Earnings vary depending on several factors—facility or venue, hours worked, and certification status of the individual. Full-time lifeguards had median annual earnings of $30,380 in May 2023, according to the U.S. Department of Labor. Salaries ranged from less than $22,750 to $39,150 or more annually. Fifty percent of lifeguards earned between $26,150 and $35,300. Lifeguards who worked at hotels and other traveler accommodation facilities earned average salaries of $34,760, while those who worked at amusement parks earned $29,320.
Instructors may be paid per hour or per class. In general, they earn more for giving private lessons than teaching group sessions.
Full-time employees are often offered a benefits package consisting of paid vacation time, sick leave, health insurance, and a retirement plan.
- Adventure Travel Specialists
- Aerobics Instructors and Fitness Trainers
- Amusement Park Workers
- Athletic Directors
- Bicycle Mechanics
- Cancer Exercise Specialists
- Cruise Ship Workers
- Exercise Physiologists
- Fitness Directors
- Flight Attendants
- Gaming Occupations
- Health Club Owners and Managers
- Hosts/Hostesses
- Inbound Tour Guides
- Kinesiologists
- Museum Attendants
- Museum Directors and Curators
- Music Venue Owners and Managers
- National Park Service Employees
- Park Rangers
- Parking Attendants
- Personal Trainers
- Physical Education Teachers
- Physical Therapists
- Physical Therapy Assistants
- Pilots
- Recreation Workers
- Recreational Therapists
- Reservation and Ticket Agents
- Resort Workers
- Ship's Captains
- Ski Resort Workers
- Spa Attendants
- Spa Managers
- Space Tourism Managers
- Sports Equipment Managers
- Sports Facility Managers
- Sports Instructors and Coaches
- Sports Physicians
- Sports Psychologists
- Sports Trainers
- Stadium Ushers and Vendors
- Strength and Conditioning Coaches
- Swimming Pool Designers
- Tour Guides
- Travel Agents
- Yoga and Pilates Instructors
- Zoo and Aquarium Curators and Directors