Best US Cities for Personal Trainers
Top US cities for Personal Trainers ranked by estimated median salary, with cost-of-living-adjusted earning power.
| # | City | Estimated salary | Cost mult. | vs national |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Honolulu, HI | $60,800 | 1.30× | +$13,800 |
| 2 | San Francisco, CA | $58,600 | 1.45× | +$11,600 |
| 3 | Scottsdale, AZ | $57,400 | 1.18× | +$10,400 |
| 4 | Oakland, CA | $56,000 | 1.35× | +$9,000 |
| 5 | Los Angeles, CA | $55,900 | 1.22× | +$8,900 |
| 6 | Miami, FL | $55,600 | 1.12× | +$8,600 |
| 7 | San Diego, CA | $55,500 | 1.21× | +$8,500 |
| 8 | New York City, NY | $55,300 | 1.32× | +$8,300 |
| 9 | Yonkers, NY | $55,300 | 1.20× | +$8,300 |
| 10 | Long Beach, CA | $54,800 | 1.18× | +$7,800 |
| # | City | Salary | Hourly |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Honolulu, HI | $60,800 | $29/hr |
| 2 | San Francisco, CA | $58,600 | $28/hr |
| 3 | Scottsdale, AZ | $57,400 | $28/hr |
| 4 | Oakland, CA | $56,000 | $27/hr |
| 5 | Los Angeles, CA | $55,900 | $27/hr |
| 6 | Miami, FL | $55,600 | $27/hr |
| 7 | San Diego, CA | $55,500 | $27/hr |
| 8 | New York City, NY | $55,300 | $27/hr |
| 9 | Yonkers, NY | $55,300 | $27/hr |
| 10 | Long Beach, CA | $54,800 | $26/hr |
| 11 | Anaheim, CA | $54,800 | $26/hr |
| 12 | Irvine, CA | $54,800 | $26/hr |
| 13 | Boston, MA | $52,700 | $25/hr |
| 14 | Henderson, NV | $52,700 | $25/hr |
| 15 | Orlando, FL | $52,500 | $25/hr |
| 16 | Anchorage, AK | $52,200 | $25/hr |
| 17 | Seattle, WA | $51,700 | $25/hr |
| 18 | Hialeah, FL | $51,200 | $25/hr |
| 19 | Frisco, TX | $51,200 | $25/hr |
| 20 | Las Vegas, NV | $50,900 | $24/hr |
| 21 | Minneapolis, MN | $50,900 | $24/hr |
| 22 | Chula Vista, CA | $50,900 | $24/hr |
| 23 | Phoenix, AZ | $50,400 | $24/hr |
| 24 | Tampa, FL | $50,400 | $24/hr |
| 25 | New Orleans, LA | $50,400 | $24/hr |
| 26 | Reno, NV | $50,400 | $24/hr |
| 27 | Gilbert, AZ | $50,400 | $24/hr |
| 28 | Charleston, SC | $50,400 | $24/hr |
| 29 | Virginia Beach, VA | $49,800 | $24/hr |
| 30 | Chesapeake, VA | $49,800 | $24/hr |
| 31 | Portland, OR | $49,600 | $24/hr |
| 32 | Newark, NJ | $49,600 | $24/hr |
| 33 | Sacramento, CA | $49,600 | $24/hr |
| 34 | Riverside, CA | $49,600 | $24/hr |
| 35 | Colorado Springs, CO | $49,500 | $24/hr |
| 36 | St. Petersburg, FL | $49,500 | $24/hr |
| 37 | Denver, CO | $49,100 | $24/hr |
| 38 | Tucson, AZ | $48,800 | $23/hr |
| 39 | Glendale, AZ | $48,800 | $23/hr |
| 40 | Garland, TX | $48,800 | $23/hr |
| 41 | Chicago, IL | $48,300 | $23/hr |
| 42 | Austin, TX | $48,300 | $23/hr |
| 43 | Baltimore, MD | $48,300 | $23/hr |
| 44 | Stockton, CA | $48,300 | $23/hr |
| 45 | Aurora, CO | $48,300 | $23/hr |
| 46 | Plano, TX | $48,000 | $23/hr |
| 47 | Chandler, AZ | $48,000 | $23/hr |
| 48 | San Antonio, TX | $47,900 | $23/hr |
| 49 | Columbus, OH | $47,600 | $23/hr |
| 50 | Knoxville, TN | $47,600 | $23/hr |
| 51 | Philadelphia, PA | $47,500 | $23/hr |
| 52 | Atlanta, GA | $47,500 | $23/hr |
| 53 | Salt Lake City, UT | $47,500 | $23/hr |
| 54 | Wilmington, DE | $47,000 | $23/hr |
| 55 | Raleigh, NC | $47,000 | $23/hr |
| 56 | St. Paul, MN | $47,000 | $23/hr |
| 57 | North Las Vegas, NV | $47,000 | $23/hr |
| 58 | Boise, ID | $47,000 | $23/hr |
| 59 | Fresno, CA | $47,000 | $23/hr |
| 60 | Worcester, MA | $47,000 | $23/hr |
| 61 | Dallas, TX | $46,700 | $22/hr |
| 62 | Nashville, TN | $46,700 | $22/hr |
| 63 | Bakersfield, CA | $46,700 | $22/hr |
| 64 | Madison, WI | $46,700 | $22/hr |
| 65 | Norfolk, VA | $46,500 | $22/hr |
| 66 | Jacksonville, FL | $46,200 | $22/hr |
| 67 | Charlotte, NC | $46,200 | $22/hr |
| 68 | Mesa, AZ | $46,200 | $22/hr |
| 69 | Houston, TX | $46,000 | $22/hr |
| 70 | Fort Worth, TX | $46,000 | $22/hr |
| 71 | Spokane, WA | $46,000 | $22/hr |
| 72 | Pittsburgh, PA | $45,700 | $22/hr |
| 73 | Arlington, TX | $45,700 | $22/hr |
| 74 | Tallahassee, FL | $45,700 | $22/hr |
| 75 | Milwaukee, WI | $45,400 | $22/hr |
| 76 | Albuquerque, NM | $45,400 | $22/hr |
| 77 | Grand Rapids, MI | $45,200 | $22/hr |
| 78 | Detroit, MI | $44,900 | $22/hr |
| 79 | Cincinnati, OH | $44,900 | $22/hr |
| 80 | Kansas City, MO | $44,900 | $22/hr |
| 81 | Lexington, KY | $44,900 | $22/hr |
| 82 | Corpus Christi, TX | $44,900 | $22/hr |
| 83 | Buffalo, NY | $44,900 | $22/hr |
| 84 | Greensboro, NC | $44,900 | $22/hr |
| 85 | El Paso, TX | $44,700 | $21/hr |
| 86 | Cleveland, OH | $44,700 | $21/hr |
| 87 | St. Louis, MO | $44,700 | $21/hr |
| 88 | Winston-Salem, NC | $44,700 | $21/hr |
| 89 | Indianapolis, IN | $44,400 | $21/hr |
| 90 | Louisville, KY | $44,400 | $21/hr |
| 91 | Omaha, NE | $44,400 | $21/hr |
| 92 | Memphis, TN | $44,200 | $21/hr |
| 93 | Oklahoma City, OK | $44,200 | $21/hr |
| 94 | Lincoln, NE | $44,200 | $21/hr |
| 95 | Birmingham, AL | $43,900 | $21/hr |
| 96 | Toledo, OH | $43,900 | $21/hr |
| 97 | Lubbock, TX | $43,900 | $21/hr |
| 98 | Wichita, KS | $43,400 | $21/hr |
| 99 | Fort Wayne, IN | $43,400 | $21/hr |
| 100 | Mobile, AL | $43,400 | $21/hr |
Does location actually decide Personal Trainer pay?
Personal Trainer work is usually hybrid, so the metro you choose still largely determines what you earn. Pay ranges from $43,400 in Mobile to $60,800 in Honolulu — a spread of 40%.
Highest-paying is not the same as best-off
The number that ranks these metros is not the number you live on. In Honolulu, $60,800 against $2,100/month rent leaves roughly $35,600 a year after housing. In Mobile, $43,400 against $850 leaves about $33,200. The top still wins after rent, but by $2,400 rather than the $17,400 the headline suggests.
Why these metros and not others
The metros at the top are not simply the expensive ones; they are where the hiring is. Honolulu (U.S. Pacific Fleet/Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Queen's Health Systems); San Francisco (Salesforce, Google); Scottsdale (Mayo Clinic Arizona, HonorHealth). Depth of demand for personal services work is what lifts pay above the local baseline, and it is why two equally costly cities can pay this role differently.
Salaries are modelled from BLS national medians adjusted for local price level at a wage elasticity below 1 — pay rises with local costs but not proportionally. See our methodology.