Coaches and Scouts
Also called: Basketball Coach, Coach, Football Coach, Track and Field CoachInstruct or coach groups or individuals in the fundamentals of sports for the primary purpose of competition. Demonstrate techniques and methods of participation. May evaluate athletes' strengths and weaknesses as possible recruits or to improve the athletes' technique to prepare them for competition. Those required to hold teaching certifications should be reported in the appropriate teaching category.
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What the data says: AI could halve the time on 7 of its 27 tasks, and jobs are projected to grow 6.1% by 2035. How to think about this →
About this projection
BLS builds AI into its projections where the research supports it: “BLS generally applies adjustments based on this research conservatively, where there is convincing evidence for a change.”
It also notes a limit: “BLS projection methods are not designed to capture extremely rapid technological change.”
On its AI exposure groups, BLS says exposure “does not imply job loss.”
Recent conditions
- In 2024, 3.5% of people in this work were unemployed, against 3.8% across all occupations Census ACS 2024
- From Sep 2025 to Aug 2026, 7.8 hires for every 10 job openings in private educational services, which employs about 69% of people in this work, against 7.3 across all industries BLS JOLTS
One box per opening, filled for each hire; hires beyond the openings are added in a lighter shade. Higher can mean openings get filled, or that people leave often; lower, that jobs go unfilled, or hiring is slow.7.8 this industry7.3 all industries
Median pay by state BLS OEWS May 2025, state estimates
Tap a state for its figures.
Median pay in every state
| State | Median | Middle half earn | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | not published | not published | 3,140 |
| Alaska | $41,170 | $37,300 to $49,030 | 350 |
| Arizona | $53,130 | $44,320 to $75,000 | 4,120 |
| Arkansas | $38,930 | $29,150 to $49,080 | 2,070 |
| California | $47,660 | $38,260 to $64,220 | 31,150 |
| Colorado | $47,110 | $36,990 to $60,440 | 4,120 |
| Connecticut | $54,790 | $39,300 to $80,030 | 4,070 |
| Delaware | $45,200 | $33,150 to $63,210 | 600 |
| District of Columbia | $65,360 | $42,960 to $106,340 | 630 |
| Florida | $39,370 | $31,860 to $61,730 | 18,120 |
| Georgia | $48,210 | $33,660 to $61,200 | 4,510 |
| Hawaii | $55,860 | $45,880 to $80,380 | 760 |
| Idaho | $46,600 | $35,980 to $71,890 | 1,410 |
| Illinois | $49,120 | $35,210 to $82,750 | 8,840 |
| Indiana | $44,480 | $30,670 to $59,550 | 5,960 |
| Iowa | $49,350 | $32,250 to $63,760 | 3,410 |
| Kansas | $42,900 | $19,840 to $60,570 | 3,300 |
| Kentucky | $35,570 | $28,640 to $50,820 | 2,800 |
| Louisiana | $60,960 | $34,460 to $80,700 | 2,550 |
| Maine | $43,640 | $35,440 to $67,890 | 1,060 |
| Maryland | $50,590 | $37,920 to $78,620 | 3,960 |
| Massachusetts | $55,130 | $41,220 to $85,440 | 6,310 |
| Michigan | $47,050 | $31,340 to $66,060 | 7,910 |
| Minnesota | $48,050 | $30,660 to $65,270 | 4,680 |
| Mississippi | not published | not published | 1,770 |
| Missouri | $42,790 | $30,510 to $58,050 | 4,730 |
| Montana | $48,020 | $36,770 to $64,220 | 990 |
| Nebraska | $47,810 | $37,170 to $59,880 | 1,180 |
| Nevada | $51,020 | $33,580 to $65,770 | 2,390 |
| New Hampshire | $51,490 | $39,400 to $66,610 | 870 |
| New Jersey | $76,700 | $49,690 to $98,710 | 5,670 |
| New Mexico | $49,980 | $35,850 to $82,070 | 590 |
| New York | $59,920 | $45,310 to $79,050 | 11,220 |
| North Carolina | $43,840 | $30,950 to $61,380 | 8,530 |
| North Dakota | $37,100 | $30,120 to $51,840 | 1,180 |
| Ohio | $46,530 | $31,200 to $60,940 | 13,150 |
| Oklahoma | $41,160 | $27,440 to $72,400 | 2,420 |
| Oregon | $48,960 | $39,100 to $63,950 | 3,930 |
| Pennsylvania | $48,730 | $35,550 to $77,540 | 8,170 |
| Puerto Rico | $32,090 | $22,090 to $53,580 | 610 |
| Rhode Island | $53,630 | $43,990 to $78,830 | 1,170 |
| South Carolina | $42,950 | $20,800 to $63,780 | 3,310 |
| South Dakota | $36,360 | $30,260 to $47,990 | 1,290 |
| Tennessee | $37,780 | $28,980 to $58,110 | 6,250 |
| Texas | $36,510 | $28,840 to $52,050 | 15,300 |
| Utah | $45,680 | $32,240 to $63,550 | 2,940 |
| Vermont | $59,990 | $46,930 to $79,040 | 630 |
| Virginia | $46,290 | $31,330 to $62,000 | 6,810 |
| Washington | $48,030 | $40,160 to $62,350 | 11,790 |
| West Virginia | $52,050 | $39,730 to $69,370 | 910 |
| Wisconsin | $44,800 | $32,280 to $59,120 | 5,480 |
| Wyoming | $49,420 | $30,430 to $71,310 | 470 |
Nationally: $47,320. Shades run from the lowest state median to the highest; a territory below that range takes the lightest. How to read this
How AI touches the work
What AI could speed up, task by task, and where people already use it.
AI could halve the time on 7 of its 27 tasks
| AI rating | Its main tasks | Share of Claude conversations May 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Not much | Provide training direction, encouragement, motivation, and nutritional advice to prepare athletes for games, competitive events, or tours. | under 0.01% |
| AI + software | Adjust coaching techniques, based on the strengths and weaknesses of athletes. | 0.04% |
| Not much | Instruct individuals or groups in sports rules, game strategies, and performance principles, such as specific ways of moving the body, hands, or feet, to achieve desired results. | under 0.01% |
| Not much | Plan, organize, and conduct practice sessions. | Not published |
| Not much | Plan strategies and choose team members for individual games or sports seasons. | Not published |
| AI + software | Keep abreast of changing rules, techniques, technologies, and philosophies relevant to their sport. | Not published |
See all 27 tasks
| Not much | Counsel student athletes on academic, athletic, and personal issues. | under 0.01% |
| Not much | Explain and enforce safety rules and regulations. | Not published |
| Not much | Evaluate athletes' skills and review performance records to determine their fitness and potential in a particular area of athletics. | under 0.01% |
| AI + software | Contact the parents of players to provide information and answer questions. | Not published |
| Not much | Arrange and conduct sports-related activities, such as training camps, skill-improvement courses, clinics, and pre-season try-outs. | Not published |
| AI + software | Coordinate travel arrangements and travel with team to away contests. | Not published |
| Not much | Analyze the strengths and weaknesses of opposing teams to develop game strategies. | Not published |
| Not much | Monitor the academic eligibility of student athletes. | Not published |
| Not much | Monitor athletes' use of equipment to ensure safe and proper use. | Not published |
| Not much | Plan and direct physical conditioning programs that will enable athletes to achieve maximum performance. | Not published |
| Not much | Perform activities that support a team or a specific sport, such as participating in community outreach activities, meeting with media representatives, and appearing at fundraising events. | Not published |
| Not much | Explain and demonstrate the use of sports and training equipment, such as trampolines or weights. | under 0.01% |
| Not much | Develop and arrange competition schedules and programs. | Not published |
| Not much | Serve as organizer, leader, instructor, or referee for outdoor and indoor games, such as volleyball, football, and soccer. | Not published |
| AI + software | Keep and review paper, computerized, and video records of athlete, team, and opposing team performance. | Not published |
| Not much | Teach instructional courses and advise students. | under 0.01% |
| AI alone | Oversee the development and management of the sports program budget and fundraising activities. | Not published |
| Not much | Hire, supervise, and work with extended coaching staff. | Not published |
| AI alone | File scouting reports that detail player assessments, provide recommendations on athlete recruitment, and identify locations and individuals to be targeted for future recruitment efforts. | Not published |
| Not much | Select, acquire, store, and issue equipment and other materials as necessary. | Not published |
| Not much | Identify and recruit potential athletes by sending recruitment letters, meeting with recruits, and arranging and offering incentives, such as athletic scholarships. | Not published |
Ordered by how important O*NET's respondents rate each task (1 to 5) times the share who say it is part of their job. The ordering is ours. 7 of the 27 have a published share of Claude conversations; “not published” means too few conversations for Anthropic to publish a figure.
Where people already use AI
The tasks above say what AI could speed up. This shows what people are using it for. Its 27 tasks fall under 15 work activities that many occupations share, and Microsoft counted how often each one came up in 200,000 conversations with its Copilot assistant in 2024.
- #4 Maintain current knowledge in area of expertise
- #5 Provide information or assistance to the public
- #38 Select materials or equipment for operations or projects
| Work activity | This occupation's tasks under it | People asked AI for help in 10,000 conversations |
AI did it for them in 10,000 conversations |
|---|---|---|---|
| Coordinate artistic or entertainment activities | |||
| Coach others | |||
| Evaluate personnel capabilities or performance | |||
| Train others on operational or work procedures | |||
| Perform recruiting or hiring activities | |||
| Monitor individual behavior or performance | |||
| Direct organizational operations, activities, or procedures | |||
| Maintain current knowledge in area of expertise |
Show all 15 activities
| Provide information or assistance to the public | |||
| Select materials or equipment for operations or projects | |||
| Advise others on healthcare or wellness issues | |||
| Promote products, services, or programs | |||
| Assess living, work, or social needs or status of individuals or communities | |||
| Maintain operational records | |||
| Replenish inventories of materials, equipment, or products |
How people in this work use Claude
What people in this work made with Claude % of conversations
- Advice or a recommendation25%
- A plan or strategy23%
- An explanation or answer11%
- A document or report8%
- An analysis or summary7%
How they worked with Claude
21% of these conversations were about work. Anthropic Economic Index, May 2026.
How to read this
Work activities come from O*NET, which links every task to the broader activities it involves. Microsoft's figures are for the activity across everyone who used Copilot, not for coaches and scouts specifically. Copilot is a general chat assistant; dedicated coding tools are not included, so programming help is under-counted here. Activities are listed by how many of this occupation's tasks fall under them.
The task ratings say whether AI could halve the time a task takes: on its own (“AI alone”), or with software built on it (“AI + software”). They were made by people in 2023 (Eloundou et al.). Claude's share is the task's share of all Claude.ai conversations in May 2026; Anthropic doesn't publish a task with too few conversations. None of these add up to the BLS exposure group, which combines five research measures.
More in the Guide: task ratings · task order · work activities · Copilot figures · Claude
High exposure doesn't mean fewer jobs
BLS projects most occupations in its two most exposed groups to grow: 141 of 206 rated Very high and 165 of 206 rated High. Each dot is one of the 831 occupations BLS rates.
Career moves into and out of this occupation
From moves between occupations found in online resumes, 2002–2016. Career changes only: a first job after school isn't a move.
Where people moved next
of 405,551 moves out
- 1 Managers, All Other (2010 group) an older group BLS has since split; no exposure group today 5%
- 2 Middle School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education High -0.4% 4%
- 3 Teachers and Instructors, All Other (2010 group) an older group BLS has since split; no exposure group today 3%
- 4 General and Operations Managers High +5.0% 3%
- 5 Retail Salespersons Very high -0.3% 2%
Where people moved in from
of 360,649 moves in
- 1 Middle School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education High -0.4% 4%
- 2 Managers, All Other (2010 group) an older group BLS has since split; no exposure group today 4%
- 3 Teachers and Instructors, All Other (2010 group) an older group BLS has since split; no exposure group today 3%
- 4 Retail Salespersons Very high -0.3% 2%
- 5 General and Operations Managers High +5.0% 2%
Resumes over-represent younger, white-collar job-seekers and moves into management. Schubert, Stansbury and Taska (resume data).
Education and training for the occupation
O*NET survey of workers in this occupation
- 4% less than high school
- 9% high school
- 17% associate's
- 49% bachelor's
- 19% master's
- 2% research doctorate
O*NET 31.0 survey of workers in this occupation · 33 people answered.
Census survey (American Community Survey)
- 11% less than high school
- 13% high school
- 17% some college
- 6% associate's
- 34% bachelor's
- 17% master's
- 1% professional degree
- 1% doctorate
Census ACS 2024, all workers in this occupation · 3,554 people surveyed.
Why the two can differ
O*NET asks about 20 people in each occupation, which makes its shares uncertain, but it reports the exact occupation and counts certificates. The Census survey reaches thousands, but it groups some occupations together and counts degrees only. More in the Guide
Median pay by highest degree full-time, year-round · Census ACS 2024, all workers in this occupation
4 programs, such as Physical Education Teaching and Coaching, Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness, General and Sport and Fitness Administration/Management.
See all
- Physical Education Teaching and Coaching
- Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness, General
- Sport and Fitness Administration/Management
- Performance and Sport Psychology
Jobs that require a credential BLS Occupational Requirements Survey 2023
69.5% this occupation
45.3% all occupations
| By kind | This occupation | All occupations |
|---|---|---|
| a license | 4.4% | 19.1% |
| a certification | 27.2% | 5.8% |
| an educational certificate | 1.6% | 2.8% |
Share of jobs whose employer requires it. BLS doesn't say which credential. How to read this
Look up certifications, training and licenses U.S. Department of Labor
- Certification Finder ↗ certifications CareerOneStop lists for this occupation
- Training Finder ↗ schools and programs, nationwide; narrow the place there
- License Finder ↗ licenses by state
- Apprenticeships: DOL's list of apprenticeable occupations doesn't include this one.
These open in a new tab and send only the occupation's public code. More in the Guide
BLS AI exposure categories (Aug 2026) · BLS Employment Projections 2025–35 · O*NET 31.0 · Task ratings: Eloundou et al., Science (2024) · Microsoft "Working with AI" v1.1 · Anthropic Economic Index (2026-06-26) · Schubert, Stansbury and Taska · NCES CIP–SOC · Census ACS 2024 · BLS JOLTS
See it online, and explore any career: https://www.pathmosaic.com/card/27-2022.00