Professional Athlete Demographics and Statistics [2022]: Number Of Professional Athletes In The US (2024)

Table of Contents
Professional Athlete Statistics By Gender Professional Athletes By Gender Gender Pay Gap For Professional Athlete Professional Athlete Male to Female Ratio Professional Athlete Statistics By Race Professional Athlete Race Professional Athlete Wage Gap By Race Browse Most In Demand Jobs Professional Athlete JOBS Professional Athlete Age Breakdown Professional Athlete Age Types of Professional Athlete Degree Levels Professional Athletes By Education Professional Athlete Jobs You Might Like Professional Athlete Wage Gap By Education Professional Athlete Employment Statistics Company Size Professional Athlete Jobs By Employer Size The Types Of Companies Professional Athlete Work In Professional Athlete Jobs By Sector Top Industries Hiring Professional Athletes Professional Athlete Industry Statistics Professional Athlete Turnover And Employment Statistics The Average Number of Years That Professional Athlete Stay in a Job Professional Athlete Tenure Comparing The LGBT Ratio of Professional Athletes with Other Job Titles Professional Athlete LGBT Demographics Foreign Languages Spoken By Professional Athletes Professional Athlete Languages Spoken Professional Athlete Jobs Recently Added Professional Athlete Jobs Professional Athlete Heatmaps Number Of Professional Athlete Jobs By State Professional Athlete Demographics FAQs How Many Professional Athlete Are There In The Us? What Percentage Of Professional Athletes Are Black? What Race Are Most Professional Athletes? Are Professional Athlete Jobs Male - Dominated ? How Old Is The Average Professional Athlete ? Search For Professional Athlete Jobs Related Jobs Demographics Professional Athlete Related Careers Professional Athlete Related Jobs What Similar Roles Do

Professional Athlete Statistics By Gender

16.4% of professional athletes are women and 83.6% of professional athletes are men.

  • Male, 83.6%
  • Female, 16.4%

Professional Athletes By Gender

GenderPercentages
Male83.6%
Female16.4%

Gender Pay Gap For Professional Athlete

Women Earn 82¢ For Every $1 Earned By Men

Professional Athlete Demographics and Statistics [2022]: Number Of Professional Athletes In The US (1)Professional Athlete Demographics and Statistics [2022]: Number Of Professional Athletes In The US (2)

Male Income

$74,391

Professional Athlete Demographics and Statistics [2022]: Number Of Professional Athletes In The US (3)Professional Athlete Demographics and Statistics [2022]: Number Of Professional Athletes In The US (4)

Female Income

$61,298

Professional Athlete Male to Female Ratio

We compared this job title with other job titles to see how gender percentages varied. As you can see, 19d cavalry scout and baseball player have the biggest difference in gender.

Job TitleMaleFemale
Harpist8%92%
Actress8%92%
Modern Dancer8%92%
Professional Athlete84%16%
Assistant Varsity Football Coach98%2%
Baseball Player98%2%
19D Cavalry Scout99%1%

Professional Athlete Statistics By Race

The most common ethnicity among professional athletes is White, which makes up 78.0% of all professional athletes. Comparatively, there are 7.2% of the Hispanic or Latino ethnicity and 6.8% of the Black or African American ethnicity.

  • White, 78.0%
  • Hispanic or Latino, 7.2%
  • Black or African American, 6.8%
  • Asian, 3.9%
  • Unknown, 3.7%
  • American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%

Professional Athlete Race

Professional Athlete RacePercentages
White78.0%
Hispanic or Latino7.2%
Black or African American6.8%
Asian3.9%
Unknown3.7%
American Indian and Alaska Native0.4%

Professional Athlete Wage Gap By Race

Unknown professional athletes have the highest average salary compared to other ethnicities. Hispanic or latino professional athletes have the lowest average salary at $58,281.
EthnicitySalary
Unknown$82,703
White$61,970
Black or African American$72,959
Asian$63,307
Hispanic or Latino$58,281

Professional Athlete JOBS

Professional Athlete Age Breakdown

This chart breaks down the ages of professional athlete employees. Interestingly enough, the average age of professional athletes is 40+ years old, which represents 40% of the population.

40+ years

30-40 years

20-30 years


Professional Athlete Age

Professional Athlete YearsPercentages
40+ years40%
30-40 years33%
20-30 years27%

Types of Professional Athlete Degree Levels

The most common degree for professional athletes is bachelor's degree 80% of professional athletes earn that degree. A close second is associate degree with 9% and rounding it off is master's degree with 6%.

  • Bachelors, 80%
  • Associate, 9%
  • Masters, 6%
  • High School Diploma, 3%
  • Other Degrees, 2%

Professional Athletes By Education

Professional Athlete DegreePercentages
Bachelors80%
Associate9%
Masters6%
High School Diploma3%
Other Degrees2%

Professional Athlete Jobs You Might Like

Professional Athlete Wage Gap By Education

Professional athletes with a Bachelors degree earn more than those without, at $74,391 annually. With a High School Diploma degree, professional athletes earn a median annual income of $72,722 compared to $47,592 for professional athletes with an Associate degree.

High School Diploma or Less

Bachelor's Degree

Some College/ Associate Degree

EducationSalary
High School Diploma or Less$72,722
Bachelor's Degree$74,391
Some College/ Associate Degree$47,592

Professional Athlete Employment Statistics

This section highlights information about where professional athletes work. We found most professional athletes work for a private company. In addition, the industry that employs the most professional athletes is the health care industry.

Company Size

We created this chart to show you the average size of companies that typically hire professional athletes.

< 50 employees

50 - 100 employees

100 - 500 employees

500 - 1,000 employees

1,000 - 10,000 employees

> 10,000

Professional Athlete Jobs By Employer Size

Company SizePercentages
< 50 employees5%
50 - 100 employees3%
100 - 500 employees24%
500 - 1,000 employees28%
1,000 - 10,000 employees32%
> 10,000 employees8%

The Types Of Companies Professional Athlete Work In

Employees with the professional athlete job title have their preferences when it comes to working for a company. For instance, most professional athletes prefer to work at private companies over public companies.

Education

Public

Private

Government

Professional Athlete Jobs By Sector

Company TypePercentages
Education7%
Public16%
Private72%
Government5%

Top Industries Hiring Professional Athletes

Just based on the number of employees within each industry, we were able to determine the most common industries that employ professional athletes. Those industries include health care, education and manufacturing.

Education

Retail

Manufacturing

Technology

Finance

Show More

Professional Athlete Turnover And Employment Statistics

The Average Number of Years That Professional Athlete Stay in a Job

By looking over 3,426 professional athletes resumes, we figured out that the average professional athlete enjoys staying at their job for Less than 1 year for a percentage of 32%.

Less than one year

1-2 years

3-4 years

5-7 years

8-10 years

11+ years

Professional Athlete Tenure

Number or YearsPercentages
Less than 1 year32%
1-2 years28%
3-4 years14%
5-7 years13%
8-10 years5%
11+ years7%

Comparing The LGBT Ratio of Professional Athletes with Other Job Titles

After finding the gender ratio, we wondered if the percentages of LGBT persons were different as well. Using the data below, you can see how other job titles compare to professional athletes.

Job TitleLGBTJob Openings
Guitar Player8.82%30200.00%
Broom Person9.28%30,471
Cheerleader11.39%27800.00%
Professional Athlete14.59%
Director Of Content And Programming16.02%21,306
Music Writer21.16%12,779
Ensemble Director23.07%4,732

Professional Athlete LGBT Demographics

ProfessionPercentages of LGBT Job Openings
Guitar Player8.82%302
Broom Person9.28%30,471
Cheerleader11.39%278
Director Of Content And Programming16.02%21,306
Music Writer21.16%12,779
Ensemble Director23.07%4,732

Foreign Languages Spoken By Professional Athletes

The most common foreign language among professional athletes is Spanish at 51.4%. The second-most popular foreign language spoken is French at 13.8% and Portuguese is the third-most popular at 8.3%.

  • Spanish, 51.4%
  • French, 13.8%
  • Portuguese, 8.3%
  • German, 7.3%
  • Italian, 3.7%
  • Other, 15.5%

Professional Athlete Languages Spoken

Foreign LanguagePercentages
Spanish51.4%
French13.8%
Portuguese8.3%
German7.3%
Italian3.7%
Other15.5%

Professional Athlete Jobs

Recently Added Professional Athlete Jobs

Professional Athlete Heatmaps

Which State Has The Most Professional Athletes?

By looking through more than 3,426 resumes, we found that the most popular places for professional athletes are New York, NY and Chicago, IL.

Number of Professional Athletes

Professional Athlete Demographics and Statistics [2022]: Number Of Professional Athletes In The US (5)

Number Of Professional Athlete Jobs By State

RankStateNumber of JobsAverage Salary
1California1,363$67,209
2Pennsylvania1,289$66,277
3Texas945$53,832
4Minnesota829$37,976
5Florida794$47,322
6Massachusetts760$65,795
7Ohio619$48,577
8Indiana604$35,145
9New Jersey584$73,505
10Illinois576$50,710
11Wisconsin491$43,992
12North Carolina472$51,798
13Georgia421$42,530
14Colorado415$35,843
15Michigan409$59,254
16Virginia391$60,235
17Maryland374$64,317
18Tennessee346$42,600
19Washington338$29,232
20South Carolina313$47,475
21Missouri311$38,139
22Arizona290$56,718
23Iowa289$51,153
24Oregon230$44,631
25Kentucky201$41,892
26Connecticut199$67,853
27Utah194$51,161
28Kansas173$47,767
29Alabama166$34,309
30Louisiana159$49,762
31Oklahoma151$44,688
32Delaware149$66,224
33Maine148$39,641
34West Virginia132$48,254
35Mississippi127$39,310
36North Dakota122$56,390
37Arkansas122$44,683
38Nevada112$56,439
39Nebraska111$37,053
40New Mexico102$51,868
41Rhode Island101$66,995
42District of Columbia81$63,539
43Idaho78$28,254
44New Hampshire72$63,744
45Montana71$41,568
46South Dakota70$44,451
47Hawaii68$49,621
48Alaska58$90,001
49Wyoming58$40,768
50Vermont50$60,148
51New York11$63,674

Professional Athlete Demographics FAQs

How Many Professional Athlete Are There In The Us?

There are over 1,764 Professional Athletes in the United States.

What Percentage Of Professional Athletes Are Black?

6.8% of Professional Athletes are Black or African American

What Race Are Most Professional Athletes?

Most a are White, with 78.0% of Professional Athletes belonging to this ethnicity. 7.2% of Professional Athletes are Hispanic or Latino, 6.8% of Professional Athletes are Black or African American, 3.9% of Professional Athletes are Asian, 3.7% of Professional Athletes are Unknown, and 0.4% of Professional Athletes are American Indian and Alaska Native

Are Professional Athlete Jobs Male - Dominated ?

Yes, Professional Athlete jobs are male - dominated. 83% of Professional Athletes are male, and 16% are female, so there are more male Professional Athletes than female Professional Athletes in the United States.

How Old Is The Average Professional Athlete ?

The average Professional Athlete is 39 years old. 40% of Professional Athletes are 40+ years old or older, 33% are between the ages of 30-40 years, and 27% are between 20-30 years old

Search For Professional Athlete Jobs

Updated September 9, 2022

Professional Athlete Demographics and Statistics [2022]: Number Of Professional Athletes In The US (2024)
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