Athletic Trainers
Also called: Athletic Instructor, Athletic Trainer, Certified Athletic Trainer, Personal TrainerEvaluate and treat musculoskeletal injuries or illnesses. Provide preventive, therapeutic, emergency, and rehabilitative care.
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What the data says: AI could halve the time on 11 of its 23 tasks, and jobs are projected to grow 12.7% 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, 3.3% of people in this work were unemployed, against 3.8% across all occupations Census ACS 2024, all workers in the Census group “Other healthcare practitioners and technical occupations”
- From Sep 2025 to Aug 2026, 5.0 hires for every 10 job openings in health care and social assistance, which employs about 52% 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.5.0 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 | $46,940 | $40,980 to $60,870 | 840 |
| Arizona | $61,710 | $51,580 to $76,960 | 590 |
| Arkansas | $57,240 | $51,570 to $62,360 | 240 |
| California | $78,490 | $67,600 to $90,180 | 1,760 |
| Colorado | $64,580 | $57,560 to $69,040 | 380 |
| Connecticut | $69,960 | $58,860 to $82,270 | 290 |
| Delaware | $59,650 | $57,840 to $68,290 | 50 |
| District of Columbia | $74,450 | $61,170 to $97,040 | 100 |
| Florida | $61,350 | $54,990 to $66,640 | 1,430 |
| Georgia | $64,590 | $54,850 to $78,410 | 860 |
| Hawaii | $76,320 | $61,210 to $80,080 | 200 |
| Idaho | $60,410 | $57,990 to $74,380 | 170 |
| Illinois | $64,750 | $53,510 to $76,560 | 850 |
| Indiana | $62,780 | $57,290 to $73,360 | 1,040 |
| Iowa | $55,430 | $49,160 to $62,250 | 570 |
| Kansas | $59,140 | $53,370 to $69,520 | 390 |
| Kentucky | $60,680 | $50,010 to $66,640 | 720 |
| Louisiana | $62,760 | $58,770 to $72,320 | 810 |
| Maine | $61,970 | $58,610 to $72,580 | 180 |
| Maryland | $63,970 | $56,150 to $75,930 | 320 |
| Massachusetts | $70,010 | $59,870 to $87,230 | 630 |
| Michigan | $59,280 | $51,970 to $65,440 | 870 |
| Minnesota | $65,390 | $63,080 to $74,810 | 820 |
| Mississippi | $58,180 | $53,170 to $65,210 | 200 |
| Missouri | $58,660 | $51,290 to $63,970 | 510 |
| Montana | $60,090 | $53,410 to $81,550 | 50 |
| Nebraska | $61,020 | $57,270 to $63,440 | 270 |
| Nevada | $59,820 | $45,960 to $70,790 | 180 |
| New Hampshire | $60,200 | $52,160 to $72,400 | 210 |
| New Jersey | $76,210 | $60,800 to $93,540 | 890 |
| New Mexico | $72,440 | $57,960 to $77,490 | 150 |
| New York | $66,230 | $57,580 to $79,530 | 1,370 |
| North Carolina | $56,540 | $51,000 to $63,260 | 990 |
| North Dakota | $60,900 | $51,130 to $65,440 | 110 |
| Ohio | $61,420 | $55,960 to $65,920 | 2,100 |
| Oklahoma | $61,320 | $50,600 to $70,840 | 360 |
| Oregon | $57,790 | $53,200 to $70,120 | 280 |
| Pennsylvania | $61,060 | $54,360 to $65,680 | 1,870 |
| Rhode Island | $63,750 | $53,240 to $75,040 | not published |
| South Carolina | $59,240 | $51,100 to $64,980 | 530 |
| South Dakota | $58,620 | $49,380 to $61,750 | 150 |
| Tennessee | $59,850 | $50,540 to $63,160 | 580 |
| Texas | $64,150 | $62,090 to $80,410 | 3,130 |
| Utah | $65,980 | $63,360 to $78,920 | 340 |
| Vermont | $62,910 | $59,420 to $68,780 | 140 |
| Virginia | $61,860 | $57,810 to $76,270 | 830 |
| Washington | $63,750 | $56,010 to $77,910 | 240 |
| West Virginia | $50,510 | $48,010 to $58,540 | 110 |
| Wisconsin | $61,820 | $59,150 to $74,770 | 620 |
| Wyoming | $63,190 | $50,140 to $66,270 | 60 |
Nationally: $62,520. 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 11 of its 23 tasks
| AI rating | Its main tasks | Share of Claude conversations May 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| AI + software | Conduct an initial assessment of an athlete's injury or illness to provide emergency or continued care and to determine whether they should be referred to physicians for definitive diagnosis and treatment. | Not published |
| Not much | Care for athletic injuries, using physical therapy equipment, techniques, or medication. | Not published |
| Not much | Evaluate athletes' readiness to play and provide participation clearances when necessary and warranted. | under 0.01% |
| AI + software | Assess and report the progress of recovering athletes to coaches or physicians. | Not published |
| AI alone | Perform general administrative tasks, such as keeping records or writing reports. | under 0.01% |
| Not much | Clean and sanitize athletic training rooms. | Not published |
See all 23 tasks
| AI alone | Instruct coaches, athletes, parents, medical personnel, or community members in the care and prevention of athletic injuries. | under 0.01% |
| Not much | Apply protective or injury preventive devices, such as tape, bandages, or braces, to body parts, such as ankles, fingers, or wrists. | Not published |
| AI + software | Collaborate with physicians to develop and implement comprehensive rehabilitation programs for athletic injuries. | Not published |
| Not much | Travel with athletic teams to be available at sporting events. | Not published |
| AI alone | Plan or implement comprehensive athletic injury or illness prevention programs. | Not published |
| Not much | Inspect playing fields to locate any items that could injure players. | Not published |
| AI alone | Advise athletes on the proper use of equipment. | 0.01% |
| Not much | Confer with coaches to select protective equipment. | Not published |
| Not much | Massage body parts to relieve soreness, strains, or bruises. | Not published |
| AI alone | Develop training programs or routines designed to improve athletic performance. | 0.05% |
| Not much | Accompany injured athletes to hospitals. | Not published |
| AI alone | Conduct research or provide instruction on subject matter related to athletic training or sports medicine. | Not published |
| Not much | Lead stretching exercises for team members prior to games or practices. | Not published |
| AI alone | Recommend special diets to improve athletes' health, increase their stamina, or alter their weight. | 0.02% |
| Not much | Perform team support duties, such as running errands, maintaining equipment, or stocking supplies. | Not published |
| AI + software | File athlete insurance claims and communicate with insurance providers. | Not published |
| Not much | Teach sports medicine courses to athletic training students. | 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. 6 of the 23 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 23 tasks fall under 21 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.
- #25 Communicate with others about specifications or project details
- #26 Research healthcare issues
- #30 Perform administrative or clerical activities
| 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Advise others on healthcare or wellness issues | |||
| Develop patient or client care or treatment plans | |||
| Train others on health or medical topics | |||
| Analyze health or medical data | |||
| Evaluate patient or client condition or treatment options | |||
| Confer with healthcare or other professionals about patient care | |||
| Escort others | |||
| Communicate with others about specifications or project details |
Show all 21 activities
| Research healthcare issues | |||
| Perform administrative or clerical activities | |||
| Execute financial transactions | |||
| Clean tools, equipment, facilities, or work areas | |||
| Inspect facilities or equipment | |||
| Administer basic health care or medical treatments | |||
| Treat injuries, illnesses, or diseases | |||
| Prepare health or medical documents | |||
| Administer therapeutic treatments | |||
| Replenish inventories of materials, equipment, or products | |||
| Operate medical equipment | |||
| Maintain health or medical records | |||
| Maintain medical equipment or instruments |
How people in this work use Claude
What people in this work made with Claude % of conversations
- A plan or strategy46%
- Advice or a recommendation10%
- A document or report10%
- An app or website9%
- A recipe or meal plan8%
How they worked with Claude
4% 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 athletic trainers 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 11,368 moves out
- 1 Coaches and Scouts Moderate +6.1% 6%
- 2 Middle School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education High -0.4% 6%
- 3 Education Administrators, Postsecondary High +1.8% 6%
- 4 Teachers and Instructors, All Other (2010 group) an older group BLS has since split; no exposure group today 5%
- 5 Managers, All Other (2010 group) an older group BLS has since split; no exposure group today 4%
Where people moved in from
of 8,128 moves in
- 1 Coaches and Scouts Moderate +6.1% 8%
- 2 Education Administrators, Postsecondary High +1.8% 3%
- 3 Managers, All Other (2010 group) an older group BLS has since split; no exposure group today 3%
- 4 Teachers and Instructors, All Other (2010 group) an older group BLS has since split; no exposure group today 3%
- 5 Middle School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education High -0.4% 3%
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
- 8% high school
- 37% bachelor's
- 54% master's
O*NET 31.0 survey of workers in this occupation · 19 people answered.
Census survey (American Community Survey)
- 1% less than high school
- 9% high school
- 11% some college
- 9% associate's
- 34% bachelor's
- 31% master's
- 3% professional degree
- 3% doctorate
Census ACS 2024, all workers in the Census group “Other healthcare practitioners and technical occupations” · 1,333 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 the Census group “Other healthcare practitioners and technical occupations”
2 programs: Physical Fitness Technician and Athletic Training/Trainer.
Jobs that require a credential BLS Occupational Requirements Survey 2023
89.3% this occupation
45.3% all occupations
| By kind | This occupation | All occupations |
|---|---|---|
| a license | 76.7% | 19.1% |
| a certification | 40.6% | 5.8% |
| an educational certificate | <0.5% | 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
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