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How Much Do Life Coaches Make Where You Live?



While it's true that money can't buy happiness, it is an important dimension of wellness that can offer a tremendous level of confidence and comfort—especially if you’re contemplating an exciting (and potentially scary) career change.

Before you start investing your energy into deciding whether or how to leave behind your current job—and the perceived financial security that comes with it—it makes all the sense in the world to take a step back and explore whether a career as a life coach is in financial alignment with your ideal life vision. We see (and value!) your spirit of curiosity and couldn’t be more excited to support you in your journey of discovery.

What we’ve witnessed is that unless you’re stepping away from a high six-figure salary, your quality of life is unlikely to be significantly affected as a life coach (financially, that is 😉). And if you're transitioning from a below-average salary, infinite opportunity awaits you! However, regardless of where you currently fall on the salary scale, there's one facet of your life where you are likely to feel an impact if you decide to take the leap: your happiness and life satisfaction.

As a professional life coach, you get:

  • The intrinsic value of doing fulfilling and important work
  • The freedom to set your own hours and schedule
  • The option to work with the clients you choose
  • The flexibility to attend your kid’s soccer game or walk your dog after lunch
  • An above-average salary that will allow you to live comfortably within your means

Notice how we listed the salary talk last? It was an intentional choice. Becoming a certified life coach is about far more than the money you can make—AND it's understandably still an important part of many people’s decision-making process so it deserves to be addressed.

Before we get to the raw figures though, there are a few important factors it'd be helpful to consider.

What Determines a Life Coach Salary?

Similar to other professions, how much you can expect to make as a life coach will depend on many of the following factors:

  • Where you live: In certain states like New York and California, you can expect to make a much higher salary than in states like Utah and Nevada. With that said, the cost of living in these areas tends to offset any earning discrepancies.
  • How much you want to work: Are you interested in coaching full-time or as a “side hustle” to supplement your existing income? How much you want to make (and therefore, how much you want to work) is a personal decision that varies significantly from person to person—we’re all unique! We encourage you to spend some time reflecting on your ideal career vision and the part you feel coaching might play in making it a reality.  
  • Your experience/confidence: It's a common limiting belief that new coaches aren't likely to earn as much as more seasoned coaches. And while that may be true for some, we believe this has more to do with a person's coach training and confidence in their coaching abilities than simply their number of years of experience. That's why our program is designed to not only equip you with the skills you need to succeed (including ample support in addressing your own inner blocks so you can achieve your ideal career vision) but also the confidence it takes to charge an amount that supports the life you want.
  • Your qualifications: Those who complete an accredited coach training program and fulfill their life coach certification requirements are designated “certified life coaches.” By earning your CPC (Certified Professional Coach), your ELI-MP (Energy Leadership™ Index Master Practitioner), and your COR.E Dynamics™ Specialist Certification through iPEC’s comprehensive Coach Training Program, you’ll become a masterful coach AND be able to charge your clients more for your services.
  • Your coaching specialty: While there are many coaching niches to choose from, some are more sought after than others. Choosing an in-demand area of specialization can attract more people who want your coaching services, and as a result, increase your salary. At iPEC, we offer four specialty tracks (life coaching, health and wellness, executive and leadership development coaching, and sports and performance coaching) so you can feel confident you’re choosing a growing, in-demand niche to establish your coaching career around.
  • The number of clients you have: This one deserves some clarification because early on, you might assume having more clients means making more money. But any experienced life coach will tell you this isn’t always the case. Sometimes having only a few high-touch clients can be a more profitable (and personally fulfilling!) approach.
  • Your efficiency: Not all your time will be spent working with paying clients. In fact, the average life coach spends about half their time working with clients, while the other half is spent on non-paid activities like marketing and bookkeeping. So naturally, the better you get at managing your systems, the more time you’ll have to spend with your clients.

To learn more, we encourage you to explore our related post on the 3 factors that influence a life coach’s salary. It includes a plug-and-play formula you can adjust for your unique life and salary goals!

How Much Do Life Coaches Make in the United States?

If you’ve somehow managed to avoid temptation and read all the way to this point, congratulations! 🎉 It’s finally time to talk numbers. So, what is a life coach salary? Here’s roughly what you can expect to make in each U.S. state.

State

Average Salary

25th Percentile

75th Percentile

Alabama

$55,611

$36,000

$101,000

Alaska

$53,299

$36,000

$93,000

Arizona

$55,165

$39,000

$95,000

Arkansas

$53,622

$34,000

$103,000

California

$68,691

$44,000

$130,000

Colorado

$62,335

$42,000

$113,000

Connecticut

$60,675

$39,000

$119,000

Delaware

$58,904

$38,000

$113,000

Florida

$53,365

$34,000

$99,000

Georgia

$55,001

$36,000

$102,000

Hawaii

$63,159

$41,000

$116,000

Idaho

$52,201

$35,000

$90,000

Illinois

$60,138

$40,000

$112,000

Indiana

$54,966

$37,000

$99,000

Iowa

$59,975

$40,000

$110,000

Kansas

$57,047

$36,000

$110,000

Kentucky

$55,487

$36,000

$102,000

Louisiana

$54,209

$34,000

$103,000

Maine

$57,422

$38,000

$105,000

Maryland

$68,177

$44,000

$136,000

Massachusetts

$69,573

$44,000

$143,000

Michigan

$59,762

$38,000

$117,000

Minnesota

$61,067

$40,000

$117,000

Mississippi

$53,523

$35,000

$93,000

Missouri

$57,034

$37,000

$107,000

Montana

$57,332

$38,000

$103,000

Nebraska

$56,300

$37,000

$105,000

Nevada

$52,667

$36,000

$89,000

New Hampshire

$54,710

$37,000

$99,000

New Jersey

$64,320

$42,000

$127,000

New Mexico

$54,258

$35,000

$101,000

New York

$74,668

$48,000

$146,000

North Carolina

$55,960

$37,000

$107,000

North Dakota

$57,081

$37,000

$108,000

Ohio

$56,224

$37,000

$102,000

Oklahoma

$56,475

$35,000

$111,000

Oregon

$59,539

$39,000

$113,000

Pennsylvania

$60,767

$38,000

$126,000

Rhode Island

$68,560

$42,000

$141,000

South Carolina

$54,394

$35,000

$101,000

South Dakota

$56,122

$36,000

$106,000

Tennessee

$54,308

$35,000

$99,000

Texas

$58,369

$36,000

$117,000

Utah

$53,019

$35,000

$97,000

Vermont

$60,248

$40,000

$111,000

Virginia

$58,266

$38,000

$111,000

Washington

$63,477

$42,000

$116,000

West Virginia

$54,827

$36,000

$101,000

Wisconsin

$56,870

$38,000

$105,000

Wyoming

$56,125

$38,000

$101,000

All U.S. salary figures compiled by https://www.glassdoor.com/Salaries/index.htm

How Much Money Do Life Coaches Make Internationally?

The beauty of becoming a life coach is that no matter where you live, your skills will always be in demand. With our globally-recognized training programs, internationally-accepted accreditations, and the technological wonder of virtual training, you can make a great living as a life coach no matter where in the world you call home.

State

Average Salary

Entry Level

Senior

Argentina

ARS $1,788,993

ARS $1,305,518

ARS $2,287,943

Australia

AUD $72,500

AUD $60,000

AUD $85,000

Austria

€68,706

€48,549

€85,084

Belgium

€30,684

€24,000

€48,000

Brazil

R$124,214

R$88,513

R$155,120

Bulgaria

lev33,491

lev24,116

lev42,263

Canada

CA $59,453

CA $42,000

CA $90,000

Chile

CLP $26,717,640

CLP $19,042,172

CLP $33,371,750

China

¥261,000

¥186,622

¥327,058

Colombia

COP $49,125,853

COP $34,866,739

COP $61,104,587

Costa Rica

₡16,771,823

₡11,934,710

₡20,915,794

Czech Republic

Kč766,198

Kč541,418

Kč948,845

Denmark

kr.603,831

kr.426,558

kr.747,551

Finland

€64,099

€45,239

€79,282

France

€61,914

€43,750

€76,674

Germany

€65,799

€63,000

€69,000

Greece

€39,070

€27,537

€48,260

Hong Kong

HKD $56,3052

HKD $399,622

HKD $700,346

Hungary

Ft8,616,108

Ft6,100,224

Ft10,690,753

India

₹100,000

₹97,000

₹102,000

Indonesia

Rp326,543,558

Rp233,831,440

Rp409,793,804

Ireland

€66,590

€47,095

€82,535

Israel

₪203,821

₪144,150

₪252,625

Italy

€54,163

€38,262

€67,055

Japan

¥7,936,105

¥5,602,802

¥9,819,012

Malaysia

RM111,038

RM79,030

RM138,501

Mexico

MXN $385,897

MXN $273,950

MXN $480,103

Netherlands

€59,388

€48,000

€84,000

New Zealand

NZD $106,981

NZD $75,702

NZD $132,670

Norway

kr792,760

kr560,511

kr982,306

Pakistan

Rs1,878,627

Rs1,349,922

Rs2,365,764

Peru

S/.55,011

S/.39,087

S/.68,502

Poland

zł124,598

zł88,120

zł154,433

Portugal

€39,365

€27,765

€48,658

Romania

RON87,318

RON62,001

RON108,659

Russia

₽1,270,085

₽907,675

₽1,590,718

Singapore

SGD $90,435

SGD $64,186

SGD $112,487

Slovakia

€32,119

€22,696

€39,776

South Africa

R500,375

R356,829

R625,350

South Korea

₩59,113,397

₩42,011,614

₩73,626,109

Spain

€49,414

€34,875

€61,119

Sweden

kr578,405

kr408,718

kr716,286

Switzerland

CHF101,464

CHF71,539

CHF125,374

Thailand

฿757,217

฿539,157

฿944,882

Turkey

₺119,790

₺85,594

₺150,006

Ukraine

грн.439,745

грн.315,793

грн.553,433

United Arab Emirates

dh264,646

dh188,042

dh329,547

United Kingdom

£29,242

£21,000

£43,000

All international salary figures compiled by https://www.salaryexpert.com/salary/

Are You Ready to Start Earning as a Life Coach?

Were the salary figures above what you expected or did they surprise you? Remember, these numbers are all just averages—what you make will be entirely up to YOU!

So, while transitioning from one career to another can feel daunting, having the awareness of real-world facts and figures suddenly makes things seem a lot more doable, doesn't it?

When you’re ready to take the first step toward your true calling, we recommend downloading our free guide for support on choosing a coach training program. Inside, you’ll learn more about iPEC’s Coach Training Program and how to compare different certifications to discover the right path for you.
 

Download the guide and learn the 9 things to look for in any coach training program