The US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reports that life coaches can fall into any one of the following three job categories, listed here with their annual salary ranges:
Life Coaches | Bottom 25% salary | Median salary | Top 10% salary |
Rehabilitation counselors | $30,700 | $46,110 | $77,200 |
School and career counselors and advisors | $51,690 | $65,140 | $105,870 |
Personal care and service workers (all other) | $32,450 | $37,900 | $49,300 |
The BLS details that the typical entry-level education for the first two job categories is a master’s degree, while personal care and service workers typically need a high school diploma.
The salary for life coaches tends to increase with a professional’s level of education.
The BLS also analyzes these life coach job categories by industry. It reports that life coaches commonly work at residential intellectual and developmental disability, mental health, and substance abuse facilities. Nationally at these types of workplaces:
- Rehabilitation counselors earn a median annual salary of $41,300
- School and career counselors and advisors earn a median annual salary of $46,330
- Personal care and service workers (all other) earn a median annual salary of $39,060
Additionally, the BLS reports that personal care and service workers (all other) employed at fitness and recreational sports centers earn a yearly median salary of $22,800. Those employed with the management of companies and enterprises earn a yearly median salary of $38,200.
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Salaries According to the International Coaching Federation (ICF)
The International Coaching Federation (ICF) is another source of useful information about life coach salaries.
In its most recent report (2023), the ICF details that coaches in North America earn an average annual salary of $67,800. Their average one-hour session fee is $272.
The ICF also tracks coach salaries worldwide:
- Coaches working in Eastern Europe averaged $18,700 annually
- Coaches working in Latin America averaged $22,900 annually
- Coaches working in Asia averaged $33,900 per year
- Coaches working in the Middle East/Africa averaged $29,600 annually
- Coaches working in Western Europe averaged $52,400 per year
- Coaches working in Oceania (including New Zealand and Australia) averaged $58,800 per year
- Global average: $52,800 annually
Salaries for Life Coach Niches According to Sherpa Coaching
Business coaches assist their clients in developing business-related knowledge and skills. They often help clients to start, operate, and grow a business. They work directly with companies and their employees on enhancing business skills and behavior.
The Sherpa Executive Coaching Survey (2020) showed executive coach salaries at different career phases:
- Executive coaches with 15 or more years of experience earn $160,000 annually ($450 per hour)
- Executive coaches with 10 to 15 years of experience earn $122,000 annually
Most new business and executive coaches see fewer clients, often just two per week, which lowers their annual salaries.
How Job Setting Contributes to Life Coach Salaries
Job setting has an important influence on life coach salaries. This highlights the differences between internal and external life coaches.
Internal life coaches are employed by an organization as its employee. External coaches, on the other hand, are self-employed or employed by an agency and contract with organizations to offer services.
The Sherpa Executive Coaching Survey found that 94 percent of life coaches classified themselves as external coaches. However many split the difference and work as both internal and external coaches. Those who wore both hats tended to make more money than those working strictly internal or strictly external.
Marketing for Life Coaches
One of the biggest motivators that will help life coaches increase their salaries is marketing.
Many life coaches must find creative ways to market their services to the public. Business life coaches, for example, have found that they can increase their salaries by offering other services in addition to life coaching. The ICF study found that 93 percent of life coaches offer other services in addition to coaching. They include consulting (59 percent), training (58 percent), and facilitation services (55 percent).
Some methods that life coaches have used to make the public more aware of their services and increase their business include:
- Offering specials for one-on-one coaching on certain days of the week/month
- Starting group life coaching programs
- Hosting webinars and seminars
- Conducting workshops both online and offline
- Hosting coaching retreats to network with other life coaches
- Doing motivational speaking in front of various groups
- Selling self-paced life coaching programs to the public
- Contracting with companies to work as a corporate life coach
- Combining their regular life coaching services/job with consulting/freelance life coach work
- Beginning a mentorship program
- Starting a membership website
- Starting a life coaching blog
- Starting a life coaching YouTube channel
2024 US Bureau of Labor Statistics salary figures and job growth projections for rehabilitation counselors, school and career counselors and advisors, and personal care and service workers, all other, reflect national data not school-specific information. Conditions in your area may vary. Data accessed June 2025.