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Costume Attendants vs Exercise Trainers and Group Fitness Instructors: what changes?

Consider Costume Attendants if you want to select, fit, and take care of costumes for cast members, and aid entertainers. Consider Exercise Trainers and Group Fitness Instructors if you would rather instruct or coach groups or individuals in exercise activities for the primary purpose of personal fitness. Both list high school diploma or equivalent; compare training and prior experience separately.

Try this next: Compare three local entry-level postings for Costume Attendants and Exercise Trainers and Group Fitness Instructors. 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
What this means in practice

The facts most likely to affect your decision

Start with earnings, the route into the job, training, available openings, and a day-to-day reality.

Costume Attendants

National median pay (2025)
$50,400
Route into the job
High school diploma or equivalent; One month or less 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
One month or less of on-the-job training, in addition to any qualifying education or licensing.
Work to investigate
Create worksheets for dressing lists, show notes, or costume checks.
Annual openings (2025–2035)
1,700
Know before you choose

This is a small national occupation (6,600 jobs in 2025), so location and employer concentration can matter more than the national median suggests.

See the full Costume Attendants brief

Exercise Trainers and Group Fitness Instructors

National median pay (2025)
$47,160
Route into the job
High school diploma or equivalent; One month or less 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
One month or less of on-the-job training, in addition to any qualifying education or licensing.
Work to investigate
Observe participants and inform them of corrective measures necessary for skill improvement.
Annual openings (2025–2035)
68,000
Know before you choose

Long periods of standing are part of the normal workday.

See the full Exercise Trainers and Group Fitness Instructors brief
See scores, detailed data, and how the comparison works

How the national numbers differ

1

Exercise Trainers and Group Fitness Instructors has the edge on annual openings

Exercise Trainers and Group Fitness Instructors is at 68,000 annual openings, compared with 1,700 annual openings for Costume Attendants.

2

Typical preparation differs.

Costume Attendants: High school diploma or equivalent; One month or less of on-the-job training, in addition to any qualifying education or licensing Exercise Trainers and Group Fitness Instructors: High school diploma or equivalent; One month or less of on-the-job training, in addition to any qualifying education or licensing Preparation categories do not establish admission difficulty, calendar time, tuition, time without earnings, or licensing difficulty.

3

Costume Attendants has the edge on median pay

Costume Attendants is at $50,400, compared with $47,160 for Exercise Trainers and Group Fitness Instructors.

4

Exercise Trainers and Group Fitness Instructors has the edge on projected growth

Exercise Trainers and Group Fitness Instructors is at 7.3% projected growth, compared with 5.9% projected growth for Costume Attendants.

50.5/ 100

Costume Attendants

vs
63.2/ 100

Exercise Trainers and Group Fitness Instructors

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

Costume Attendants vs Exercise Trainers and Group Fitness Instructors

DimensionCostume AttendantsExercise Trainers and Group Fitness Instructors
Median pay (2025)$50,400$47,160
Pay percentile33.6 percentile23.7 percentile
Projected growth (2025–2035)5.9%7.3%
Annual openings (2025–2035)1,70068,000
2025 employment6,600388,400
How you qualifyHigh school diploma or equivalent; One month or less of on-the-job training, in addition to any qualifying education or licensingHigh school diploma or equivalent; One month or less of on-the-job training, in addition to any qualifying education or licensing
O*NET preparation groupJob Zone 2Job Zone 3
Related work experienceNo prior related occupation is typically required; employer requirements vary.No prior related occupation is typically required; employer requirements vary.
On-the-job trainingOne month or less of on-the-job training, in addition to any qualifying education or licensing.One month or less of on-the-job training, in addition to any qualifying education or licensing.

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

Read Costume Attendants briefRead Exercise Trainers and Group Fitness Instructors brief

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Costume Attendants vs Animal Trainers

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Costume Attendants
$50,400 · 5.9% growth
Animal Trainers
$39,990 · 4.2% growth
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Exercise Trainers and Group Fitness Instructors vs Childcare Workers

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Exercise Trainers and Group Fitness Instructors
$47,160 · 7.3% growth
Childcare Workers
$34,980 · -2% growth
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Exercise Trainers and Group Fitness Instructors vs Residential Advisors

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Exercise Trainers and Group Fitness Instructors
$47,160 · 7.3% growth
Residential Advisors
$42,240 · 3.5% growth
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