Health coaching has emerged as a $7.6 billion service market, with a strong growth outlook. There are now an estimated 128,000 health coaches and health educators that advise and motivate clients to change bad lifestyle habits and to manage chronic conditions such as diabetes.
Health coaching can help employees and healthcare plan members with behavior change — to eliminate bad habits, follow better nutrition, exercise, stop smoking, and manage their chronic conditions, as well as address mental health issues.
You are most likely to find a health coach in private practice, at a doctor’s office, or via a corporate wellness program. Large self-insured companies are also using coaches to improve employee health and cut claims costs, as are healthcare insurers.
This is an emerging discipline that will be getting more attention due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Top 6 Things to Know About the Health Coaching Market
- Health coaching market size: Marketdata estimates that the total U.S. health coaching market was worth $7.6 billion in 2023. The total market is forecast to reach $7.8 billion this year and grow by 4.4% per year thereafter, reaching $9.17 billion by 2028, with 140,000+ coaches active.
- Number of health coaches: There are an estimated 127,600 combined U.S. health coaches, health educators and community health workers, up 76% from 2010. They have average yearly salaries/earnings of just under $60,000.
- Pandemic effects: 2020 was a mixed bag for this market, as the pandemic and recession resulted in some lay-offs of health coaches. However, most have pivoted to virtual meetings and telehealth, which enables coaches to reach more patients.
- Weight loss coaching: Marketdata estimates that this sub-segment of the market is worth at least $424 million, with 56,000 coaches. However, commercial weight loss companies have laid off at least 26,500 coaches since 2020, as demand for the popular GLP-1 obesity drugs has soared and taken revenues away from the diet companies.
- CPT billing codes for health coaching: The major development for this market of late was the creation of Category 3 CPT billing codes for health coaching in 2020, providing legitimacy for the profession. Better Category 1 codes are coming within a few years, but more outcome data is needed. Market growth should accelerate when this approval is given.
- Demographics: Most health coaches are female and yearly salaries range from $37,000 to $87,000, varying by state. The national average is $59,990.
Where to Learn More
To find out more about this fast-growing market, see the comprehensive 90-page report The U.S. Health Coaching Market published in January 2024. This report covers U.S. health coaching market size and growth, key market trends, health coach certification & training programs, consumer demand factors, the usage of health coaches by large healthcare organizations, and notable health coaching companies and health coaching apps.
About the Author: John LaRosa is the President of Marketdata LLC and is the author of 100+ industry and market studies. His research appears in top media outlets including ABC, CNN, Fox, Forbes, USA Today, The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, and a variety of trade journals.
