | $37,118 | $38,041 |
| Utah | 6,830 | $44,800 | $25,850 | $83,510 | $36,804 | $37,226 |
| New Mexico | 1,030 | $44,680 | $26,620 | $58,490 | $37,126 | $40,262 |
| Oklahoma | 2,300 | $44,520 | $21,910 | $61,860 | $36,494 | $41,544 |
| Louisiana | 2,290 | $44,410 | $21,190 | $60,180 | $36,917 | $41,853 |
| Delaware | 1,210 | $44,340 | $32,150 | $76,450 | $35,846 | $35,915 |
| Wisconsin | 6,330 | $44,200 | $27,900 | $61,600 | $36,404 | $38,688 |
| Montana | 1,420 | $43,940 | $29,510 | $75,020 | $36,177 | $38,224 |
| South Carolina | 5,130 | $43,630 | $22,730 | $62,120 | $36,647 | $39,091 |
| Minnesota | 7,010 | $43,620 | $29,660 | $66,650 | $35,522 | $36,018 |
| Arkansas | 1,390 | $42,140 | $26,710 | $59,820 | $34,968 | $40,222 |
| Texas | 19,260 | $40,880 | $21,930 | $76,340 | $35,027 | $36,089 |
| Virginia | 12,100 | $40,820 | $26,560 | $74,510 | $33,446 | $33,081 |
| South Dakota | 950 | $40,070 | $30,090 | $58,730 | $34,376 | $38,806 |
| District of Columbia | 1,480 | $39,210 | $37,080 | $80,610 | $32,499 | $29,571 |
| Alabama | 2,680 | $39,180 | $19,330 | $57,320 | $32,068 | $36,103 |
| Florida | 18,070 | $38,800 | $27,450 | $72,870 | $33,356 | $32,255 |
| West Virginia | 500 | $38,120 | $22,290 | $55,180 | $31,826 | $35,560 |
| North Dakota | 680 | $37,760 | $30,140 | $60,070 | $32,520 | $36,556 |
| Missouri | 5,060 | $36,450 | $28,600 | $62,390 | $30,692 | $33,795 |
| Ohio | 9,040 | $36,370 | $24,040 | $59,290 | $30,853 | $33,257 |
| Iowa | 2,510 | $36,160 | $24,660 | $52,810 | $30,512 | $34,767 |
| Kansas | 4,510 | $35,900 | $23,980 | $61,900 | $29,822 | $33,111 |
| Indiana | 5,360 | $34,960 | $22,410 | $56,720 | $29,269 | $31,361 |
| Nebraska | 2,410 | $31,440 | $28,080 | $53,480 | $26,868 | $29,820 |
| Mississippi | 1,260 | $30,540 | $18,720 | $63,390 | $26,229 | $30,165 |
| Puerto Rico | 260 | $22,020 | $21,840 | $30,180 | — | — |
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025 (released 2026-05-15), SOC 39-9031. *Our estimate for a single filer paid biweekly with no pre-tax deductions or local tax, 2026 federal and state rules. †Take-home ÷ BEA Regional Price Parity × 100 (2024 price levels).
Sources
- OEWS May 2025 (oesm25nat.zip) — U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Accessed 2026-10-09.
- OEWS May 2025 (oesm25st.zip) — U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Accessed 2026-10-09.