The average strength and conditioning coach salary depends on where you coach. The Bureau of Labor Statistics files strength coaches under Coaches and Scouts, where the median is $47,320. NSCA’s survey of certified coaches averaged $61,923 in college and $84,575 in pro sports. FBS head football strength coaches range from $77,500 to $1,100,000.
How Much Does a Strength and Conditioning Coach Make?
Start with the government number, then treat it as a starting point, not a promise. The BLS OEWS data for May 2025 counts 248,950 people in Coaches and Scouts. Their median annual wage is $47,320, and the mean is $60,160.
| Measure | Annual Wage |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $28,790 |
| 25th percentile | $35,330 |
| Median | $47,320 |
| Mean | $60,160 |
| 75th percentile | $64,710 |
| 90th percentile | $98,860 |
The mean sits $12,840 above the median (60,160 minus 47,320). That gap tells you a small group at the top pulls the average up. Half of these coaches earn $47,320 or less.
Why Does BLS Put Strength Coaches Under Coaches and Scouts?
BLS doesn’t publish a strength and conditioning coach salary of its own. Every sport coach goes into one occupation code, 27-2022. O*NET describes it as instructing or coaching groups or individuals in the fundamentals of sports for competition. Its sample titles are baseball coach, football coach, gymnastics coach and soccer coach.
So the row mixes a weight room coach at a state university with a part-time youth coach. Education varies too. O*NET’s survey of people in the group found 49% saying a bachelor’s degree is required, 19% a master’s and 17% an associate degree.
That’s why we lean on two sources built for strength coaches. One is NSCA’s salary survey. The other is USA Today’s public table of head football strength coach pay.
What Does NSCA’s Salary Survey Say Strength Coaches Earn?
The National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA) hired Employers Council to run a salary survey in September 2022. It asked for 2021 pay. Of 44,634 emailed questionnaires, 2,286 came back, a 5% response rate. The report gives averages, not medians.
| Setting | Coaches Reporting | Average Salary |
|---|---|---|
| High school | 225 | $60,527 |
| College or university | 475 | $61,923 |
| Professional sports | 132 | $84,575 |
| Tactical (military, police, fire/EMS) | 219 | $68,967 |
| Independent or private | 652 | $61,615 |
These averages run higher than the BLS median for a few reasons. The people who answered are mostly credentialed. 99% of college respondents held the CSCS, and 77% held a master’s degree. And an average gets pulled up by high earners.
Read this table as what an engaged, certified coach reports. It isn’t what every coach earns. The pay is also from 2021.
How Much Do College Strength Coaches Make?
The college strength coach salary in NSCA’s survey averaged $61,923, but the division and the role split it apart.
| College Division | Coaches | Average Salary |
|---|---|---|
| FBS (Division I-A) | 211 | $73,168 |
| FCS (Division I-AA) | 79 | $53,960 |
| Division III | 76 | $56,363 |
| Junior or community college | 14 | $52,857 |
| Division II | 74 | $49,941 |
| NAIA | 20 | $47,896 |
Role matters just as much. Directors averaged $73,067 (126 coaches), head strength coaches $69,035 (147) and assistants $48,961 (189). Assistants are the biggest group, so a new coach should plan around the assistant number. By sport, football coaches averaged $71,896 and soccer coaches $49,464.
Real postings show the low end. Cornell University’s assistant strength coach opening, posted in July 2024, listed $52,212 to $53,012 for a 10-month position. It asked for the CSCS or a similar credential from the Collegiate Strength and Conditioning Coaches Association.
The University of Wisconsin-Platteville’s assistant opening, posted July 16, 2025, paid $36,000 for 10 months, which the school equated to $42,546 over 12. It required a bachelor’s degree, the CSCS, and a willingness to work evenings and weekends.
How Much Do Head Strength Coaches Make in Big-Time Football?
The money at the top is real, and it’s public. USA Today’s database of college football strength coach pay was updated December 11, 2024. It lists 133 head strength coaches, and 109 have a pay figure. Where the table shows no number, USA Today says the amount could not be obtained or is $0.
Among those 109, pay runs from $77,500 at Kent State to $1,100,000 at Oklahoma State. The median is $251,750, and 24 coaches earn $500,000 or more. Alabama’s coach is listed at $950,000 and Ohio State’s at $862,238.
| Conference | Coaches With a Figure | Lowest | Median | Highest |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SEC | 15 | $305,000 | $550,000 | $950,000 |
| Big Ten | 15 | $450,000 | $525,000 | $862,238 |
| ACC | 9 | $300,000 | $425,000 | $625,000 |
| Big 12 | 12 | $250,000 | $375,000 | $1,100,000 |
| Mountain West | 10 | $110,000 | $178,254 | $400,000 |
| Sun Belt | 14 | $111,000 | $173,025 | $241,020 |
| Conference USA | 9 | $85,000 | $142,128 | $175,000 |
| MAC | 12 | $77,500 | $108,098 | $133,900 |
Medians for an even number of coaches are the average of the middle two, rounded to the dollar. FootballScoop reported in April 2026 that Tennessee hired Derek Owings from Indiana on a reported $1,200,000-a-year deal, the highest ever for a college football strength coach.
Two cautions. This is football, at the schools with the most money. And nothing here tells you what a coach in year one will make.
How Much Do Pro Sports Strength Coaches Make?
Professional sports paid the highest average in NSCA’s survey, $84,575. But the level of the league changes everything.
| Pro Sports Group | Coaches | Average Salary |
|---|---|---|
| Major league or highest level | 71 | $111,808 |
| Minor league or development level | 60 | $53,126 |
| Director | 17 | $120,412 |
| Head strength coach | 62 | $96,095 |
| Assistant strength coach | 53 | $59,605 |
Minor league coaches averaged less than the college average. Baseball made up the largest share of pro respondents at 36%. The eight football respondents averaged $340,125, which is too small a group to lean on.
What Do Tactical, High School and Private Coaches Earn?
Tactical coaches work with military units, police and fire departments. They averaged $68,967. Government employees averaged $80,330 (64 coaches), while contractors averaged $64,255 (140). By population, fire and EMS coaches averaged $93,256, police coaches $87,467 and military coaches $66,583. The fire and police groups had 13 and 11 respondents.
High school coaches averaged $60,527. A teacher contract added a lot: $64,892 with one and $53,473 without. Full-time split positions at schools averaged $66,491. School-employed part-time or contracted coaches averaged $49,441.
Independent and private coaches averaged $61,615, the largest group in the survey at 652 people. Their pay barely moved with a bachelor’s ($58,789) or a master’s ($59,053). Doctoral holders averaged $100,339, though only 41 reported.
How Does Experience Change a Strength Coach Salary?
More than almost anything else in the survey. Here are the averages by years of experience.
| Years of Experience | College | High School | Pro Sports |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 1 | $41,760 | Not enough responses | $53,400 |
| 1 to 5 | $45,066 | $51,154 | $49,191 |
| 6 to 10 | $56,884 | $56,241 | $67,151 |
| 11 to 15 | $65,564 | $63,969 | $113,250 |
| 16 to 20 | $75,960 | $71,114 | $127,273 |
| 21 to 25 | $87,984 | $76,636 | $160,826 |
| Over 25 | $98,969 | $73,902 | $150,500 |
The first five years are the lean ones. College coaches with one to five years averaged $45,066, and that was the largest group, 130 people. A college coach didn’t average above $60,000 until years 11 to 15.
The pro columns come from small groups, as few as 8 coaches in some rows. Treat them as a direction, not a schedule.
Does a Master’s Degree Raise Strength Coach Pay?
In college, high school and tactical jobs, yes, by a modest amount. Averages by highest degree:
| Setting | Bachelor’s | Master’s | Doctorate |
|---|---|---|---|
| College | $57,489 | $61,521 | $77,877 |
| High school | $56,294 | $62,140 | Not enough responses |
| Pro sports | $83,810 | $80,105 | $112,033 |
| Tactical | $59,280 | $70,039 | $95,545 |
| Independent or private | $58,789 | $59,053 | $100,339 |
In college, 388 master’s holders averaged $4,032 more than 58 bachelor’s holders (61,521 minus 57,489). Pro sports went the other way, with bachelor’s holders ahead. So the degree isn’t a guaranteed raise. What it does is match the norm. 77% of college respondents held a master’s, and only 17% stopped at a bachelor’s.
Do the math before you borrow. Concordia University-Saint Paul’s online master’s in strength and conditioning costs $15,675 (33 credits at $475). Divided by a $4,032 gap, that’s about 3.9 years to break even. And the gap isn’t caused by the degree alone.
What Does Strength Coach Pay Look Like by State?
The state table on this page lists BLS medians for every state. Some highlights from the May 2025 data:
| State | Median | Coaches and Scouts Employed |
|---|---|---|
| New Jersey | $76,700 | 5,670 |
| District of Columbia | $65,360 | 630 |
| Louisiana | $60,960 | 2,550 |
| New York | $59,920 | 11,220 |
| California | $47,660 | 31,150 |
| Florida | $39,370 | 18,120 |
| Tennessee | $37,780 | 6,250 |
| Texas | $36,510 | 15,300 |
| South Dakota | $36,360 | 1,290 |
New Jersey’s median is $40,340 above South Dakota’s (76,700 minus 36,360). Alabama and Mississippi have no published figure. Louisiana’s mean of $86,520 sits far above its median, another sign of a top-heavy group.
State medians cover all coaches, so they can mislead. Texas shows a $36,510 median in BLS. NSCA’s survey put 21 Texas college coaches at $65,238. In Florida, BLS shows $39,370, and 13 college coaches in the survey averaged $57,200.
How Does Strength Coach Pay Compare With Similar Jobs?
These are BLS medians for May 2025, so they’re comparable with each other and not with NSCA’s averages.
| Job | Median | Employed |
|---|---|---|
| Exercise physiologists | $59,460 | 8,560 |
| Athletic trainers | $62,520 | 30,500 |
| Health education specialists | $64,070 | 65,690 |
| Coaches and scouts | $47,320 | 248,950 |
| Exercise trainers and group fitness instructors | $47,160 | 322,930 |
Athletic trainers earn $15,200 more at the median than coaches (62,520 minus 47,320), but they need a master’s plus a national exam. Our list of the highest-paying exercise science jobs covers the higher-paying routes if pay is your main filter.
What Is the Job Outlook for Strength Coaches?
O*NET, using BLS projections, lists Coaches and Scouts as growing faster than average from 2024 to 2034, at 5% to 6%. It projects 41,800 openings over the decade, counting both growth and replacement. That figure covers all coaches, not just strength coaches.
Openings across all coaches don’t tell you how many pay well. NSCA’s survey shows that early pay is lean, even for coaches who hold the credentials.
How Can You Raise Your Strength Coach Pay?
The survey and the postings point to the same handful of moves.
Hold the CSCS. It’s the standard credential. 99% of college respondents held it, and the two college postings above name it. The exam costs $475, or $340 for members, and our CSCS certification guide covers the 2030 degree rule.
Finish a master’s that fits your life. Costs vary. Southern Utah University’s MS in Sports Conditioning and Performance runs $12,969 (33 credits at $393) with a mandatory two-week summer session on campus. The University of Wisconsin-River Falls program costs $17,820 for 33 credits and pays for your CSCS exam.
Get real hours in a weight room. Logan University’s master’s requires two field experiences of at least 150 hours each. That’s $29,400 for 42 credits, but you leave with 300 hours under a CSCS-credentialed coach.
Check CASCE accreditation. If you’ll sit for the CSCS after January 1, 2030, U.S. candidates need a CASCE-accredited bachelor’s. The University of Missouri’s online strength and conditioning bachelor’s is CASCE-accredited, at $707.50 per credit in state and $841.70 out of state. Texas A&M-Corpus Christi’s master’s has a CASCE-accredited specialization.
Aim at the setting you want. Tactical coaches in the survey outearned college coaches. The Citadel’s online degree completion program includes a tactical strength and conditioning course.
Browse all 54 programs in our online strength and conditioning degree ranking. Sort by price with the cheapest online exercise science degrees, or check the certification-ready list for accredited options. If you already coach a team, see the degrees ranked for coaches. Our online master’s in exercise science ranking covers the broader route.
What Are the Downsides of Strength Coach Pay?
The entry years are hard on a budget. College coaches with under a year of experience averaged $41,760, and the college assistant average was $48,961. Some jobs run 10 months, and both college postings above expected evening and weekend hours.
Jobs also depend on a program’s budget. A $1,100,000 salary at one school and a $77,500 salary at another are for the same title.
And a degree and the CSCS don’t guarantee a position. Pull up five postings for the job you want and read what they require and pay. Our guide to becoming a strength and conditioning coach covers the work itself.
How We Pulled These Numbers
We pulled BLS wage data for May 2025 and O*NET’s 2026 update on September 29, 2026. The NSCA survey PDF and the USA Today table were read the same day. NSCA’s survey reports 2021 pay, and pay has moved since. Program prices come from each school’s own pages, recorded in our program reviews.
NSCA’s survey is the most recent one we found. If a newer edition comes out, we’ll swap the figures. Tell us if a number here looks out of date.
Coaches and Scouts Pay by State
In May 2025, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported a median annual wage of $47,320 for coaches and scouts nationwide, with the middle half earning between $35,330 and $64,710. About 248,950 people held these jobs.
New Jersey had the highest published state median at $76,700, and Kentucky the lowest at $35,570. The table lists every state where BLS publishes a median for this occupation.
| State | Median | 10th Percentile | 90th Percentile | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| New Jersey | $76,700 | $39,720 | $121,960 | 5,670 |
| District of Columbia | $65,360 | $36,400 | $136,000 | 630 |
| Louisiana | $60,960 | $23,310 | $194,130 | 2,550 |
| Vermont | $59,990 | $37,240 | $102,800 | 630 |
| New York | $59,920 | $34,890 | $104,000 | 11,220 |
| Hawaii | $55,860 | $37,040 | $116,120 | 760 |
| Massachusetts | $55,130 | $35,940 | $109,380 | 6,310 |
| Connecticut | $54,790 | $34,010 | $105,170 | 4,070 |
| Rhode Island | $53,630 | $34,580 | $101,000 | 1,170 |
| Arizona | $53,130 | $36,880 | $99,850 | 4,120 |
| West Virginia | $52,050 | $31,040 | $101,530 | 910 |
| New Hampshire | $51,490 | $31,540 | $102,550 | 870 |
| Nevada | $51,020 | $25,410 | $105,920 | 2,390 |
| Maryland | $50,590 | $32,820 | $110,620 | 3,960 |
| New Mexico | $49,980 | $32,660 | $111,220 | 590 |
| Wyoming | $49,420 | $26,900 | $108,220 | 470 |
| Iowa | $49,350 | $19,010 | $97,980 | 3,410 |
| Illinois | $49,120 | $31,200 | $122,720 | 8,840 |
| Oregon | $48,960 | $34,860 | $101,140 | 3,930 |
| Pennsylvania | $48,730 | $21,170 | $119,060 | 8,170 |
| Georgia | $48,210 | $27,190 | $80,900 | 4,510 |
| Minnesota | $48,050 | $29,480 | $87,910 | 4,680 |
| Washington | $48,030 | $37,180 | $85,590 | 11,790 |
| Montana | $48,020 | $22,530 | $79,000 | 990 |
| Nebraska | $47,810 | $28,940 | $94,920 | 1,180 |
| California | $47,660 | $35,920 | $92,150 | 31,150 |
| Colorado | $47,110 | $31,990 | $86,950 | 4,120 |
| Michigan | $47,050 | $25,960 | $101,970 | 7,910 |
| Idaho | $46,600 | $28,240 | $98,020 | 1,410 |
| Ohio | $46,530 | $28,280 | $81,760 | 13,150 |
| Virginia | $46,290 | $25,810 | $84,680 | 6,810 |
| Utah | $45,680 | $23,330 | $95,000 | 2,940 |
| Delaware | $45,200 | $31,800 | $93,320 | 600 |
| Wisconsin | $44,800 | $28,010 | $76,370 | 5,480 |
| Indiana | $44,480 | $25,270 | $100,180 | 5,960 |
| North Carolina | $43,840 | $25,130 | $87,060 | 8,530 |
| Maine | $43,640 | $31,270 | $102,780 | 1,060 |
| South Carolina | $42,950 | $17,880 | $103,010 | 3,310 |
| Kansas | $42,900 | $15,080 | $82,540 | 3,300 |
| Missouri | $42,790 | $28,910 | $79,480 | 4,730 |
| Alaska | $41,170 | $30,150 | $68,840 | 350 |
| Oklahoma | $41,160 | $19,450 | $105,980 | 2,420 |
| Florida | $39,370 | $29,830 | $90,000 | 18,120 |
| Arkansas | $38,930 | $25,720 | $78,010 | 2,070 |
| Tennessee | $37,780 | $22,990 | $81,080 | 6,250 |
| North Dakota | $37,100 | $24,330 | $75,210 | 1,180 |
| Texas | $36,510 | $22,340 | $78,720 | 15,300 |
| South Dakota | $36,360 | $28,270 | $64,280 | 1,290 |
| Kentucky | $35,570 | $21,810 | $75,710 | 2,800 |
Frequently Asked Questions
How Much Does a Strength and Conditioning Coach Make?
How Much Do Strength Coaches Make in College?
How Much Do Strength Coaches Make in the NFL?
How Much Do Division 1 Strength Coaches Make?
Do You Need a Master's Degree to Be a Strength Coach?
Why Is the BLS Number Lower Than What Strength Coaches Report?
Does the CSCS Raise Your Strength Coach Salary?
Can You Earn a Strength and Conditioning Degree Online?
Sources
- May 2025 OEWS, Coaches and Scouts (27-2022)
- Coaches and Scouts, 27-2022.00
- NSCA's Strength and Conditioning Coaches Salary Survey, 2022
- College Football Strength Coach Salaries
- Salaries for Strength Coaches Continuing to Climb
- Assistant Coach, Strength and Conditioning
- Strength and Conditioning Assistant Coach
- CSCS Certification
- Strength and Conditioning (M.S.)
- Master of Science in Strength and Conditioning
All sources retrieved .