Exploring the Link Between Demographic, Employment, and Coaching Characteristics With Financial Earning Among Health...

Area of Science:

• Health and Wellness Coaching
• Professional Development
• Socioeconomic Factors in Healthcare

Background:

• The health and wellness coaching profession is experiencing rapid growth.
• Understanding financial earnings is crucial for coach professional development and industry standardization.
• Limited research exists on the financial landscape of health and wellness coaches.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore associations between demographic, employment, and coaching characteristics with financial earnings among health and wellness coaches.
• To identify factors influencing hourly wages and annual income in the coaching profession.
• To provide insights into salary trends for professional standardization and diversity.

Main Methods:

• Cross-sectional survey design.
• Analysis of data from 740 health and wellness coaches.
• Bivariate analyses and multivariate regression modeling were employed.

Main Results:

• 62% of coaches worked part-time, with a mean hourly salary of $40.30.
• 26.2% reported annual coaching income of $50,000 or more.
• Full-time coaches had higher annual earnings (55.9% vs 8.1%), while part-time coaches in non-private practice settings earned more per hour ($46.25 vs $34.62).
• Coaches managing others, in corporate wellness, or with larger caseloads reported higher annual incomes.
• Coaches at digital health companies earned less per hour, whereas those in corporate wellness or targeting women earned higher hourly salaries.

Conclusions:

• Significant trends exist in health and wellness coach earnings based on employment status, specialization, and work setting.
• Factors such as managing other coaches, working in corporate wellness, and caseload size are associated with higher annual incomes.
• Findings highlight opportunities for standardizing the profession and promoting diversity by understanding salary influencers.