How Much Do Athletic Directors Make?
Having a clear understanding of earnings potential is important, especially if you are researching career paths or considering changing jobs. If you're one of those people, and you're curious what kind of salary athletic directors make, you've come to the right place.
Using data from Lightcast,™ the Best Adult Colleges and Careers Guide has compiled rich information about salary for athletic directors and related jobs, including details about average compensation, salary trends and job growth. We've also gathered advertised salaries from actual job postings to provide insight into what employers of athletic directors are offering as compensation.
Keep reading to learn more about how much athletic directors can expect to make in the United States.
At a Glance: Salary & Jobs for Athletic Directors
According to data from 2023, there were about 218,839 positions for athletic directors in the United States. In terms of salary, the national median salary for athletic directors was reported to be $102,606. Additionally, when examining job demand, employers across the country posted 76,223 job postings related to positions for athletic directors.
How Much Money Do Athletic Directors Make?
Median salary is just one data point. To build a better understanding of how much money athletic directors and related positions can expect to make in the United States, it can be helpful to look at the full range of compensation for those jobs.
Let's look more deeply at data that was reported to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) for detail into the lowest and highest salary earnings for athletic directors.
Annual Salary for Athletic Directors
According to the BLS, the lowest earners for athletic directors and related professions earned about $62,962 per year in 2023. Meanwhile, at the other end of the spectrum, the highest earners made about $209,872 annually.
As mentioned previously, the median salary for athletic directors in the United States in 2023 was $102,606.
Annual Salary Range For Athletic Directors In 2023
Hourly Salary for Athletic Directors
The BLS also breaks down compensation for athletic directors by hourly salary, and the median average hourly pay for athletic directors in 2023 was $49. Lowest hourly earners took home $30 while the highest reported hourly salaries for athletic directors was $101.
Hourly Salary Range For Athletic Directors In 2023
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Advertised Compensation for Athletic Directors
Data from the BLS is one way to dig into compensation for athletic directors, but another way to build a more real-time understanding of salary is to look at actual job postings and see what compensation organizations are currently providing to fill open positions for athletic directors.
Keep in mind that salary data is not included in every job posting, so the information compiled here is reflective of the data available through Lightcast.™
Annual Salary from Job Postings for Athletic Directors
Advertised Annual Salary
During a review of 90,149 job postings related to athletic directors, advertised salary was included in 27,138 of them, which was 30%. Based on those postings, the median advertised salary for athletic directors was $67,456 per year.
Hourly Salary from Job Postings for Athletic Directors
Advertised Hourly Salary
A similar analysis of job postings provides insight into advertised hourly salary for athletic directors. Based on 36% of postings with advertised compensation, the median hourly salary for open positions for athletic directors in the United States is about $32.
Salary Trend for Athletic Directors
If you're thinking about pursuing a career in the field, you may want to understand how compensation has changed over time for athletic directors. The chart below provides a snapshot of advertised salaries over the past three years.
Based on compensation data that was included in job postings for athletic directors dating back to September 2020, advertised salaries for athletic directors have increased 31%.
Advertised Wage Trend For Athletic Directors
What's the Job Growth for Athletic Directors?
Another data point that someone thinking about a career path should consider is whether or not jobs are expected to see growth in the future. The chart below looks at projected employment for athletic directors over the next 10 years.
According to the data obtained through Lightcast,™ there were 218,951 jobs for athletic directors in the United States in 2023. By 2033, it is expected that about 17,322 jobs will be added. That's a 7.9% increase over the next 10-year period.
Employment Projections For Athletic Directors
Additional Links
Ready to dig deeper into career information about athletic directors? Visit our other pages focused on salary and education for athletic directors.
What do athletic directors do?
Athletic Directors: How do you become one?
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