health coach certification
As A Certified Health Coach, This Is The Salary Range You Can Expect
It has become increasingly important for there to be trained professionals available to guide and support people in improving their well-being from a holistic perspective. Enter: health coaching.
Health coaches take on a new, unique approach to healthcare in which they empower clients to achieve self-determined health and well-being goals. Not only will a health coach give their client the tools necessary to treat conditions but also prevent or even reverse them.
But while helping people is rewarding in and of itself, is it a lucrative career path financially? Here's what you can expect from a health coaching salary.
What Is the Average Salary of a Health Coach?
The average salary for a health coach is highly dependent on your level of qualification, location, and experience in the field. Certified health coaches that have completed a National Board for Health & Wellness Coaching (NBHWC) approved training program and have passed the National Board Certification Exam are guaranteed to stand out amongst other health coaches without the same level of education and thus find better job opportunities and earn a higher salary.
According to Indeed, the average base level salary for a health coach is around $44,000/year, with Glassdoor concurring a similar base of $47,000/year. Meanwhile, a board-certified health coach is estimated to earn a base level salary of about $60,000/year. With more years of experience, a certified health coach is estimated to earn $80,000/year on average with the potential to earn beyond $100,000/year, according to Glassdoor.
The salary range within the health coaching industry is large as this is a highly customizable career path. Health coaches can work part-time or full-time in a variety of settings including, for functional medicine practices, in hospitals, at wellness centers, addiction facilities, and schools, among other settings. Many entrepreneurial-minded health coaches launch their own coaching businesses and their salary and overall level of success is largely determined by their business plan.
Health coaches, including mindbodygreen Class Instructor, Kelly LeVeque have built large and engaged followings on social media and have used their platforms to launch and grow their businesses. Health experts like Kelly LeVeque are not only able to create personalized connections and experience rewarding outcomes with clients one-on-one but are also able to build a communities online in which they can share their knowledge on a larger scale.
How Does Location Affect the Average Salary of a Health Coach?
Location, among other factors such as level of education, years of experience, and credentials, can influence your salary earned as a health coach. As with other professions, employee salaries are subject to differ based on location. This is due to the cost of living and tax rate, among other factors that vary State by State. Thus, a health coach working for a corporation in California could earn a higher salary than a health coach based in Vermont.
Additionally, the demand for health coaching varies State by State and thus will impact salary. Now more than ever there is a strong demand for health coaching, increasing rapidly over the past few years due to the focus on holistic wellness. For reference, it is estimated that 60% of Americans want a health coach, but 80% of people have never been offered such a service! It's predicted that this demand will continue to rise, and with that, it will become increasingly important to acquire accreditation so you can be at the top of your field. We recommend that you check out this article, "We Could All Use a Health Coach," from the New York Times.
According to Salary.com, "Hot Cities" for health coaching include San Francisco, CA, Washington, DC, Miami, FL, Chicago, IL, Boston, MA, New York, NY, and Dallas, TX.
Average Annual Salary by State:
San Francisco, CA: $78,130
Washington, DC: $69,580
Miami, FL: $60,849
Chicago, IL: $66,310
Boston, MA: $70,424
New York, NY: $75,193
Dallas, TX: $62,098
There is data to prove that the health coaching industry is growing by leaps and bounds. As of 2021, the U.S. health coaching market was valued at $7 billion dollars and, what's more, it is projected that job opportunities within the health education industries will increase by almost 20% by 2030.
How to Become a Health Coach.
If you're interested in becoming a health coach as your full-time job, you'll first want to take a course to give you the base level of skills. The National Board for Health & Wellness Coaching (NBHWC) has set the standard for health coaching, so looking for courses with the accreditation will allow you to know you're making a selection that will actually provide the tools you need to give your clients the highest level of care. "The NBC-HWC credential represents training, education, and assessment that a health and wellness coach obtained in order to become board certified," NBHWC executive director Leigh-Ann Webster, NBC-HWC, CPT, told mbg.
Once you have completed a training program, you will then have to take a test before officially receiving your health coaching certification. "If you intend to make health coaching your business, get clear on what your specific goals are," Jess Cording, M.S., R.D., CDN, previously explained.
From there, you'll want to create a business plan, build a client base, and get some hands-on experience. The good news? If you take a great course (may we recommend mindbodygreen's Health Coaching Certification?), you don't necessarily need to acquire a health-related college degree, although it may help increase your salary.
The Takeaway
Whether you're looking to add the NBC-HWC credential to your existing job title or hoping to make health coaching a full-time career, there has never been a better time to join this growing industry. Wages and salary are expected to grow with the ever-increasing demand for health coaches.
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