SalaryExplorer

SOC 39-9031 · May 2025 · BLS OEWS

Exercise Trainers and Group Fitness Instructors — Mankato

Mankato, MN · 4 metro areas compared

$37,390 /year
$17.98per hour
110jobs in area
−20.7%vs US median

Median pay for this occupation in Mankato, MN is $37,390 a year, trailing the national median of $47,160 by 20.7%.

Wage distribution · annual

Shaded band holds the middle 50% of earners

US MEDIAN $47,16010TH$28,560MEDIAN$37,39075TH$45,00090TH$58,710

How pay has moved

$45,633$31,9982019202020212022202320242025$37,390
$34,270 in 2019 to $37,390 in 2025, +9.1% before inflation. BLS states that OEWS estimates are not designed for comparison across years: the occupational classification, the sampling frame and the survey method have all changed inside this window. Read the direction, not the exact difference.

The next ten years

Projected to grow faster than average

Change in jobs, 2024 to 2034
+11.9%
Openings per year
74,200
Typical entry-level education
High school diploma or equivalent
On-the-job training
Short-term on-the-job training

Includes jobs opened by workers leaving the occupation, not only new positions.

14.3% of people in this occupation work for themselves.

Projections are published nationally only. This is the outlook for the occupation across the United States, not a measurement for Mankato, MN.

Projections are based on 2024 employment and run to 2034. The wages above are from the May 2025 survey, a separate BLS programme on a different release cycle, so the two are not two views of one dataset.

Salary overview

Median pay for this occupation in Mankato, MN is $37,390 a year, trailing the national median of $47,160 by 20.7%. Half of workers earn between $29,950 and $45,000. Beyond that band, the tenth percentile sits at $28,560 and the ninetieth at $58,710.

The area has 110 jobs in this occupation, giving a location quotient of 0.97 — a measure of how concentrated the occupation is here relative to the country as a whole. Minneapolis leads the state's metro areas for this occupation, at $44,790. Set against every other occupation measured in the same area, it ranks 218th of 246 by median pay.

Percentile breakdown

Annual wages by percentile · Mankato, MN · May 2025
PercentileAnnualvs US median
10th$28,560−39.4%
25th$29,950−36.5%
Median (50th)$37,390−20.7%
75th$45,000−4.6%
90th$58,710+24.5%
Mean$39,990−15.2%

Why the average earner is usually not a typical earner

Other metro areas in Minnesota

Median annual wage for Exercise Trainers and Group Fitness Instructors, by metro area
#Metro areaMedianJobsRelative
1Minneapolis$44,7905,530
2Rochester$40,460350
3St. Cloud$38,160170
4Duluth$37,540210

What the pay is worth locally

Prices in Mankato run 9.0% below the national average, so the median of $37,390 goes as far as $41,088 would elsewhere in the country. Measured that way it compares to the national median at 12.9% below the national median in real terms.

Published median

$37,390as reported by BLS

Local price level

91.0US average = 100 · BEA 2024

Adjusted for local prices

$41,088US average = 100 · BEA 2024

Why the state that pays most is usually not where pay goes furthest

Key takeaways

  • Median pay is $37,390 a year, 20.7% below the national median.
  • Published pay spans $28,560 to $58,710 between the tenth and ninetieth percentiles.
  • The area has 110 jobs in this occupation.
  • The highest-paying metro area covered is Minneapolis, at $44,790.

Frequently asked questions

What is the median wage for Exercise Trainers and Group Fitness Instructors in Mankato, MN?

The median annual wage is $37,390, or $17.98 per hour, as of May 2025. Half of the workers in this occupation earn more than that and half earn less.

Is that higher than the national average?

The national median for this occupation is $47,160, so pay in Mankato, MN is 20.7% lower. These figures are medians, not averages: half of workers fall on each side.

What do the top earners make?

The top tenth of this occupation in Mankato, MN earns more than $58,710 per year. The ninetieth percentile is the highest figure the survey publishes.

What is the starting range?

The tenth percentile wage is $28,560 per year. The survey measures wages actually paid rather than experience level, so this reflects the lowest-paid tenth rather than entry-level pay specifically.

Which area nearby pays the most?

The highest median for this occupation among the metro areas covered is in Minneapolis, at $44,790 per year.

How many jobs are there in this occupation here?

The survey estimates 110 jobs in this occupation in Mankato, MN. Self-employed workers are not included.

Source and methodology

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 Wages are for wage-and-salary workers; self-employed workers are not included. Salary Explorer is an independent project. It is not affiliated with, or endorsed by, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics or any government agency. Full methodology.