Illinois’ robust park system offers opportunities for everything from bicycling and canoeing to rock climbing and cave exploration. This helps the residents of Illinois maintain a high level of physical fitness. In fact, the Physical Activity Council rated Illinois as the tenth most active state in the country in 2012.
These outdoor aficionados offer a good client base for you as an aspiring personal trainer. In fact, Illinois had the second highest employment level for personal trainers in the country in 2013 according to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics. This offers you the opportunity to enjoy a rewarding career dedicated to keeping your clients in peak fitness, all while earning a good salary.
Salaries and Job Growth for Personal Trainers in Illinois
If you are just starting out as a fitness trainer, Illinois is a great place to get started given its high level of employment in the field. Also, the average salary for entry-level personal trainers was 2.4% higher than the national average according to the Illinois Department of Employment Security (IDES). This agency provides the salaries for personal trainers in the state as of 2013:
The need for personal trainers is growing in Illinois, and the IDES expects the number of these professionals to increase by 5.86% between 2012 and 2022. This should generate an average of 302 jobs a year in Illinois during this time frame. Two areas of the state are expected to have exceptionally high levels of growth:
- DeKalb-Aurora area – 50%
- Will County – 42%
Illinois has a large number and diverse variety of fitness clubs. Springfield, in particular, is known for its large number of gyms. In fact, two of the country’s ten largest health clubs are based in Illinois: Bally Total Fitness is headquartered in Chicago, while Capital Fitness Inc operates out of Big Rock.
You can choose what type of guidance you would like to provide your clients. For instance, if you want to specialize in training clients to climb, two such specialty gyms opened up in the Chicago area in 2014:
- BKB Chicago
- Vertical Endeavors
Extensive Salary Analysis of Personal Trainers in Illinois
In the table below, the US Bureau of Labor Statistics provides a high level of detail for the salaries of personal trainers throughout Illinois as of 2013. It revealed the average salary was the highest in the Lake County—Kenosha County area: