Colorado has a strong fitness culture based on outdoor recreation and sports. In fact, it had the highest proportion of people in the country that got the recommended amount of rigorous exercise in 2013 according to the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention). Twenty percent of the state’s residents belonged to a health club in 2010—the second highest rate in the country according to a 2013 report from the Colorado Health Foundation.
The state of Colorado’s health and wellness industry bodes well for your chances of getting a high-paying job as a personal trainer in Colorado. This industry drove Colorado’s economy in the midst of the recession and was considered one of its top money-making sectors in 2013.
Salaries for Personal Trainers in Colorado
Colorado is a great place to start your career as a personal trainer. The salaries for entry-level fitness trainers were 30.3% higher than the national average in 2013 according to the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment (CDLE). The CDLE provides the salaries for personal trainers in Colorado based on different levels of experience:
Personal trainers were exceptionally well paid in the North Central nonmetropolitan area of the state according to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). These trainers had the highest salaries of any such area in the country in 2013.
Employment settings for personal trainers range from local gyms such as the elite Colorado Athletic Club to national chains that have a presence in the state, such as 24 Hour Fitness. As part of a large expansion, 24 Hour Fitness increased the number of locations in Colorado to include 15 cities as of 2015.
Colorado’s High Level of Employment for Personal Trainers
Colorado has a large number of personal trainers according to the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment (CDLE). This agency reported that 7,512 of these personal fitness professionals worked in Colorado as of 2013. Colorado also had the fourth highest concentration of jobs for personal trainers in the country according to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).
The Denver area is a particularly good place to find a job as a personal trainer. Forty-seven percent of the state’s personal trainers were located there in 2013. Because of this, Denver had the eighth highest employment level of any metropolitan area in the country.
You have a good chance of finding work outside of Colorado’s major cities, too. The nonmetropolitan area of North Central Colorado had the second highest concentration of jobs for personal trainers of any rural area in the country.
Personal Trainer Salaries in Colorado’s Major Cities and Non-Metro Areas
The US Bureau of Labor Statistics provides an analysis of the salaries of personal trainers throughout Colorado as of 2013. It showed that such professionals in the North Central nonmetropolitan area had by far the highest salaries in the state. Salaries were also exceptionally high in the Boulder and Denver areas: