# Athletic Trainers

US SOC code 29-9091. Markdown version of https://futurehistory.earth/timeline/29-9091

Also called: Certified athletic trainer, ATC, Head athletic trainer, Assistant athletic trainer, College athletic trainer.

## In brief

In May 2025, [BLS](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm25nat.zip) counted **30,500** US athletic trainers, with median pay of **$62,520** a year. Of the BLS counts since 2005, the May 2025 count is the highest. The earliest figure here is [an estimate](https://physicalculturestudy.com/2019/05/29/guest-postathletic-training-through-history/) of **2,000** from 1950, not measured the same way as today's count. The last full technology era for athletic trainers: ImPACT concussion management, GPS wearables, and athlete management systems, 2010 to 2020.

## What the sources say

### Official outlook

BLS projects employment to grow 12.7% from 2025 to 2035. Source: [BLS Employment Projections 2025-35](https://data.bls.gov/projections/nationalMatrix?queryParams=29-9091&ioType=o).

### AI exposure studies

- **40.7%** of this job's tasks are exposed to large language models. Not a forecast of job losses. [Eloundou and others, 2023](https://github.com/openai/GPTs-are-GPTs/blob/main/data/occ_level.csv)

Data as of BLS OEWS May 2025; BLS Employment Projections 2025-35. BLS publishes these counts as yearly survey snapshots and cautions against reading them as a precise trend. In May 2021 BLS changed how it estimates these counts (a model-based method using three years of survey data) and moved fully to the 2018 occupation codes, so part of a change across 2021 can come from the method rather than the work.

## Athletic Trainers employment and pay by year

- On record since: 1881
- Latest US employment: 30,500 (May 2025). Source: BLS OEWS May 2025 [3]
- Latest US median pay: $62,520 (May 2025). Source: BLS OEWS May 2025 [5]
- Outlook: +12.7% by 2035. Source: BLS Employment Projections 2025-35 [19]

### All 25 years of cited US data

| Year | US employment | Annual pay (median unless marked) | Source |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1950 | 2,000 (estimate) | n/a | Est., Physical Culture Study [1] |
| 1990 | 14,000 (estimate) | n/a | Est., Journal of Athletic Training / PMC [2] |
| 2003 | 11,750 | $32,850 | BLS OEWS May 2003 [3] |
| 2004 | 13,100 | $33,940 | BLS OEWS 2005 (employment) [4]; BLS OEWS May 2004 (pay) [5] |
| 2005 | 15,110 | $34,260 | BLS OEWS May 2005 [3] |
| 2006 | 15,440 | $36,560 | BLS OEWS May 2006 [3] |
| 2007 | 14,970 | $38,360 | BLS OEWS May 2007 [3] |
| 2008 | 15,070 | $39,640 | BLS OEWS May 2008 [3] |
| 2009 | 15,260 | $41,340 | BLS OEWS May 2009 [3] |
| 2010 | 16,290 | $41,600 | BLS OEWS May 2010 [3] |
| 2011 | 18,240 | $42,400 | BLS OEWS May 2011 [3] |
| 2012 | 20,780 | $42,090 | BLS OEWS May 2012 [3] |
| 2013 | 22,340 | $42,790 | BLS OEWS May 2013 [3] |
| 2014 | 22,400 | $43,370 | BLS OEWS May 2014 [3] |
| 2015 | 23,450 | $44,670 | BLS OEWS May 2015 [3] |
| 2016 | 24,130 | $45,630 | BLS OEWS May 2016 [3] |
| 2017 | 25,010 | $46,630 | BLS OEWS May 2017 [3] |
| 2018 | 26,890 | $47,510 | BLS OEWS May 2018 [3] |
| 2019 | 28,600 | $48,440 | BLS OEWS May 2019 [3] |
| 2020 | 27,430 | $49,860 | BLS OEWS May 2020 [3] |
| 2021 | 26,070 | $48,420 | BLS OEWS May 2021 [3] |
| 2022 | 29,720 | $53,840 | BLS OEWS May 2022 [3] |
| 2023 | 28,480 | $57,930 | BLS OEWS May 2023 [3] |
| 2024 | 28,950 | $60,250 | BLS OEWS May 2024 [3] |
| 2025 | 30,500 | $62,520 | BLS OEWS May 2025 [3] |

## Sources (85)

### Employment series

1. [Physical Culture Study — "Athletic Training Through History" (NATA founding 1950, roughly 200 trainers gathered at inaugural Kansas City meeting)](https://physicalculturestudy.com/2019/05/29/guest-postathletic-training-through-history/), Physical Culture Study
2. [PMC article on athletic training clinical education history (1950-2004 NATA/CAAHEP development milestones)](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC164429/), Journal of Athletic Training / PMC
3. BLS OEWS, national cross-industry estimates (flat file), Bureau of Labor Statistics. Editions: [2003](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm03nat.zip), [2005](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm05nat.zip), [2006](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm06nat.zip), [2007](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm07nat.zip), [2008](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm08nat.zip), [2009](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm09nat.zip), [2010](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm10nat.zip), [2011](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm11nat.zip), [2012](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm12nat.zip), [2013](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm13nat.zip), [2014](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm14nat.zip), [2015](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm15nat.zip), [2016](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm16nat.zip), [2017](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm17nat.zip), [2018](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm18nat.zip), [2019](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm19nat.zip), [2020](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm20nat.zip), [2021](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm21nat.zip), [2022](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm22nat.zip), [2023](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm23nat.zip), [2024](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm24nat.zip), [2025](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm25nat.zip)
4. [BLS Career Outlook Spring 2005 — "Athletic Trainers: Providing Healthcare for Athletes of All Kinds" (13,100 employment figure for May 2004)](https://www.bls.gov/careeroutlook/2005/spring/art04.pdf), Bureau of Labor Statistics

### Wage series

5. BLS OEWS, national cross-industry estimates (flat file), Bureau of Labor Statistics. Editions: [2003](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm03nat.zip), [2004](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm04nat.zip), [2005](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm05nat.zip), [2006](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm06nat.zip), [2007](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm07nat.zip), [2008](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm08nat.zip), [2009](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm09nat.zip), [2010](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm10nat.zip), [2011](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm11nat.zip), [2012](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm12nat.zip), [2013](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm13nat.zip), [2014](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm14nat.zip), [2015](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm15nat.zip), [2016](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm16nat.zip), [2017](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm17nat.zip), [2018](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm18nat.zip), [2019](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm19nat.zip), [2020](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm20nat.zip), [2021](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm21nat.zip), [2022](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm22nat.zip), [2023](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm23nat.zip), [2025](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm25nat.zip)
6. [BLS OEWS May 2024, national cross-industry estimates (flat file)](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm24nat.zip), U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

### Tool eras

7. [Athletic Training History site — James Robinson: first US athletic trainer, Harvard football 1881](https://athletictraininghistory.com/at/jimrobinson.html), Athletic Training History
8. [Physical Culture Study — "Athletic Training Through History" (early craft methods, Roosevelt 1905 safety crisis)](https://physicalculturestudy.com/2019/05/29/guest-postathletic-training-through-history/), Physical Culture Study
9. [PMC article on athletic training clinical education history — NATA curriculum and behavioral objectives, 1950s-1970s](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC164429/), Journal of Athletic Training / PMC
10. [NATA History — founding 1950, Kansas City, "about 200 athletic trainers gathered"](https://www.nata.org/about/about-nata/nata-history), National Athletic Trainers' Association
11. [Board of Certification, Inc. — Wikipedia: BOC established 1970, first examination 1970, became independent 1989](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Board_of_Certification,_Inc.), Wikipedia / Board of Certification
12. [Gonzaga University — Title IX and women's athletic participation: from under 300,000 in 1972 to 3.3 million by 2016](https://www.gonzaga.edu/news-events/stories/2023/2/2/title-ix-journey-for-women-in-sports), Gonzaga University
13. [Brainly / academic sources — AMA formally recognized athletic training as allied health profession in June 1990](https://brainly.com/question/39336969), Academic history sources
14. [Diagnostics 2025 (doi:10.3390/diagnostics16101448) — AI in sports medicine: concussion management, ImPACT and subsequent digital tools; athletic trainers as clinical decision-makers](https://doi.org/10.3390/diagnostics16101448), Diagnostics / MDPI
15. [Catapult Sports — athlete monitoring history and GPS wearable platform adoption in professional and collegiate sports](https://www.catapult.com/solutions/athlete-monitoring), Catapult Sports
16. [Kitman Labs Risk Advisor — ML daily injury-risk scores; $52M Series C 2025; 700-plus organizations; 30% fewer injuries at early adopter program](https://www.kitmanlabs.com/blog/predictive-analytics-in-sports-risk-advisor/), Kitman Labs
17. [Sparta Science — AI force plate; 3,000 data points per second; 2M-plus scan training set; ACSM abstract predicts ACL and lower extremity injury in collegiate athletes](https://spartascience.com/blog/sparta-data-predicts-acl-and-lower-extremity-injuries-acsm-abstract-prediction-of-lower-extremity-injuries-from-vertical-jump-kinetic-data-in-collegiate-athletes), Sparta Science
18. [Sway Medical — FDA-cleared (Class II 510(k)) mobile concussion assessment; 7,000-plus athletic trainers; 7.8 million tests](https://www.swaymedical.com/sports), Sway Medical

### Forecasts and exposure studies

19. [BLS Employment Projections 2025-35, National Employment Matrix: 29-9091 Athletic trainers (2025: 35.2 thousand; 2035: 39.6 thousand; +12.7%)](https://data.bls.gov/projections/nationalMatrix?queryParams=29-9091&ioType=o), Bureau of Labor Statistics
20. [Eloundou, Manning, Mishkin & Rock (2023), "GPTs are GPTs", occupation-level exposure data occ\_level.csv (O\*NET-SOC 29-9091.00, human-rated β 0.407)](https://github.com/openai/GPTs-are-GPTs/blob/main/data/occ_level.csv), OpenAI

### Historical notes

21. [Physical Culture Study — "Athletic Training Through History": Roosevelt 1905 crisis as catalyst for professional athletic training employment](https://physicalculturestudy.com/2019/05/29/guest-postathletic-training-through-history/), Physical Culture Study
22. [NATA History — founding 1950, Kansas City, Muehlebach Hotel, "Pinky" Newell](https://www.nata.org/about/about-nata/nata-history), National Athletic Trainers' Association
23. [Gonzaga University — Title IX impact on women's athletic participation: under 300,000 in 1972 growing to 3.3 million by 2016](https://www.gonzaga.edu/news-events/stories/2023/2/2/title-ix-journey-for-women-in-sports), Gonzaga University
24. [Brainly / academic sources — AMA formally recognized athletic training as allied health profession in June 1990](https://brainly.com/question/39336969), Academic history sources
25. [Athletic trainer Wikipedia article — "Since 2023, all accredited professional programs have been required to provide a master's level education"](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Athletic_trainer), Wikipedia

### Predecessors & successors

26. [Physical Culture Study — "Athletic Training Through History": early trainers were former athletes or physical culture practitioners](https://physicalculturestudy.com/2019/05/29/guest-postathletic-training-through-history/), Physical Culture Study
27. [PMC — historical AT clinical education: physical education faculty held many early AT roles; NATA 1950 founding drew from PE community](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC164429/), Journal of Athletic Training / PMC
28. [O\*NET 29-9091.00 — pivot to PT; overlapping musculoskeletal knowledge base; DPT adds diagnostic authority and insurance billing](https://www.onetonline.org/link/summary/29-9091.00), O\*NET / BLS
29. [NATA workforce state 2023 — expansion into occupational health, armed forces, sports technology roles; data literacy as emerging pivot path](https://www.nata.org/nata-now/articles/state-employment-athletic-training), National Athletic Trainers' Association

### Present-day analysis

- [O\*NET 30.3 — Athletic Trainers (29-9091.00): tasks, work activities, technology skills, education, employment data](https://www.onetonline.org/link/summary/29-9091.00), accessed 2026-05-24
- [BLS OOH — Athletic Trainers: 33,900 employed 2024; +11% growth 2024-2034; $60,250 median wage; ~2,400 annual openings](https://www.bls.gov/ooh/healthcare/athletic-trainers.htm), accessed 2026-05-24
- [Catapult Sports — Vector 8 and Perch P2: AI-driven workload monitoring, injury-risk ML, and portable performance tracking ecosystem (2026)](https://www.catapult.com/blog/vector-8-introduction), accessed 2026-05-24
- [Kitman Labs Risk Advisor — ML daily injury-risk scores per athlete; $52M Series C (Guggenheim 2025); 700+ elite/youth org clients; 30% fewer injuries at early adopter rugby team](https://www.kitmanlabs.com/blog/predictive-analytics-in-sports-risk-advisor/), accessed 2026-05-24
- [Sparta Science — AI force plate system; 3,000 data points/sec; 2M+ scan training set; ACSM abstract: predicts ACL and lower extremity injury in collegiate athletes](https://spartascience.com/blog/sparta-data-predicts-acl-and-lower-extremity-injuries-acsm-abstract-prediction-of-lower-extremity-injuries-from-vertical-jump-kinetic-data-in-collegiate-athletes), accessed 2026-05-24
- [ScienceDirect 2025 (PMID 40543802) — Sparta Science force plate reliable for return-to-sport readiness assessment after ACL reconstruction](https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2059775425005346), accessed 2026-05-24
- [Sway Medical — FDA-cleared (Class II 510(k)) mobile concussion assessment; 7,000+ athletic trainers; 7.8M tests; 5-min sideline balance + cognitive test vs. individual baseline](https://www.swaymedical.com/sports), accessed 2026-05-24
- [KinaTrax — markerless motion capture in 75+ MLB/MiLB/NCAA stadiums; 300-600fps; in-game pitching fatigue monitoring and injury prevention; expanding into NBA/NHL (2024-2025)](https://docs.kinatrax.com/), accessed 2026-05-24
- [PMC 2024 — Normative in-game data for collegiate baseball pitchers using KinaTrax markerless tracking (PMC11544755)](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11544755/), accessed 2026-05-24
- [KINEXON Sports + Joe Gibbs Human Performance Institute 4-year partnership 2025 — integrating GPS/LPS wearables with biomechanical research for injury risk reduction](https://kinexon-sports.com/blog/transforming-sports-in-2025-insights-from-kinexon-sports-for-coaches-fans-and-referees/), accessed 2026-05-24
- [Diagnostics 2025 (doi:10.3390/diagnostics16101448) — AI in sports medicine: decision-centered framework; AI predicts re-injury risk up to 85% PPV; reduces recovery time 15-25%](https://doi.org/10.3390/diagnostics16101448), accessed 2026-05-24
- [Eloundou et al. 2024 — GPTs are GPTs (Science): occupational LLM exposure framework; seed CRI basis](https://arxiv.org/abs/2303.10130), accessed 2026-05-24
- [Catapult Sports — AI-driven ML identifies injury risk factors from GPS workload and wellness data; prescriptive thresholds and real-time athlete readiness flags for athletic training staff](https://www.catapult.com/solutions/athlete-monitoring), accessed 2026-05-24
- [Kitman Labs Intelligence Platform — centralized health record management; AI-compiled daily risk summaries and injury tracking dashboards; used by 700+ professional, collegiate, and youth organizations](https://www.kitmanlabs.com/platform/), accessed 2026-05-24

How to read these figures: https://futurehistory.earth/methodology. Every figure links to its own source; gaps stay gaps.