Exploring the Link Between Demographic, Employment, and Coaching Characteristics With Financial Earning Among Health and Wellness Coaches

Abstract

The health and wellness coaching profession has been rapidly growing. This study explored associations between demographic, employment, and coaching characteristics with financial earnings among coaches. A cross-sectional survey was analyzed using bivariate analyses and multivariate regression modeling. Amongst 740 coaches, 62% reported working part-time. Coaches reported a mean hourly salary of $40.30 (SD = 22.23), and 26.2% of coaches reported an annual income from coaching of $50,000 or more. A higher proportion of full-time coaches reported earning over $50,000 annually (55.9% vs 8.1%); however, part-time coaches had a higher mean hourly wage in non-private practice settings ($46.25 vs $34.62). No differences were found regarding client fee per hour in private practice between part-time ($96.61) and full-time ($99.93) coaches. Coaches who manage other coaches, work in corporate/employee wellness, and have higher average weekly caseloads were likelier to report an annual income of $50,000 or more. Moreover, coaches working at a digital health company made less per hour. In contrast, coaches at corporate/employee wellness programs and coaches targeting women earned higher hourly salaries. The findings identify trends among coaches about salary. Recognizing these trends provides an opportunity to expand efforts to standardize the profession and advance diversity.

Keywords: earning potential; health coaching; salary; survey; wellness coaching.