Athletes and Sports Competitors vs Coaches and Scouts: $67K vs $47K Median Pay

Athletes and Sports Competitors vs Coaches and Scouts: what changes?

Consider Athletes and Sports Competitors if you want to compete in athletic events. Consider Coaches and Scouts if you would rather instruct or coach groups or individuals in the fundamentals of sports for the primary purpose of competition. Entry credentials differ: Athletes and Sports Competitors, no formal educational credential; Coaches and Scouts, bachelor's degree.

Try this next: Compare three local entry-level postings for Athletes and Sports Competitors and Coaches and Scouts. List the duties, credentials, prior experience, and paid training each employer actually asks for. Try a supervised class or sample project from each field before choosing a program.

BLS 2025 wages and 2025–2035 projections. National medians are not starting offers. Occupation size is not a count of vacancies. View the BLS data.

Compare the practical differences

Athletes and Sports Competitors

National median pay (2025): $66,710
Route into the job: No formal educational credential; More than 12 months of on-the-job training, in addition to any qualifying education or licensing
Prior related experience: No prior related occupation is typically required; employer requirements vary.
Training and licensing: More than 12 months of on-the-job training, in addition to any qualifying education or licensing.
Work to investigate: Assess performance following athletic competition, identifying strengths and weaknesses and making adjustments to improve future performance.
Annual openings (2025–2035): 2,200

Know before you choose

This is a small national occupation (22,900 jobs in 2025), so location and employer concentration can matter more than the national median suggests.

See the full Athletes and Sports Competitors brief

Coaches and Scouts

National median pay (2025): $47,320
Route into the job: Bachelor's degree
Prior related experience: No prior related occupation is typically required; employer requirements vary.
Training and licensing: BLS does not list a separate on-the-job training requirement. Employers may still provide orientation and role-specific training.
Work to investigate: Plan, organize, and conduct practice sessions.
Annual openings (2025–2035): 36,400

Know before you choose

Review the full career brief for day-to-day working conditions.

See the full Coaches and Scouts brief

How the national numbers differ

Coaches and Scouts has the edge on annual openings

Coaches and Scouts is at 36,400 annual openings, compared with 2,200 annual openings for Athletes and Sports Competitors.

Athletes and Sports Competitors has the edge on median pay

Athletes and Sports Competitors is at $66,710, compared with $47,320 for Coaches and Scouts.

Typical preparation differs.

Athletes and Sports Competitors: No formal educational credential; More than 12 months of on-the-job training, in addition to any qualifying education or licensing Coaches and Scouts: Bachelor's degree Preparation categories do not establish admission difficulty, calendar time, tuition, time without earnings, or licensing difficulty.

Coaches and Scouts has the edge on projected growth

Coaches and Scouts is at 6.1% projected growth, compared with 5.5% projected growth for Athletes and Sports Competitors.

58.5/ 100

Athletes and Sports Competitors

56.7/ 100

Coaches and Scouts

Each available metric is ranked from 0 to 100 against the careers on ChooseField. The weighted average uses this profile: pay 30%, growth 25%, openings 30%, preparation level 15%. Missing values are not scored as zero; their weights are redistributed across available metrics. Occupation size has zero weight: employment is not accessible vacancies. Preparation categories do not measure admission difficulty or years without earnings. The score summarizes national measures; local opportunities and personal fit still need separate consideration.

Detailed evidence

Athletes and Sports Competitors vs Coaches and Scouts

Dimension	Athletes and Sports Competitors	Coaches and Scouts
Median pay (2025)	$66,710	$47,320
Pay percentile	58.4 percentile	24.2 percentile
Projected growth (2025–2035)	5.5%	6.1%
Annual openings (2025–2035)	2,200	36,400
2025 employment	22,900	298,800
How you qualify	No formal educational credential; More than 12 months of on-the-job training, in addition to any qualifying education or licensing	Bachelor's degree
O*NET preparation group	Job Zone 2	Job Zone 4
Related work experience	No prior related occupation is typically required; employer requirements vary.	No prior related occupation is typically required; employer requirements vary.
On-the-job training	More than 12 months of on-the-job training, in addition to any qualifying education or licensing.	BLS does not list a separate on-the-job training requirement. Employers may still provide orientation and role-specific training.

The table reports national benchmarks and reviewed work descriptions. It does not rate personal suitability, job security, or physical safety.

Read Athletes and Sports Competitors brief Read Coaches and Scouts brief

Athletes and Sports Competitors vs Coaches and Scouts: what changes?

The facts most likely to affect your decision

Athletes and Sports Competitors

Coaches and Scouts

How the national numbers differ

Coaches and Scouts has the edge on annual openings

Athletes and Sports Competitors has the edge on median pay

Typical preparation differs.

Coaches and Scouts has the edge on projected growth

Athletes and Sports Competitors vs Coaches and Scouts

Try another comparison

Athletes and Sports Competitors vs Craft Artists

Athletes and Sports Competitors vs Musicians and Singers

Coaches and Scouts vs Public Relations Specialists

Coaches and Scouts vs Interpreters and Translators