Occupation salary profile

Athletic Trainers

SOC 29-9091 BLS OEWS May 2025 H-1B LCAs, last 12 months

Evaluate and treat musculoskeletal injuries or illnesses. Provide preventive, therapeutic, emergency, and rehabilitative care. Excludes “Physical Therapists” (29-1123).

National median · BLS
$62,520
▲ +3.77% YoY
H-1B sponsor median
$57,595
▲ +12.15% YoY · 78 LCAs
Average salary · BLS
$66,620
Mean annual wage
U.S. employment
30,500
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 Athletic Trainers

Annual base pay at each percentile. BLS covers all U.S. workers in this occupation; H-1B covers 78 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$48,180$45,850
25th$55,130$51,054
Median (50th)$62,520$57,595
75th$74,630$66,491
90th — top pay$88,760$82,189
H-1B sponsors pay a median of $57,595 for Athletic Trainers — 7.9% below the BLS national median of $62,520.

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

Job outlook for Athletic Trainers

BLS projects employment of athletic trainers to grow 12.7% from 2025 to 2035, faster than the 3.5% average for all occupations. About 2,400 openings are projected each year, on average, from new jobs and from replacing workers who retire or move to other occupations.

Jobs 2025 → 2035
35,200 → 39,600
+4,400 jobs
Projected change
+12.7%
All occupations: +3.5%
Openings per year
2,400
Average, 2025–2035
Typical entry education
Master's degree
No related experience required
Self-employed
5.9% of workers (2025)
Preparation needed (O*NET Job Zone 5)
Extensive Preparation Needed. Most of these occupations require graduate school. For example, they may require a master's degree, and some require a Ph.D., M.D., or J.D. (law degree).
Fastest-growing jobs → Best-paying jobs that need a master'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 $57,595
Change vs prior year +12.15%
After inflation (CPI-U) +8.75%
Wage level LCAs Share P25 Median P75
Level I 38 48.7% $47,458 $52,542 $62,400
Level II 24 30.8% $54,525 $57,984 $63,308
H-1B job titles

Salaries by job title in Athletic Trainers

The 2 most-filed job titles inside SOC 29-9091, from 78 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
Athletic Trainer 25 32.05% $47,770 $54,080 $57,595 +8.52%
Assistant Athletic Trainer 19 24.36% $46,000 $52,900 $56,686 +3.73%

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 Athletic Trainers

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
  • Active Listening4.0
  • Critical Thinking3.9
  • Judgment and Decision Making3.9
  • Monitoring3.9
  • Speaking3.9
  • Active Learning3.8
  • Reading Comprehension3.8
  • Social Perceptiveness3.8
  • Instructing3.6
  • Service Orientation3.6
Top knowledge areas
  • Medicine and Dentistry4.6
  • Customer and Personal Service4.4
  • Psychology4.2
  • Therapy and Counseling3.9
  • English Language3.7
  • Education and Training3.6
  • Public Safety and Security3.2
  • Administrative3.2
Software and technology used
Microsoft Office softwareMicrosoft ExcelMicrosoft OutlookMicrosoft PowerPointMicrosoft WordBioEx Systems Exercise ProDatabase softwareDigital Coach AthleticTrainerEmail softwareImPACT Applications ImPACTInjury tracking softwareKeffer Development Services Athletic Trainer System ATSPremier Software Simtrak MobilityScheduling 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 athletic trainers do

  • Conduct an initial assessment of an athlete's injury or illness to provide emergency or continued care and to determine whether they should be referred to physicians for definitive diagnosis and treatment.
  • Assess and report the progress of recovering athletes to coaches or physicians.
  • Care for athletic injuries, using physical therapy equipment, techniques, or medication.
  • Evaluate athletes' readiness to play and provide participation clearances when necessary and warranted.
  • Perform general administrative tasks, such as keeping records or writing reports.
  • Clean and sanitize athletic training rooms.
  • Instruct coaches, athletes, parents, medical personnel, or community members in the care and prevention of athletic injuries.
  • Apply protective or injury preventive devices, such as tape, bandages, or braces, to body parts, such as ankles, fingers, or wrists.
Also called
Athletic InstructorAthletic TrainerCertified Athletic TrainerPersonal TrainerAthletic LecturerResident Athletic TrainerWomen's Athletic Trainer
More job titles for this occupation (10)
Clinical Athletic InstructorClinical Athletic TrainerFitness SpecialistLicensed Athletic TrainerOn-Site Industrial Athletic TrainerOutreach Athletic TrainerPhysical TrainerSports Athletic TrainerSports Medicine TrainerSports Trainer

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.