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Role hub · Exercise Physiologists

Exercise Physiologist: what the job is, what it pays, and how to get hired.

The work, the skills that matter, the tools in demand and the pay range, from U.S. government data, plus every TryHired page for the role.

Maid DizdarevicCareer coach · 8x LinkedIn Top Voice
Updated Nov 2, 2026 · Data: BLS OEWS May 2025 · O*NET 31.0
Pay ladder · select a percentile
Median percentile pay

Half of exercise physiologists earn more than this and half earn less.

Annual
$59,460
Hourly
$28.59
Source
BLS May 2025
Quick answer

Exercise Physiologists assess, plan, or implement fitness programs that include exercise or physical activities such as those designed to improve cardiorespiratory function, body composition, muscular strength, muscular endurance, or flexibility. The median pay is $59,460 a year ($28.59 an hour) (BLS, May 2025).

Median pay
$59,460
BLS May 2025
Employed in the U.S.
8,560
BLS May 2025
Preparation
Job Zone 4 of 5
considerable preparation
Key facts

Exercise Physiologists at a glance

  • Exercise physiologists in the United States earned a median annual wage of $59,460 in May 2025, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

    Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025

  • In its 2025–35 employment projections, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics lists a bachelor's degree as the typical entry-level education for exercise physiologists in the United States.

    Source: BLS Employment Projections, 2025–35

  • BLS projects employment of exercise physiologists in the United States to grow 12.8% from 2025 to 2035, with about 1,400 openings a year on average, including replacement openings.

    Source: BLS Employment Projections, 2025–35

  • BLS estimated that 8,560 people were employed as exercise physiologists in the United States in May 2025, not counting the self-employed.

    Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025

Explore the role

Every page for Exercise Physiologists

SalaryExercise Physiologist salary

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The work

What exercise physiologists do day to day

Data Core tasks rated most important by workers in the role (O*NET).

  1. Explain exercise program or physiological testing procedures to participants.
  2. Provide clinical oversight of exercise for participants at all risk levels.
  3. Provide emergency or other appropriate medical care to participants with symptoms or signs of physical distress.
  4. Interview participants to obtain medical history or assess participant goals.
  5. Demonstrate correct use of exercise equipment or performance of exercise routines.
  6. Prescribe individualized exercise programs, specifying equipment, such as treadmill, exercise bicycle, ergometers, or perceptual goggles.
  7. Interpret exercise program participant data to evaluate progress or identify needed program changes.
  8. Conduct stress tests, using electrocardiograph (EKG) machines.
Where this career works

Industries that employ it

Data Share of all exercise physiologist jobs in each industry, 2025 (BLS Employment Matrix).

  1. Hospitals; state, local, and private23.8% of all jobs in this occupation · +3.8% projected change here 2025–35 · mean wage $61,390
  2. Ambulatory healthcare services10.7% of all jobs in this occupation · +16.3% projected change here 2025–35 · mean wage $54,060
  3. Government, excluding state and local education and hospitals1.3% of all jobs in this occupation · -4.8% projected change here 2025–35 · mean wage $94,910
  4. Educational services; state, local, and private1.1% of all jobs in this occupation · +4.3% projected change here 2025–35 · mean wage $75,140
  5. Performing arts, spectator sports, and related industries0.4% of all jobs in this occupation · +4.9% projected change here 2025–35 · mean wage $86,700

Sources: BLS 2025–35 National Employment Matrix (share of the occupation's jobs, projected change) and BLS OEWS May 2025 industry estimates (mean wage). Different industry estimates are not a pay forecast for any person.

Skills that matter

Ranked by importance to the job

Data O*NET importance ratings. The first three are core.

InstructingcoreReading ComprehensioncoreActive ListeningcoreSpeakingSocial PerceptivenessService OrientationComplex Problem SolvingJudgment and Decision MakingWriting

Knowledge areas: Medicine and Dentistry, Customer and Personal Service, English Language, Biology, Education and Training, Psychology.

Tools and technology

Software exercise physiologists use

Data Examples reported for the role; employer demand flags from O*NET.

  • MEDITECH softwareMedical softwareHot technology
  • Microsoft ExcelSpreadsheet softwareIn demand
  • Microsoft Office softwareOffice suite softwareIn demand
  • Microsoft OutlookElectronic mail softwareHot technology
  • Microsoft PowerPointPresentation softwareHot technology
  • Microsoft WordWord processing softwareHot technology
  • Email softwareElectronic mail software
  • Web browser softwareInternet browser software

Also called: Bariatric Weight Loss Counselor, Cardiopulmonary Rehabilitation Practitioner, Cardiopulmonary Rehabilitation Therapist, Certified Exercise Physiologist (Certified EP), Clinical Cardiac Exercise Physiologist, Clinical Exercise Physiologist.

Method

How this page is built

Tasks, skills, tools, education and related roles come from O*NET 31.0. Pay and employment come from the BLS OEWS May 2025 national estimates. The skill-match score is our calculation: Skill match is the cosine similarity of the two occupations' skill profiles: for each of 35 O*NET skills (10 essential, 25 transferable) we multiply importance by level and subtract the average across all occupations, then compare the direction of the two profiles. 100 means identical shape; 0 means unrelated or opposite (negative values are shown as 0). Only occupations that O*NET itself lists as related are compared.

What this page can't tell you
  • How a specific employer defines the job.
  • Pay for self-employed workers (OEWS covers employees).
  • Your own chances: data describes the occupation, not you.
Sources
  1. O*NET 31.0 Database, U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under the CC BY 4.0 license. TryHired selected, ranked and combined the data; O*NET is not responsible for these pages.
  2. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 estimates (public domain).

How TryHired builds this data: sources, methods and downloads. Spotted an error? Report a correction.