How to Become a Personal Trainer in North Carolina in 2024

Becoming a personal trainer in North Carolina requires the following:

1. At the minimum, be 18 years old
2. A GED or its equivalent
3. Hold an updated adult CPR/AED Certification
4. Get certification through a recognized personal training organization

Personal Trainer Certification North Carolina

Here are the best personal training certification options in North Carolina: 

1. International Sports Sciences Association (ISSA-CPT)
2. National Academy of Sports Medicine Certified Personal Trainer (NASM-CPT)
3. National Council on Strength and Fitness (NCSF-CPT)
4. American Council on Exercise (ACE-CPT)

I highly recommend that you take the quiz to find out which certification will be the best for your specific North Carolina personal trainer career goals.

Personal Trainer Certification North Carolina Cost

The cost of becoming a personal trainer in North Carolina depends on which certification you choose but generally varies from $449 to $999.

Do you need a license to be a personal trainer in North Carolina?

You do not need a license to be a personal trainer in North Carolina, however, a majority of gyms and health clubs prefer personal trainers who hold nationally accredited certifications.

Personal Trainer Schools in North Carolina

There are quite a number of Kinesiology schools you might want to consider in North Carolina. Here is what I found during my research.

• Appalachian State University Health & Exercise Science
• Barton College Allied Health and Sport Studies
• Belmont Abbey College Sports Management
• Brevard College Exercise Science
• Campbell University Exercise Science
• Catawba Valley Community College Health and Fitness Science
• Chowan University Sports Studies and Physical Education
• East Carolina University Department of Kinesiology
• Elizabeth City State University Physical Education and Health
• Elon University Health and Human Performance
• Fayetteville State University Health, Physical Education and Human Services
• Gardner-Webb University Health, Sport and Physical Education
• Greensboro College Kinesiology
• Guilford College Health Sciences
• High Point University Exercise and Sport Science
• Johnson C. Smith University Health and Human Performance
• Lees-McRae College Athletic Training
• Lenoir-Rhyne University Health, Exercise and Sports Science
• Livingstone College
• Mars Hill University Health, Physical Education and Recreation
• Meredith College Nutrition, Health, & Human Performance
• Methodist University Exercise Science
• Montreat College Exercise Science
• North Carolina A & T University Human Performance and Leisure Studies
• North Carolina Central University Physical Education and Recreation
• North Carolina State University Health & Exercise Studies
• North Carolina Wesleyan University Exercise Science
• Pfeiffer University Physical Education
• Piedmont International University Physical Education
• Shaw University Allied Health Professions
• St. Andrews University Physical Education
• University of Mount Olive Recreation and Leisure Studies
• University of North Carolina-Asheville Health and Wellness
• University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill Exercise and Sport Science
• University of North Carolina-Charlotte Kinesiology
• University of North Carolina–Greensboro Department of Kinesiology
• University of North Carolina-Pembroke Health, Physical Education and Recreation
• University of North Carolina-Wilmington School of Health and Applied Human Science
• Wake Forest University Health and Exercise Science
• Western Carolina University Health and Physical Education
• Wingate University Health AND Physical Education
• Winston-Salem State University Health , Physical Education and Sport Studies

If you haven’t yet, be sure to take the quiz to find out the best personal trainer certification for your career.

How Much Do Personal Trainers Make in North Carolina?

In North Carolina, you can expect to make $63,903 annually on average, and this can start from $46,098 to $78,503 depending on your professional and academic qualifications, your city, any additional skills that could add value to the business, and years of experience. You can see the salary report here.

Make sure to check out the general guide on how to become a personal trainer.

State Fitness Rating

Our first focus will be the state fitness rating.

This is a measure of how healthy or inclined to healthy habits a state is based on data gathered by exercise.com.

The two main aspects we’ll examine are obesity and top gym statistics.

Both of these pieces of data will help us paint a picture of how busy the fitness industry in North Carolina is.

First, let’s start with obesity, where North Carolina has a prevalence rate of 31.8. 

This is reasonably high, and with a rank of 36, it indicates a population with little inclination towards health and fitness.

A high obesity prevalence indicates a mostly overweight population, which in itself shows a low market interest in fitness.

Secondly, let’s take a look at gym statistics in North Carolina.

As categorized by exercise.com, top gyms are the most accessible, affordable, and easy to use by the average public member.

They include such household names as:

• Gold’s Gym
• 24 Hour Fitness
• Anytime Fitness
• Crunch Fitness
• LA Fitness
• Orange OrangeTheory Fitness
• Planet Fitness
• Snap Fitness
• YMCA

These gyms are a significant statistic because they signify the most readily available fitness options for most people.

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They also signify the most available job opportunities for physical trainers like you.

North Carolina has a total of 451 top gyms to a population of 10,146,788 inhabitants.

That leaves the state with a gym per capita (per 100 thousand residents) ratio of 4,44 for every 100,000 inhabitants.

That’s pretty low, giving the state 50th place in terms of gym access for its population compared to other states in this regard.

This, however, doesn’t spell doom for you as a fitness trainer.

That’s because 451 gyms are still a decent number to work with despite being a challenge for consumers.

Overall, North Carolina is ranked near the bottom in 47th place.

This indicates a fitness market that hasn’t fully developed compared to other parts of the country.

Fitness Market Makeup

The fitness market in North Carolina would mainly consist of sedentary adults who are overweight or obese.

I doubt there would be a significant variation in the clientele you would potentially deal with.

It’s great to brush up on your nutritional knowledge and coaching skill for such a client base and polish your group training skill.

Taking an online training program and a certification exam might be a great incentive to increase your chances of getting a job at a fitness center or gym.

Usually, these clients want fitness professionals to help them achieve their fitness goals (mainly weight loss).

Personal Trainer Certifications in North Carolina

Personal trainer certification in Greensboro and other cities is needed to get a job as a personal trainer in North Carolina.

I have written an article on my best personal trainer certifications.

Use this as a guide on becoming a certified personal trainer in North Carolina.

Overall here are my top 2 best personal trainer certificates in North Carolina.

Ensure all of them when you decide to become a personal trainer in Greensboro and other areas.

• NASM (National Academy of Sports Medicine)
• ISSA (International Sports Sciences Association)

Personal Trainer Jobs in North Carolina

Personal trainer jobs in Charlotte and other cities might actually be more comfortable to come by than you’d expect.

Despite the low gyms per capita ratio, this doesn’t equate to a low number of gyms in general.

It simply means that the public’s access to gyms is less than ideal, but that doesn’t affect your access to job opportunities.

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Starting as a gym employee will allow you to launch your career safely and with a decent amount of experience and exposure.

That’s because you will have the safety of a fixed income and benefits to carry you as you progress your skills and knowledge.

As an independent trainer, you will have the flexibility and freedom to price and package your services your way, but with this freedom comes a need for discipline and business acumen.

If you haven’t yet, be sure to take the quiz to find out the best personal trainer certification for your career.

Best Cities to Be a Personal Trainer in North Carolina

Before you become a personal trainer in Raleigh, Greensboro, or Charlotte, it’s crucial to feel how other cities compare.

Personal training is a numbers game, so your best odds are to go where there are the most people.

Charlotte is a fairly large city with a population nearly double that of second-place Raleigh.

I would strongly suggest you try and make it there as a first choice.

Barring that, Raleigh Greensboro, and even Durham are decent choices, all with populations above 200k.

Personal Trainer Salary in North Carolina

Before you decide to become a personal trainer in Charlotte or anywhere else, it’s important to understand income expectations.

North Carolina has a median annual income of $59,053 per year for personal trainers.

This is less than the $31,802 per year national average.

On initial inspection, it looks terrible, but the cost of living determines an income’s real value.

The good thing about North Carolina is that the cost of living is considerably lower than the national average.

That means the lower-income is easily justified and can sustain a comfortable lifestyle.

Make sure to check out the full guide on personal trainer salary.

Quality of Life Rating

Personal trainer jobs in Raleigh and other cities would require long-term commitment when it comes to city living.

Along with the cost of living and affordability, other qualities of life categories are essential to look at.

After all, you want to be able to enjoy life as a personal trainer and not just focus on the grind.

Across many surveys and analytics, North Carolina strikes a middle ground regarding the quality of life.

That means it’s not the best or the worst, but somewhere in the middle.

The economy, infrastructure, and crime stats bring out the state in good graces, while factors such as health care, business opportunity, and natural environment are seen as drawbacks.

I’ll give North Carolina an overall 6 out of 10 quality of life rating.

Methodology  

I approached this review based on carefully curated facts and figures and my final verdict was based on:  

• The population of the state of North Carolina and its major cities.  
• The obesity prevalence figures as compared with other states.  
• Personal training certifications offered in NC
• Availability of personal training schools & colleges.  
• Career prospects for personal trainers in NC.  
• Earning potential for certified PTs in NC.  
• Quality of Life (QoL).  

Final Words on How to Become a Personal Trainer in North Carolina

North Carolina has little to offer if you have the power to choose where you want to work as a PT.

If you don’t have the power to choose, and it is one of a handful of options, you can still make it work, especially with the decent amount of gyms available.

FAQs on How to Become a Personal Trainer in North Carolina

References

https://www.exercise.com/learn/ten-fittest-states-in-the-us/

https://www.salary.com

https://www.americankinesiology.org/SubPages/Pages/Kinesiology%20Institution%20Database

https://www.teleport.org