Health and wellness coaches guide and support people in taking care of their physical, mental, and emotional health by arranging personalized health and wellness plans. They check a person’s health status and give mentoring on health improvement strategies.
As a coach, they set health and wellness goals, track progress, and modify recommendations based on health outcomes. To ensure that their wellness plans coincide with medical care, they can work alongside healthcare providers.
This salary guide will thoroughly discuss the salary overview of a health and wellness coach, as well as factors that affect their compensation, necessary steps to become a health coach, and some related frequently asked questions.
As of January 1, 2025, the median salary of a health and wellness coach is $66,100 per year in the United States. The compensation usually ranges from $53,300 to $81,957, with most coaches earning around $59,400 to $74,400.
The average health coach salary per month is $5,508 while the average hourly rate is $32.
Percentile | By Hour | By Week | By Month | By Year |
---|---|---|---|---|
10th Percentile | $26 | $1,025 | $4,442 | $53,300 |
25th Percentile | $29 | $1,142 | $4,950 | $59,400 |
50th Percentile (Median) | $32 | $1,271 | $5,508 | $66,100 |
75th Percentile | $36 | $1,431 | $6,200 | $74,400 |
90th Percentile | $39 | $1,576 | $6,830 | $81,957 |
Healthcare costs, such as salary for health and wellness coaches, vary from state to state due to key factors like industry presence, local economies, and cost of living.
The state with the highest average annual salary is the District of Columbia with $73,600, followed by California with $72,900 and New Jersey with $72,500.
Meanwhile, the state with the lowest average annual salary is Mississippi with $59,000, followed by South Dakota and West Virginia with both $59,500.
States | Average Annual Salary |
---|---|
Alaska | $72,000 |
Alabama | $60,800 |
Arkansas | $60,300 |
Arizona | $64,400 |
California | $72,900 |
Colorado | $67,500 |
Connecticut | $71,000 |
District of Columbia | $73,600 |
Delaware | $67,100 |
Florida | $62,800 |
Georgia | $64,000 |
Hawaii | $69,100 |
Iowa | $63,300 |
Idaho | $61,700 |
Illinois | $67,700 |
Indiana | $64,200 |
Kansas | $63,000 |
Kentucky | $62,200 |
Louisiana | $62,900 |
Massachusetts | $72,000 |
Maryland | $68,200 |
Maine | $64,400 |
Michigan | $65,300 |
Minnesota | $67,700 |
Missouri | $63,000 |
Mississippi | $59,000 |
Montana | $61,800 |
North Carolina | $63,500 |
North Dakota | $65,500 |
Nebraska | $62,300 |
New Hampshire | $67,300 |
New Jersey | $72,500 |
New Mexico | $61,000 |
Nevada | $66,400 |
New York | $70,500 |
Ohio | $64,700 |
Oklahoma | $61,200 |
Oregon | $67,200 |
Pennsylvania | $66,000 |
Rhode Island | $69,000 |
South Carolina | $62,400 |
South Dakota | $59,500 |
Tennessee | $61,200 |
Texas | $64,800 |
Utah | $62,900 |
Virginia | $66,300 |
Vermont | $64,900 |
Washington | $71,300 |
Wisconsin | $65,300 |
West Virginia | $59,500 |
Wyoming | $63,400 |
The hot cities that give the best salary for health and wellness coaches are shown in the table below. With an average annual compensation of $83,000, San Jose, California is the best-paying city. Meanwhile, Paramus, New Jersey is the lowest among the six hot cities with $76,200 per year.
Cities | Average Pay |
---|---|
San Jose, California | $83,000 ($40 per hour) |
San Francisco, California | $82,700 ($40 per hour) |
Oakland, California | $80,700 ($39 per hour) |
New York, New York | $77,200 ($37 per hour) |
Queens Village, New York | $76,700 ($37 per hour) |
Paramus, New Jersey | $76,200 ($37 per hour) |
Just like any profession, more experience will lead to higher pay when it comes to health coach salary.
With less than a year of experience, an entry level health and wellness coach will have a salary of $63,433. An intermediate level coach with 1 to 2 years of experience gets $63,630.
A senior level with 2 to 4 years of experience will have $66,212, while the specialist level with 5 to 8 years of experience usually gets $69,639 on average. The most experienced coach is on the expert level with over 8 years of practice, gaining $69,884.
Levels | Salary |
---|---|
Entry Level Health and Wellness Coach | $63,433 |
Intermediate Level Health and Wellness Coach | $63,630 |
Senior Level Health and Wellness Coach | $66,212 |
Specialist Level Health and Wellness Coach | $69,639 |
Expert Level Health and Wellness Coach | $69,884 |
The increase in salary of health and wellness coaches is not only due to the level of experience shown above. It is also brought by gaining health coach certifications, building a reputable presence, and growing the client base through networking.
According to Salary.com’s Real-time Job Posting Salary Data Report, service delivery skills give the highest increase in salary by +12.49%, followed by program management skills with +12.38% and retirement programs with +11.14%.
Other significant skills with high salary increases are quality improvement (+8.83%), staff training (+8.74%), and employee engagement (+8.23%).
Skill | Demand | Salary Increase |
---|---|---|
Service Delivery | 2.21% | +12.49% |
Program Management | 1.60% | +12.38% |
Retirement Programs | 12.10% | +11.14% |
Quality Improvement | 0.52% | +8.83% |
Staff Training | 0.28% | +8.74% |
Employee Engagement | 0.08% | +8.23% |
Here are some common questions about the health and wellness coach salary:
Yes, you can. You can be employed by organizations or do coaching as your own business. The average health coach salary is $66,100 in the United States per year. The compensation usually ranges from $53,300 to $81,957, with most coaches earning around $59,400 to $74,400.
Yes. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the employment of health education specialists like coaches in the health and wellness industry is projected to increase by 7% from the year 2023 to 2033. This demand of people wanting to hire health coaches is due to increasing health awareness and preventative healthcare.
Yes, you can be a wellness coach without a degree. However, certified health coaches or those with a college degree, especially related to nutrition, fitness, psychology, or health science, have an advantage when it comes to credibility, coupled with 2 to 4 years of experience.
No, you don’t need a license to be a health and wellness coach. However, to broaden your career prospects and credibility, you can get certified by different certification programs once you pass the requirements and examinations.