The median pay for Exercise Physiologists is $59,460 a year ($28.59/hr), according to BLS OEWS, May 2025. Employment is projected to grow 12.8% through 2035, with about 1,400 openings a year (BLS EP, 2025–2035). Typical entry-level education: Bachelor's degree.
- SOC 29-1128
- Healthcare Practitioners and Technical
- Last updated October 9, 2026
At a glance
Exercise Physiologist in four numbers
- Median pay
- $59,460a year, or $28.59/hrBLS OEWS, May 2025Lowest 10% $43KTop 10% $81K
US median, all jobs: $50,980
- Projected growth
- +12.8%Much faster than averageBLS EP, 2025–2035This career+12.8%All jobs+3.5%
Projected employment change, 2025–2035 Item Value This career +12.8% All jobs +3.5% - Openings a year
- 1,40021,200 jobs todayBLS EP, 2025–2035
- Jobs in 202521.2K
- Projected 203523.9K
Employment, 2025–2035 Item Value Jobs in 2025 21.2K Projected 2035 23.9K - Typical education
- Bachelor'sneeded to enterBLS EP, 2025–2035; mix: O*NET
Also advertised as: Bariatric Weight Loss Counselor, Cardiopulmonary Rehabilitation Practitioner, Cardiopulmonary Rehabilitation Therapist, Certified Exercise Physiologist (Certified EP), Clinical Cardiac Exercise Physiologist, Clinical Exercise Physiologist.
Pay
How much do Exercise Physiologists make?
Every exercise physiologist in the US, by percentile of annual wage
Median
$59,460
Middle half earn $49,620 to $67,230
- 10th
- $42,760
- 25th
- $49,620
- 75th
- $67,230
- 90th
- $80,560
All US occupations: $50,980
| Percentile | Value |
|---|---|
| 10th | $42,760 |
| 25th | $49,620 |
| Median | $59,460 |
| 75th | $67,230 |
| 90th | $80,560 |
| All US occupations | $50,980 |
Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025
- Median annual wage
- $59,460
- Median hourly wage
- $28.59/hr
- Mean annual wage
- $60,940
- People employed
- 8,560
Versus all US occupations
At $59,460, Exercise Physiologists earn 17% above the $50,980 median across all US occupations, a difference of $8,480 a year.
Versus healthcare practitioners and technical occupations
Inside the Healthcare Practitioners and Technical group, where the middle occupation pays $102,760, this is 42% below the group median.
Pay range
The top 10% earn $80,560 or more while the bottom 10% earn $42,760, a gap of 1.9×. That is a typical spread for a US occupation.
Rank in the bank
This median pays more than 32% of the 1,741 occupations in the NueCareer career bank.
Highest-paying state
Washington pays the most at $81,310, and still leads at $75,981 once local prices are taken into account.
Pay by state
Which states pay Exercise Physiologists the most?
State medians come from the same OEWS release as the national figures. The cost-of-living column divides each state median by that state's BEA Regional Price Parity, restating pay in national-average dollars so a high-cost state and a low-cost one can be compared directly.
| State | Median | COL-adjusted | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1Washington | $81,310 | $75,981 | 160 |
| 2Oregon | $71,630 | $69,301 | 80 |
| 3Minnesota | $67,230 | $68,170 | 250 |
| 4Massachusetts | $65,950 | $62,360 | 180 |
| 5New Jersey | $64,680 | $59,446 | 130 |
| 6Colorado | $63,800 | $61,910 | 370 |
| 7New Hampshire | $63,590 | $61,047 | 50 |
| 8Wisconsin | $63,210 | $67,177 | 340 |
| 9Connecticut | $62,510 | $60,332 | 100 |
| 10California | $62,440 | $56,395 | 640 |
Job outlook
Is Exercise Physiologist a growing career?
Employment change over 2025–2035, against every US occupation
Much faster than average. +12.8% projected growth vs 3.5% for all occupations.
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Exercise Physiologists | +12.8% |
| All US occupations | +3.5% |
Source: BLS EP, 2025–2035
Much faster than average
BLS projects employment of Exercise Physiologists to change 12.8% over 2025–2035, roughly 3.7× the 3.5% projected for all occupations. That is 2,700 more jobs.
Annual openings
About 1,400 openings are projected each year, 6.6% of the 21,200 jobs that existed in 2025. Most come from workers leaving the occupation, not from growth alone.
Many of those openings are expected to result from the need to replace workers who transfer to different occupations or exit the labor force, such as to retire.
As the prevalence of chronic conditions grows, more exercise physiologists will be needed to help patients manage their symptoms and improve their overall health through personalized exercise programs. Employment growth is expected in hospitals and ambulatory care settings, where exercise physiologists play a central role in the rehabilitation of patients.
Getting in
How to become an Exercise Physiologist
Exercise physiologists typically need at least a bachelor’s degree to enter the occupation.
- 1
Typical entry-level education
Bachelor's degree
- 2
Work experience in a related occupation
None
- 3
Typical on-the-job training
None
- 4
Preparation needed (O*NET job zone)
Medium preparation
BLS Employment Projections, 2025–2035; job zone from O*NET 31.0 Database.
Full BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook entryThe work
What does an Exercise Physiologist do?
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.
Exercise physiologists develop physical activity programs to help people improve components of their fitness, such as cardiovascular function, muscular strength, or flexibility.
Day-to-day tasks
- Explain exercise program or physiological testing procedures to participants.
- Develop exercise programs to improve participant strength, flexibility, endurance, or circulatory functioning, in accordance with exercise science standards, regulatory requirements, and credentialing requirements.
- Provide clinical oversight of exercise for participants at all risk levels.
- Provide emergency or other appropriate medical care to participants with symptoms or signs of physical distress.
- Interview participants to obtain medical history or assess participant goals.
- Demonstrate correct use of exercise equipment or performance of exercise routines.
- Prescribe individualized exercise programs, specifying equipment, such as treadmill, exercise bicycle, ergometers, or perceptual goggles.
- Interpret exercise program participant data to evaluate progress or identify needed program changes.
O*NET core tasks, ordered by reported importance.
Working conditions and hours
Most exercise physiologists work full time, but part-time work may be common.
Where the work happens
Indoors, climate-controlled
NeverEvery dayIndoors, in a climate-controlled space, every day.
Outdoors in all weather
NeverEvery day
Physical demands
Sitting
NeverAlmost all the timeStanding
NeverAlmost all the timeBending or twisting
NeverAlmost all the time
Working with people
Contact with other people
NoneConstantConstant contact with other people.
Face-to-face discussions
NeverEvery dayFace-to-face discussions every day.
Dealing with the public
Not importantExtremely important
Pressure and stakes
Strict deadlines
NeverEvery dayConflict situations
NeverEvery dayCost of a mistake
Not seriousExtremely serious
Autonomy
Freedom to decide
NoneA lotA lot of freedom to make decisions without checking first.
Schedules: BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2025–2035 edition. Conditions: O*NET Work Context survey. Each item has its own scale, so each dot is read against the two answers that end its own line.
Where exercise physiologists work
Share of jobs by employer type
- Self-employed workers59%
- Hospitals; state, local, and private24%
- Offices of physical, occupational and speech therapists, and audiologists5%
- Offices of physicians4%
- All other ambulatory healthcare services1%
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Self-employed workers | 59% |
| Hospitals; state, local, and private | 24% |
| Offices of physical, occupational and speech therapists, and audiologists | 5% |
| Offices of physicians | 4% |
| All other ambulatory healthcare services | 1% |
Source: BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2025–2035 edition
Core skills
O*NET importance, 1 to 5
- Reading Comprehension4.0
- Active Listening4.0
- Speaking4.0
- Writing3.9
- Critical Thinking3.9
- Monitoring3.9
- Active Learning3.4
- Learning Strategies3.4
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Reading Comprehension | 4.0 |
| Active Listening | 4.0 |
| Speaking | 4.0 |
| Writing | 3.9 |
| Critical Thinking | 3.9 |
| Monitoring | 3.9 |
| Active Learning | 3.4 |
| Learning Strategies | 3.4 |
Source: O*NET 31.0 Database
Transferable skills
O*NET importance, 1 to 5
- Instructing4.1
- Social Perceptiveness3.9
- Service Orientation3.9
- Complex Problem Solving3.9
- Judgment and Decision Making3.9
- Coordination3.0
- Persuasion3.0
- Negotiation3.0
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Instructing | 4.1 |
| Social Perceptiveness | 3.9 |
| Service Orientation | 3.9 |
| Complex Problem Solving | 3.9 |
| Judgment and Decision Making | 3.9 |
| Coordination | 3.0 |
| Persuasion | 3.0 |
| Negotiation | 3.0 |
Source: O*NET 31.0 Database
Tools and software
- Electronic mail software · in demand
- Medical software · in demand
- Office suite software · in demand
- Presentation software · in demand
- Spreadsheet software · in demand
- Word processing software · in demand
- Internet browser software
“In demand” marks an O*NET Employer-Based Hot Technology, software named in real job postings for this occupation.
Personality fit
What personality type suits an Exercise Physiologist?
O*NET Occupational Interests (RIASEC), scored 1 to 7
| Axis | Exercise Physiologist |
|---|---|
| Realistic | 5 |
| Investigative | 5 |
| Artistic | 1 |
| Social | 5 |
| Enterprising | 3 |
| Conventional | 4 |
Source: O*NET 31.0 Database
What the work is built around
Day to day this is work built around hands-on, practical work with tools, machines or the outdoors, combined with investigating, analysing and solving problems with ideas and data.
- Realistic5.3
- Investigative4.9
- Social4.7
- Conventional3.8
- Enterprising3.0
- Artistic1.5
Closest MBTI types
NueCareer fit scores: cosine similarity between each MBTI type's interest vector and this occupation's O*NET interest profile. Not a BLS or O*NET figure; the method is documented on our methodology page.
Explore further
Careers related to Exercise Physiologist
O*NET related occupations
- Healthcare Practitioners and Technical
Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Physician
$265,930median a year
Most earn $69K to $452K
+3.4%Doctorate - Healthcare Practitioners and Technical
- Healthcare Support
- Personal Care and Service
Exercise Trainer and Group Fitness Instructor
$47,160median a year
Most earn $29K to $83K
+7.3%High school - Healthcare Practitioners and Technical
- Healthcare Practitioners and Technical
Cardiovascular Technologist and Technician
$74,310median a year
Most earn $39K to $121K
+3.7%Associate's
More healthcare practitioners and technical careers
Median annual pay, with exercise physiologists highlighted
- Anesthesiologist$391,490
- Physician Assistant$135,880
- Nurse Practitioner$132,300
- Physical Therapist$102,760
- Dental Hygienist$98,100
- Diagnostic Medical Sonographer$96,590
- Radiologic Technologist and Technician$80,110
- Surgical Technologist$64,650
- Exercise Physiologist$59,460
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Anesthesiologist | $391,490 |
| Physician Assistant | $135,880 |
| Nurse Practitioner | $132,300 |
| Physical Therapist | $102,760 |
| Dental Hygienist | $98,100 |
| Diagnostic Medical Sonographer | $96,590 |
| Radiologic Technologist and Technician | $80,110 |
| Surgical Technologist | $64,650 |
| Exercise Physiologist | $59,460 |
Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025
Specialty careers within exercise physiologist
Distinct careers BLS counts inside this occupation, each with its own profile.
Lists Exercise Physiologist appears on
Questions
Exercise Physiologist: frequently asked questions
How much do Exercise Physiologists make?
Exercise Physiologists earn a median of $59,460 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025), 17% above the $50,980 US median across all occupations. That works out at $28.59/hr. The middle half earn between $49,620 and $67,230. The top 10% earn $80,560 or more.
Do you need a degree to become an Exercise Physiologist?
Yes. BLS reports a bachelor's degree as the typical entry-level education for Exercise Physiologists, and O*NET rates the preparation needed as medium preparation.
Is Exercise Physiologist a growing career?
Yes, strongly. Employment is projected to grow 12.8% over 2025–2035, more than double the 3.5% projected for all occupations (BLS EP, 2025–2035). BLS still projects about 1,400 openings a year, mostly from workers retiring or moving to other work.
What does an Exercise Physiologist do?
Exercise physiologists develop physical activity programs to help people improve components of their fitness, such as cardiovascular function, muscular strength, or flexibility. A core O*NET task: explain exercise program or physiological testing procedures to participants. Employers most often ask for Electronic mail software, Medical software, Office suite software.
Which states pay Exercise Physiologists the most?
The highest state medians for Exercise Physiologists are Washington ($81,310), Oregon ($71,630), Minnesota ($67,230) (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
What personality type suits an Exercise Physiologist?
O*NET scores Exercise Physiologists highest on the Realistic, Investigative and Social interest areas, so the work mixes hands-on, practical work with tools, machines or the outdoors with investigating, analysing and solving problems with ideas and data. On NueCareer's MBTI-to-interest mapping the closest types are ISTJ, ISFJ. Personality is a fit signal, not a gate. The free NueCareer quiz scores your own profile against all 1,731 careers in the bank.