The salary statistics of athletes and sports competitors are shown in Table 1. In the next few tables we compare the average salaries of athletes and sports competitors within different industry sectors and in the 50 states of the United States. The athletes and sports competitors annual salary statistics are from the national compensation survey conducted by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics in 2022 and published in April 2023 [1].
| Percentile Bracket | Average Annual Salary |
|---|---|
| 10th Percentile Wage | $28,510 |
| 25th Percentile Wage | $44,690 |
| 50th Percentile Wage | $94,270 |
| 75th Percentile Wage | $215,530 |
| 90th Percentile Wage | No Data |
Table 1 shows the average annual salary for athletes and sports competitors. The average annual salary for the 75th percentile (the top 25 percent of the highest paid) is $215,530. The median annual salary (50th percentile) is $94,270. The average annual salary for the bottom 10 percent is $28,510. We note that in the United States, the annual salary of the 75th percentile (the top 25 percent of the highest paid) is almost 655% higher than that of the bottom 10 percent.
The table and chart below show the trend of the median salary of athletes and sports competitors from 2012 to 2022.
| Year | Median Salary | Yearly Growth | 10-Year Growth |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | $94,270 | 18.00% | 57.51% |
| 2021 | $77,300 | 34.22% | - |
| 2020 | $50,850 | -1.02% | - |
| 2019 | $51,370 | 1.40% | - |
| 2018 | $50,650 | -1.42% | - |
| 2017 | $51,370 | 7.12% | - |
| 2016 | $47,710 | 6.35% | - |
| 2015 | $44,680 | 2.98% | - |
| 2014 | $43,350 | 9.92% | - |
| 2013 | $39,050 | -2.59% | - |
| 2012 | $40,060 | - | - |
The average salaries of athletes and sports competitors in 7 major industry sectors are shown in Table 2. We note that the salaries vary considerably within different industry sectors. The highest paying industry sector for athletes and sports competitors occupations is the arts, entertainment, and recreation sector with an annual salary $92,770. The lowest paying sector is the management of companies and enterprises sector (annual salary $23,180).
From the above tables we note that not only athletes and sports competitors salaries vary considerably based on one's education and experience, and the industry sectors, they also change considerably from state to state. In the following table we compare the median salary of athletes and sports competitors in all 50 states of the United States. We note that the median annual salaries range from $27,520 to $213,980. The highest paying state for athletes and sports competitors is Colorado with a median annual salary of $213,980. The lowest paying state is Alabama with a median annual salary of $27,520. For more salary information of athletes and sports competitors profession in a specific state, use the links in the table.