Exercise physiologists working in the United States generally earn salaries in the range from $29,695 to $52,979 a year including bonuses, which can amount to up to $1,015 a year according to the salary information provided by Payscale.
Exercise physiologists working at general hospitals typically report earning an annual salary in the range from $34,164 to $53,052, while those employed in other hospital settings generally make between $35,845 and $52,000 a year. Professionals specializing in rehabilitation generally earn salaries in the range from $34,248 to $57,071 a year according to Payscale’s salary data.
Average salary
The average salary for exercise physiologists employed in the United States is $49,000 a year according to the salary data reported by Indeed, and $40,068 according to Payscale. The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reports a mean annual salary of $47,610 and a median wage of $44,770 a year for this occupation. 10% of exercise physiologists earn $70,140 or more annually, and the 10% on the lower end of the pay scale make $31,000 a year or less. The middle 50% of these professionals earn salaries in the range from $36,740 to $56,150 a year according to the BLS.
The average salary varies from industry to industry. Based on the data reported by the BLS, the top paying industries for exercise physiologists are home health care services, where the median annual salary for this occupation is $71,980, followed by the federal executive branch ($69,010), universities, colleges, and professional schools ($58,710), outpatient care centers ($53,360), and other amusement and recreation industries ($52,050).
Exercise physiologists employed at general medical and surgical hospitals earn $45,930 a year on average, those working at offices of physicians are paid around $46,500 annually, and professionals working at offices of other health practitioners earn a median annual wage of $44,300. Exercise physiologists working at specialty hospitals (not including psychiatric and substance abuse hospitals) make $45,350 a year on average according to the salary figures reported by the BLS.
Salary range
Exercise physiologists’ annual salaries can vary depending on a wide range of factors, including work experience.
Professionals with 1 to 4 years of experience typically make between $30,410 and $51,278 annually.
Exercise physiologists with 5 to 9 years of experience are generally paid between $34,297 and $56,107 a year, and those with 10 to 19 years of work experience under their belt usually report earning an income in the range from $30,201 to $55,931 a year based on the salary data provided by Payscale.
Women typically earn between $30,728 and $55,945 a year, and men are generally paid between $30,304 and $60,820 a year according to Payscale’s salary data.
Starting salary
Exercise physiologists in their first year of practice typically earn an hourly salary in the range between $7.39 and $18.74 according to the salary data reported by Payscale.
Hourly rate
Exercise physiologists generally earn between $13.79 and $24.24 per hour according to Payscale’s salary data, with overtime rates typically ranging between $21.01 and $33.67 per hour.
The hourly wage can vary depending on work experience among other factors. Professionals with 1 to 4 years of experience are generally paid between $13.90 and $22 per hour, and exercise physiologists with 5 to 9 years of experience report earning an hourly pay in the range from $14.33 to $24.58. Professionals with 10 to 19 years of work experience under their belt are usually paid between $17.34 and $29.62 per hour, and those with 20 or more years of work experience generally earn between $22 and $29.29 per hour according to Payscale.
Image: U.S. Navy
Physiologists employed in Pennsylvania make between $12.24 and $21.93 per hour and those based in California earn between $14.85 and $59.18 per hour. Professionals employed in Illinois are paid between $18.10 and $22.64 per hour, and those working in Indiana earn an average hourly salary in the range from $16.52 to $19.15 according to Payscale’s salary figures.
The hourly pay can also vary from industry to industry. Exercise physiologists employed in the health care sector typically earn between $15.09 and $25.42 per hour, those working in rehabilitation are paid between $13.81 and $25.21 per hour, and professionals working at cardiologists’ offices report earning an hourly wage in the range from $14.51 to $23.02.
Exercise physiologists working at physical therapists’ offices are paid between $7.80 and $23.27 per hour, those employed at hospitals make between $15.10 and $25.83 per hour, and professionals working at fitness clubs earn between $9.83 and $15.43 per hour. Exercise physiologists working in long-term care or rehabilitation facilities report earning an hourly pay in the range from $20.29 to $23.50 according to the salary statistics provided by Payscale.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reports a mean hourly pay of $22.89 and a median salary of $21.53 per hour for this occupation. 10% of the best paid exercise physiologist earn an hourly wage of $33.73 or more, and the 10% on the lower end of the scale are paid $14.90 per hour or less. The middle 50% of these professionals earn an hourly salary in the range from $17.66 to $27 per hour according to the BLS.
The hourly wage for these professionals can vary considerably from industry to industry. Exercise physiologists working at general medial and surgical hospitals make $22.08 per hour on average, those employed at physicians’ offices earn around $22.35 per hour, and professionals employed at offices of other health practitioners are typically paid around $21.30 per hour.
Exercise physiologists employed by the federal executive branch earn a median hourly pay of $33.18, those working at specialty hospitals (except psychiatric and substance abuse hospitals) are generally paid around $21.80 per hour, and professionals working at outpatient care centers typically make about $25.65 per hour.
Exercise physiologists working in home health care services are paid around $34.61 per hour, those employed by universities, colleges, and professional schools make $28.23 per hour on average, and professionals working in other amusement and recreation industries earn an average hourly salary of $25.02 according to the BLS salary data.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) also provides the hourly mean wage for the following states: New York ($31.68), West Virginia ($30.45), California ($27.15), Oklahoma ($26.48), Louisiana ($25.82), Texas ($22.41), North Carolina ($22.14), Florida ($21.59), Wisconsin ($22.80), Mississippi ($19.71), Indiana ($19.92), and New Hampshire ($23.26).
Salary by state
Exercise physiologists’ annual salaries depend on geographical location among other factors, and can vary significantly from state to state. For instance, exercise physiologists employed in Michigan typically report earning a yearly income in the range from $30,201 to $48,656, those based in California generally earn salaries in the range between $40,976 and $52,402 a year, and professionals working in Texas are usually paid between $36,563 and $50,421 annually.
Exercise physiologists based in New York typically earn between $43,779 and $55,794 a year, and those working in Minnesota are generally paid an annual income in the range from $32,000 to $44,000. Professionals employed in Pennsylvania report salaries in the range between $31,500 and $59,000 a year, and those working in Illinois are generally paid between $32,500 and $44,234 a year according to the salary data reported by Payscale.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reports that the top paying states for exercise physiologists are New York, with an average annual salary of $65,890, followed by West Virginia ($63,330), California ($56,470), Oklahoma ($55,070), and Louisiana ($53,710).
Professionals employed in Texas earn $46,610 a year on average, those based in North Carolina make $46,050 annually, and exercise physiologists working in Florida are paid an average annual salary of $44,900. Physiologists working in Wisconsin earn around $47,420 a year, and those based in Indiana are paid $41,430 a year on average. Professionals working in Mississippi make $41,000 a year on average, and those employed in New Hampshire earn a median yearly salary of $48,390 according to the BLS salary data.
Benefits
Along with the basic annual salary and bonus earnings, exercise physiologists typically get a variety of perks and benefits, and these can sometimes reflect their annual income. Exercise physiologists who have 401(k) plans generally earn between $31,094 and $53,720 a year, those who have life and disability insurance make between $30,639 and $58,723 annually, and professionals who have paid holidays and vacations are generally paid between $30,000 and $58,723 a year according to the salary figures provided by Payscale.
Exercise physiologists who have 403(b) plans as part of their benefits package typically report earning an annual pay in the range from $32,000 to $55,006, and those who have paid sick leave generally earn salaries in the range between $28,284 and $55,752 a year. Professionals who get reimbursement for professional education, training, tuition, or certification are typically paid between $32,618 and $46,978 a year, and those who get gym, health club, or fitness membership report an annual pay in the range from $28,383 to $76,933 according to Payscale’s salary data.
Other income factors
Exercise physiologists’ yearly income can vary considerably from industry to industry. Professionals employed in the health care sector generally report earning an annual pay in the range from $30,000 to $51,707, those working at hospitals are typically paid between $29,799 and $55,369 annually, and physicians working in the rehabilitation industry make between $31,402 and $60,823 a year.
Exercise physiologists employed at rehabilitation and health care centers are usually paid between $36,358 and $49,579 annually, those working at physical therapists’ offices earn between $28,966 and $40,452 a year, and professionals employed at fitness clubs report earning an annual salary in the range from $35,493 to $55,000 a year according to Payscale’s salary figures.
In terms of employer type, exercise physiologists employed by companies make between $33,748 and $50,000 a year, those working at hospitals generally earn between $30,939 and $57,102 annually, and professionals employed by private practices and firms report an annual pay in the range from $35,250 to $41,929 according to Payscale.
Exercise physiologists’ annual salaries can also vary depending on the size of the company or organization that employs them. For example, professionals working for organizations that employ between 1 and 9 people typically report earning an income in the range from $32,215 to $45,395 a year, and those working for organizations with 10 to 49 employees are generally paid between $34,009 and $42,540 annually. Exercise physiologists working for companies with 50 to 199 employees usually make between $36,772 and $54,246 a year, and professionals working for organizations that employ between 5,000 and 19,999 people report earning an annual pay in the range from $38,884 to $53,412 according to the salary statistics provided by Payscale.
Exercise physiologists’ yearly pay also depends on professional certification. Physicians with a certification in Basic Life Support (BLS) generally earn salaries in the range from $34,091 to $54,826 a year, those with a certification in Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS) are typically paid between $35,105 and $54,186 annually, and professionals with a certification in cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) report earning an annual income in the range from $33,935 to $53,020 according to Payscale’s salary figures. Exercise physiologists with a certification from the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) typically earn between $33,402 and $53,675 annually, and professionals with the certification of Registered Clinical Exercise Physiologists generally report earning an annual salary in the range from $35,367 to $52,784 according to Payscale.