Athletic Trainers Salary: $79,267 Median Pay (2026 stats)
TL;DR
About 28,950 athletic trainers nationally earn a mean of $79,267. Projections imply about 10.6% annual growth; much hiring sits in educational services.
Key Statistics
Athletic Trainers: what the data shows
Common questions about athletic trainers careers, answered from BLS OEWS and O*NET in this repository.
What is a athletic trainers?
Athletic Trainers is tracked by the Bureau of Labor Statistics under SOC 29-9091.
U.S. employment in our OEWS extract is about 28,950 workers.
What does a athletic trainers do?
O*NET work activities rated highest for this occupation include Assisting and Caring for Others, Documenting/Recording Information, Making Decisions and Solving Problems, Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge, Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships, Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work, and related tasks. See Work Activities for the full list.
How much does a athletic trainers make?
BLS national median annual wage: $60,250 (May 2024 in our extract).
Mean annual wage in our occupational extract: $79,267 — higher than the median, which often reflects top earners in the distribution.
Wage percentiles below are from the California OEWS extract (not national unless noted).
| Wage percentile | Annual wage |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $52,242 |
| 25th percentile | $64,692 |
| Median (50th) | $76,165 |
| 75th percentile | $83,807 |
| 90th percentile | $103,817 |
What education do you need?
For Athletic Trainers, O*NET incumbent surveys in our extract most often report: Some college (29%), High School or Equivalent (27%), Bachelors Degree (22%).
These are education levels of current workers, not minimum legal requirements.
What skills do you need?
O*NET ratings for this occupation emphasize skills such as Active Listening, Monitoring, Speaking, Critical Thinking, Judgment and Decision Making, Active Learning, and knowledge areas including Medicine and Dentistry, Customer and Personal Service, Psychology, Therapy and Counseling. See Education & Skills for detail.
Is athletic trainers in demand?
Historical employment trend in our series implies about 10.6% annual growth (compound rate in the extract).
Five-year projected employment change: 65.6%.
Ten-year projected employment change: 174.2%.
Current U.S. headcount: 28,950.
We report federal series only—compare wages, growth, and openings against your target market.
Where do athletic trainerss work?
Top industries by employment share in our OEWS industry extract:
| Industry | Employment | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Cross-industry | 28,950 | 15.1% |
| Educational Services | 24,350 | 12.7% |
| Cross-industry, Private Ownership only | 20,860 | 10.9% |
| Health Care and Social Assistance | 13,840 | 7.2% |
| Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools | 13,470 | 7.0% |
| Educational Services | 12,180 | 6.4% |
See Industry for charts.
What degrees lead to this career?
Common majors for Athletic Trainers in O*NET:
See Related degrees.
What careers are related?
Other occupations linked through shared degree pathways in our mapping:
| Occupation | U.S. employment | Median wage |
|---|---|---|
| Computer Hardware Engineers | 75,710 | $155,020 |
| Helpers--Pipelayers, Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters | 43,640 | $39,270 |
| Eligibility Interviewers, Government Programs | 156,260 | $51,500 |
| Psychiatric Aides | 34,900 | $41,590 |
| Cement Masons and Concrete Finishers | 205,230 | $54,660 |
Employment
Employment and salary information for the Athletic Trainers workforce.
Employment Over Time
28,950 Workforce in 2023
The Athletic Trainers workforce has been growing over time.
Historical employment trends for Athletic Trainers.
Yearly Wage Ranking
$79,267 Average Wage
In 2023, Athletic Trainers earned an average of $79,267.
Wage ranking compared to other occupations.
Wage Distribution
This chart shows the distribution of average salaries by income buckets for Athletic Trainers.
Salary distribution for Athletic Trainers.
Employment Growth Projections
10.6% Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR)
11,226 Projected Employment (5 years)
Projected growth: 65.6%
18,590 Projected Employment (10 years)
Projected growth: 174.2%
This occupation is projected to grow at 10.6% annually, indicating strong future demand.
Historical employment trends and future projections for Athletic Trainers.
Industry
Information on the industries that employ Athletic Trainers and on wages for those in the field.
Occupations by Industries
This graphic shows the share of Athletic Trainers employed by various industries.
Industry distribution for Athletic Trainers.
Wage Trends by Industry
5.9% Average Annual Wage Growth Rate
Historical wage growth trends by industry for Athletic Trainers.
Geographic Distribution
Employment and wage information by geographic location for Athletic Trainers.
State employment and wages are from the U.S. BLS OEWS May 2024 state extract. Metropolitan areas use the national MSA file when available.
Top States by Employment
Top States by Employment:
- PA: 2,310 employees, $60,250 avg wage
- TX: 2,030 employees, $67,960 avg wage
- CA: 1,760 employees, $77,170 avg wage
- OH: 1,690 employees, $62,350 avg wage
- FL: 1,490 employees, $62,120 avg wage
- GA: 1,300 employees, $68,370 avg wage
- NY: 1,180 employees, $71,540 avg wage
- NC: 1,050 employees, $56,440 avg wage
- IL: 900 employees, $68,840 avg wage
- VA: 890 employees, $64,360 avg wage
Top 10 states by employment for Athletic Trainers.
Top Metropolitan Areas
Top Metropolitan Areas:
- New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ: 1,100 employees, $80,250 avg wage
- Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD: 1,040 employees, $66,120 avg wage
- Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA: 670 employees, $71,750 avg wage
- Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH: 650 employees, $73,090 avg wage
- Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN: 650 employees, $70,940 avg wage
- Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ: 650 employees, $63,360 avg wage
- Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA: 610 employees, $77,050 avg wage
- Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX: 600 employees, $67,320 avg wage
- Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI: 480 employees, $68,600 avg wage
- Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL: 470 employees, $66,040 avg wage
Top 10 metropolitan statistical areas by employment for Athletic Trainers.
Diversity
Demographic information on Athletic Trainers in the US.
Gender and Age
The workforce of Athletic Trainers in 2023 was 28,950 people, with 62.0% women and 38.0% men.
Gender and age distribution for Athletic Trainers.
Races
Racial and ethnic shares when present in the career dataset. If the chart area shows a notice instead, occupational race/ethnicity fields are not yet populated for this extract.
Race and ethnicity distribution for Athletic Trainers.
Education & Skills
Data on higher education choices and required skills for Athletic Trainers.
Majors
The most common majors achieved by Athletic Trainers in 2023 were Business Administration, Health Sciences, Business.
Common majors for Athletic Trainers.
Education Levels
The main educational levels achieved by Athletic Trainers workers.
Education level distribution for Athletic Trainers.
Skills
Athletic Trainers need many skills, but most especially Active Listening, Monitoring, Speaking, Critical Thinking, Judgment and Decision Making.
Required skills for Athletic Trainers.
Knowledge & Abilities
Knowledge areas and abilities required for Athletic Trainers.
Knowledge Areas
The most important knowledge areas for Athletic Trainers include Medicine and Dentistry, Customer and Personal Service, Psychology, Therapy and Counseling, English Language.
Knowledge areas required for Athletic Trainers.
Abilities
Key abilities needed for Athletic Trainers include Problem Sensitivity, Oral Expression, Written Comprehension, Speech Recognition, Speech Clarity.
Required abilities for Athletic Trainers.
Work Activities
Common work activities performed by Athletic Trainers.
Daily Activities
Athletic Trainers spend their time on activities such as Assisting and Caring for Others, Documenting/Recording Information, Making Decisions and Solving Problems, Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge, Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships.
Most important work activities for Athletic Trainers.
About
Athletic Trainers
The average yearly wage for Athletic Trainers was $79,267 in 2023.
SOC Code
29-9091 - Athletic Trainers
Insights and Analysis
Compensation snapshot: Athletic Trainers reports an average salary of $79,267.
Labor market presence: The current workforce is approximately 28,950 workers, indicating sustained demand.
Forward outlook: Projected annual growth is 10.6%, which should inform long-term career planning.
Data Sources
This page uses data from the following sources:
- College Scorecard - U.S. Department of Education
- Institutional characteristics, costs, completion rates, and earnings data
- Data years: 2015-2024
- Source: collegescorecard.ed.gov
- Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS)
- Employment and wage data by occupation
- Latest data: May 2024
- Source: bls.gov/oes
- O*NET Online - U.S. Department of Labor
- Occupational skills, knowledge, abilities, and work activities
- Database version: 28.0 (August 2023)
- Source: onetcenter.org
- IPEDS (Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System) - National Center for Education Statistics
- Institutional data, completions, enrollment, and financial aid
- Data years: 2015-2024
- Source: nces.ed.gov/ipeds
- Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS)
- Demographic and workforce data
- Latest data: 2023 ACS 5-Year Estimates
- Source: census.gov/acs
Data Processing: All data has been processed, cleaned, and aggregated for presentation. Where specific data points are unavailable, estimates are based on available data and clearly marked.
Last Updated: Data reflects the most recent available information as of January 2025.
Methodology
Data for this profile is sourced from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS), and O*NET Online.
All wage figures represent annual averages and may vary by location, industry, and experience level.