Coaches and Scouts
Also called: Athletic Coach, Athletic Instructor, Athletic Scout, Athletics Teacher, Baseball Club Manager, Baseball Coach, Baseball Scout, Basketball Coach
Instruct or coach groups or individuals in the fundamentals of sports for the primary purpose of competition.
What coaches and scouts do
Typical tasks
- Plan, organize, and conduct practice sessions.
- Provide training direction, encouragement, motivation, and nutritional advice to prepare athletes for games, competitive events, or tours.
- Adjust coaching techniques, based on the strengths and weaknesses of athletes.
- Instruct individuals or groups in sports rules, game strategies, and performance principles, such as specific ways of moving the body, hands, or feet, to achieve desired results.
- Plan strategies and choose team members for individual games or sports seasons.
- Monitor the academic eligibility of student athletes.
- Counsel student athletes on academic, athletic, and personal issues.
- Analyze the strengths and weaknesses of opposing teams to develop game strategies.
- Coordinate travel arrangements and travel with team to away contests.
- Evaluate athletes' skills and review performance records to determine their fitness and potential in a particular area of athletics.
- Monitor athletes' use of equipment to ensure safe and proper use.
- Keep abreast of changing rules, techniques, technologies, and philosophies relevant to their sport.
Typical path into the job (BLS)
Coaches and Scouts salary
The median annual wage for coaches and scouts is $47,320 (BLS OEWS May 2025; BLS Employment Projections 2025–35, national). The lowest 10 percent earn less than $28,790 and the highest 10 percent earn more than $98,860. The mean annual wage is $60,160.
How does your pay compare with people your age?
Your numbers are not sent or stored. The comparison uses this occupation's BLS wage percentiles, adjusted for age with BLS median weekly earnings by age group (Q3 2026).
Pay by percentile
Annual wage percentiles from the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS). Percentiles are a good proxy for pay by experience.
Projected pay for Coaches and Scouts (3, 5 and 10 years)est.
Today $47,320 → in 3 years $52,200 → in 5 years $55,800 → in 10 years $65,800 (10-year range $56,600–$76,300). The model assumes pay growth of +3.4% per year.
What drives the annual growth rate
Projected pay = current pay × (1 + annual growth)^years. The annual growth rate starts from a base wage-growth rate and adds or subtracts labor demand (BLS projected employment growth), wage momentum and AI replacement risk for each occupation. Projections are not guarantees. How it is calculated →
Outlook score for Coaches and Scouts
Each component is a percentile rank among all occupations in the same country (0–100). Weights: labor demand 25, wage momentum / openings 15, pay level 15, AI resistance 25, aging workforce 10 (Japan only), entry barrier 10.
Will AI replace Coaches and Scouts? AI replacement risk
How AI is changing this job
A written analysis for this occupation is being prepared.
AI replacement risk compares the parts of a job that are easy to hand to AI or software (processing information, documentation, repetitive computer work) with the parts that are hard to automate (physical work, working closely with people, judgment in unpredictable settings), using O*NET work activities, work context, skills and knowledge. The result is a relative position among all occupations in the country, scaled to 0–100%. Methodology →
Labor demand for Coaches and Scouts
Employment projections are from the BLS Employment Projections program (2025–35). Annual openings include both new jobs and replacement of workers who leave the occupation.
Skills, education and requirements for Coaches and Scouts
Key skills
O*NET skill level ratings (0–7).
Key knowledge areas
What the work involves
Important abilities
Education of workers
Training before entry
Related work experience
Job Zone 4 — considerable preparation needed (O*NET)
Difficulty of entry: ★★★☆☆ Moderate (from education, training, experience and Job Zone)
How to become coaches and scouts
A step-by-step guide for this occupation is being prepared. The education, training and experience data above show the typical path.
Career path and how to earn more as coaches and scouts
Career-path guidance is being prepared. Pay by percentile is shown in the Pay section.