How Much Does a Gymnastics Coach Make?

Thinking about a career as a gymnastics coach? Want to know what your earnings potential is going to be?

You’ve landed at the right place. In this article, I’ll play out the latest data revealing what gymnastics coaches are making throughout the United States and around the world. I’ll also provide some tips on how to maximize your earnings as a gymnastics coach.

How Much Do Gym Coaches Make in the United States?

In order to get a full picture of the salary situation for gymnastics coaches in the United States, I researched a broad range of resources. Here are the key findings from the most relevant sources.

USA Gymnastics Survey

The most up-to-date research I could find on current coaching salaries comes from USA Gymnastics online. [1] There I came across a survey of 76 coaches across the country. The following table summarizes the results of this survey:

Variable	Average	Standard Deviation	Minimum	Maximum	Range	Median
Annual Salary ($)	34,979	15,931	3,200	81,800	78,600	34,000
Age	36.8	8.7	21	52	31	36.5
Experience	15.9	7.8	4	30	26	15

The minimum salary of $3,200 came from a high school coach, while the highest of $81,800 was from a female college gym coach. As would be expected, the older a person was, and the more experience they had, the more money they made. 

It should be noted that there was no significant disparity between incomes among genders. However, there was a noticeable difference between college and club coaches. 

The average salary of a college coach was $44.325.

The average salary of a club coach was $29,733.

Interestingly, there was not a huge difference between the salaries of coaches and assistant coaches. 

The average head coach salary was $36.055.

The average assistant coach salary was $32.974.

Female coaches earned more money than men in college. This was not the case in club settings. 

The average female coach salary in a college was $46,700.

The average male coach salary in a college was $42,033.

From this survey we can draw the following general conclusions:

1. The average salary for a gymnastics coach in the USA is $34,979.
2. There is a wide range of salaries among gymnastics coaches.
3. College coaches have a higher salary than club coaches.
4. Female college coaches make more money than male college coaches.

Comparably

Comparably.com is a huge online resource that compares salaries among industries and companies. Here is an overview of their analysis of gymnastics salaries.

Depending on the level of competition that they instruct, the earnings of gymnastics coaches vary greatly. Starting compensation for a position at a neighborhood kids’ gym may be around $14 per hour. At the other extreme, the University of Michigan has a chart on their website called UM Salary.info that displays the salaries of all of its athletic coaches. The annual salary of the women’s gymnastics coach is $257,000. The identical position pays $145,000 at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

Gymnastics instructors in the U.S can earn anywhere from $15,556 and $70,050 annually.

The average salary for a gymnastics coach on Comparably is $37,440.

According to Glassdoor, a head gymnastics coach earns $67,233 per year. The salaries of the top gymnastics coaches at colleges and universities are not included in these figures. K.J. Kindler, a University of Oklahoma athlete who guided her teams to four national championships, was reportedly offered $3.17 million to complete the final six years of her contract in 2019.

Indeed.com

With more than 300 million unique visitors each month, Indeed.com is the world’s largest job site. As such, it is in a unique position to provide income data across the industries. 

According to Indeed.com, the average salary of a gymnastics coach in the United States is $41,126. 

The website list the following companies and head coach salaries as being the highest in the country:

• Coach Up – $69,955
• Viking Gymnastics & Dance – $64.127
• San Diego Gymnastics – $59,709
• California Sports Center – $58,499
• Estrella Gymnastics – $47,864

The site also lists the highest paying cities for gymnastics coaches:

• San Jose, California
• San Diego, California
• Austin, Texas
• Columbia, Maryland
• Houston, Texas
• Tampa., Florida
• Boca Raton, Florida
• San Antonio, Texas
• Boise, Idaho

Indeed rates the salary satisfaction among gymnastics coaches at 32%, based on 934 ratings. 

Coming to an Average

We now have the following three average salaries:

• $34,979 from USA Gymnastics
• $37,440 from Comparably
• $41,126 from Indeed

By adding these figures and dividing by three, we come to an average gymnastics coach salary of $37,848.

How Much Does an Olympic Gymnastics Coach Make?

Because the teams often don’t divulge this information to the public, it is difficult to learn how much an Olympic coach makes. The majority of the money made by these elite coaches comes from running their own gymnastics schools.

Net Worth Post claims that Olympic coach Aimee Boorman’s net worth was around $13 million; Aimee coaches Simone Biles.

Gym Coach Salaries Around the World

The average salary for a gymnastics coach in New Zealand is $40,186.

This compares to an average sports coaching salary in that country of $46,952.

The average salary for a gymnastics coach in Australia is $58,500

The average gymnastics coach salary in the UK is  £27,077.

How to Earn More Money as a Gymnastics Coach

Consider Other Benefits

In addition to income, other aspects of your remuneration package as a coach could have monetary value. When offered a coaching position, consider the following perks to determine your total rewards and salary value:

Health Benefits

Many employers offer paid medical, dentistry, vision, and mental health insurance as well as payment for gym memberships as part of their benefits packages. Sometimes the employer covers the entire cost of this medical premium, and other times the employee is responsible for a smaller portion of the expenses.

Retirement Contributions

When employed by a company, you frequently have the option of participating in optional retirement savings schemes like a 401(k). Some employers will match your contributions, increasing your overall savings, but you usually need to work for them for a specific period of time.

Build your Network

Joining organizations, associations, and clubs for professionals can help you expand your network of connections and learn about new prospects, get mentors, or meet new clients. To establish a good working relationship, network at various industry events, hand out your business card to new acquaintances and stay in touch with contacts. You can increase your chances to command greater salaries by joining professional organizations and staying current on coaching trends and techniques.

Make as Much as You Want by Openning Your Own Club

If you’ve got the passion, discipline and financial resources, you can start your own club. If you’re able to make the business successful over the long term, you will make considerably more than the average salary. However, along the way, you should expect a fluctuating income, with periods where you won’t be able to draw any personal wage at all.

Here’s a brief overview of the steps required to open your own gymnastics club:     

1. Find Your Ideal Location     

You’ll want to find a location with a potential draw of 5-15000 people within 3-5 miles.  If you plan to include balancing beams or parallel bars, the space must have high ceilings. A sturdy concrete or tile floor offers a flat platform for mats. Make sure the area has enough lockers, changing facilities, and overhead lighting. Consult a realtor about available warehouses or sizable structures, or check newspaper classifieds.

2. Equip Your Gym

Here’s a breakdown of the minimum equipment needed based on a membership of 250 pupils, of whom 50% are in preschool, 40% are engaged in recreational classes, and the remaining 10% are in competitive programs:

• A competition floor that is 42′ by 42′ in size
• a vaulting facility
• Uneven two sets of bars
• a solitary bar
• Quatre balance beams
• A pair of 6′ x 12′ trampolines

Your institution must also have an administrative area with a counter, a waiting area for siblings, restrooms, and an office in addition to this training equipment.

Having enough parking is one of many gyms’ biggest problems. Choose a site that offers at least 25 parking places (for a gym that can accommodate 250 students) and convenient drop-off areas.

3. Employ Awesome Staff

 Your ability to hire the right people will have a big impact on whether your company succeeds or fails. However, you should educate yourself with the regulations governing employee recruiting before you start the employment process.

You have the option to employ exclusively independent contractors. You won’t have to worry about paying taxes on your employees as a result. The National Center for Safety Initiatives at USA Gymnastics should conduct a background check on every person you hire, whether they are an employee or a contractor.

4. Set Your Prices

After researching your competitor’s pricing strategy, you should decide on your own approach. The three main strategies used in the gymnastics industry are:

• Cost Plus Pricing
• Competitor Based Pricing
• SWAG

            Cost Plus Pricing:

The concept of cost plus pricing is exactly what it sounds like: after calculating your costs, you add a fair markup to generate a profit. Calculating actual prices can be exceedingly challenging in practice because there are so many different factors at play.

It is difficult to anticipate membership accurately because gymnastics involvement is seasonal, especially for recreational athletes. Next, you have to figure out how much of a markup is “fair” without pricing yourself out of the market.

            Competitor Based Pricing:

With competitor-based pricing, you primarily base your price decisions on what your rivals are doing. There are two pricing strategies dependent on competitors:

1. Using skimming, you can differentiate yourself from the competition by charging a little more than they do.

2. Penetrative pricing is when you drop the price to make a direct appeal in terms of money.

The fact that you are basing your pricing strategy on that of your rivals presents a challenge with competitor-based pricing. After all, you don’t know what they based their pricing structure on.  Why utilize them if the prices they set won’t pay for your expenses and allow you to make a respectable profit?

SWAG

SWAG, which stands for “Scientific Wild-Ass Guess,” combines the first two techniques. As the name implies, a final price is determined by combining facts and your best guess.

There is no one magic formula here, even if SWAG will ultimately be used by the majority of individuals to establish their pricing. The truth is that pricing strategy is a combination of art and science. As a result of this discovery, value-based pricing, the fourth pricing method, was created.

Check out our complete guide to gymnastics coaching pricing [link]. 

5. Get Insured

You must have insurance protection before you open your new gym to ensure that you are fully protected from loss, damage, and liability resulting from injuries. All of the equipment, as well as accidents and injuries to students while in your care, require separate insurance. Independent contractors should have their own insurance cover if you want to hire them.

Starting with general liability insurance is a good idea. Professional liability will cover negligence errors, such as those that might occur if an injured member sues your employees because they weren’t given the necessary instructions. You should obtain worker’s compensation insurance if you have employees.

Summary

The average salary for a gymnastics coach in the United States is $37,848. College gym coaches earn considerably more money than employees of clubs. The highest paid gym coaching jobs can be found in San Jose, California, San Diego, California, and Austin, Texas. Olympic gymnastics coaches make many times more than college level and club coaches. 

In order to increase your income as a gymnastics coach, you should build your network in order to seek out higher-paying positions. You might also consider opening your own gymnastics club.

Check out our complete guide to opening your own gymnastics club.