Occupation salary profile

Exercise Physiologists

SOC 29-1128 BLS OEWS May 2025 H-1B LCAs, last 12 months

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. Excludes “Physical Therapists” (29-1123), “Athletic Trainers” (29-9091), and “Exercise Trainers and Group Fitness Instructors” (39-9031).

National median · BLS
$59,460
▲ +2.24% YoY
H-1B sponsor median
$57,100
▲ +7.74% YoY · 300 LCAs
Average salary · BLS
$60,940
Mean annual wage
U.S. employment
8,560
Jobs (BLS)
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Enter your pay and a location to see where you stand against BLS and H-1B pay, your estimated take-home pay, and your purchasing power.

Pay range for Exercise Physiologists

Annual base pay at each percentile. BLS covers all U.S. workers in this occupation; H-1B covers 300 certified Labor Condition Applications filed by sponsoring employers in the last 12 months.

Percentile All U.S. workers (BLS) H-1B sponsored
10th — entry pay$42,760$56,391
25th$49,620$57,000
Median (50th)$59,460$57,100
75th$67,230$62,800
90th — top pay$80,560$83,200
H-1B sponsors pay a median of $57,100 for Exercise Physiologists — 4% below the BLS national median of $59,460.

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Based on hrs/week × weeks/year = 2,080 hrs
Projections 2025–2035

Job outlook for Exercise Physiologists

BLS projects employment of exercise physiologists to grow 12.8% from 2025 to 2035, faster than the 3.5% average for all occupations. About 1,400 openings are projected each year, on average, from new jobs and from replacing workers who retire or move to other occupations.

Jobs 2025 → 2035
21,200 → 23,900
+2,700 jobs
Projected change
+12.8%
All occupations: +3.5%
Openings per year
1,400
Average, 2025–2035
Typical entry education
Bachelor's degree
No related experience required
Self-employed
58.9% of workers (2025)
Preparation needed (O*NET Job Zone 4)
Considerable Preparation Needed. Most of these occupations require a four-year bachelor's degree, but some do not.
Fastest-growing jobs → Best-paying jobs that need a bachelor's degree →

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections 2025–2035 · BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook →

H-1B sponsored pay

Pay by H-1B wage level

Employers assign every H-1B filing a Department of Labor prevailing-wage level, from Level I (entry) to Level IV (fully competent). Pay rises steeply with level.

H-1B median $57,100
Change vs prior year +7.74%
After inflation (CPI-U) +4.47%
Wage level LCAs Share P25 Median P75
Level I 228 76% $56,500 $57,000 $59,304
Level II 27 9% $63,222 $64,480 $68,320
Level III 13 4.3% $76,856 $80,000 $80,000
Level IV 31 10.3% $80,050 $85,500 $100,000
H-1B job titles

Salaries by job title in Exercise Physiologists

The 2 most-filed job titles inside SOC 29-1128, from 300 H-1B filings. Seniority words and level numbers are grouped (“Senior Data Engineer II” counts as Data Engineer). Tap a title for its full range, wage levels and the exact titles employers used.

Job title LCAs Share P25 Median P75 YoY
Exercise Physiologist 249 83% $57,000 $58,000 $62,000 +9.43%
Excercise Physiologist 20 6.67% $56,400 $56,400 $56,400 +6.62%

Titles are cleaned from the employer's own LCA text (codes and typos removed, nothing invented). Rows need 10+ filings in this SOC.

Skills & tools

Skills needed for Exercise Physiologists

How important each skill and knowledge area is for this job, rated by O*NET on a 1–5 scale from surveys of workers and occupational analysts.

Top skills
  • Instructing4.1
  • Active Listening4.0
  • Reading Comprehension4.0
  • Speaking4.0
  • Complex Problem Solving3.9
  • Critical Thinking3.9
  • Judgment and Decision Making3.9
  • Monitoring3.9
  • Service Orientation3.9
  • Social Perceptiveness3.9
Top knowledge areas
  • Medicine and Dentistry4.2
  • Customer and Personal Service4.2
  • English Language4.2
  • Biology4.0
  • Education and Training3.8
  • Psychology3.6
  • Therapy and Counseling3.4
  • Administrative3.2
Software and technology used
Microsoft ExcelMicrosoft Office softwareMEDITECH softwareMicrosoft OutlookMicrosoft PowerPointMicrosoft WordEmail softwareWeb browser software

Highlighted = in demand: frequently listed in employer job postings for this occupation (O*NET).

Source: O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.

About the job

What exercise physiologists do

  • 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.
Also called
Bariatric Weight Loss CounselorCardiopulmonary Rehabilitation TherapistClinical Cardiac Exercise PhysiologistClinical Exercise PhysiologistCardiopulmonary Rehabilitation PractitionerCertified Exercise Physiologist (Certified EP)Clinical Exercise SpecialistExercise ScientistExercise SpecialistLifestyle and Weight Management Consultant
More job titles for this occupation (8)
Applied Exercise PhysiologistCardiac Exercise PhysiologistCardiac Exercise SpecialistCardiac Rehabilitation Exercise PhysiologistExercise PlannerFitness SpecialistRegistered Clinical Exercise Physiologist (REPC)Sports Physiologist

Source: O*NET 31.0 (USDOL/ETA, CC BY 4.0). These are general job titles, not H-1B filings; for titles employers actually filed, see “Job titles” above.