Yoga studio operating costs are strongly influenced by the cost of teaching labor. The closest official occupation is the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics category for exercise trainers and group fitness instructors, which includes yoga instructors but is broader than yoga alone. The benchmarks below keep each geography and measurement period explicit: occupational wages are from May 2023, while employer-cost figures are from December 2025.
Contents
- National instructor wage benchmarks
- Industry and state staffing benchmarks
- Metropolitan labor benchmarks
- Benefits and payroll burden
- Small-establishment compensation
- Regional labor-cost benchmarks
National instructor wage benchmarks
The BLS reported U.S. employment of 279,450 exercise trainers and group fitness instructors in May 2023. The national mean hourly wage was $24.65, and the mean annual wage was $51,270. These figures describe the wider occupation, so they are useful staffing benchmarks rather than a yoga-studio-only payroll estimate. BLS Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2023.
The wage distribution helps show how instructor scheduling and experience can affect labor budgets. In May 2023, the 10th-percentile hourly wage was $12.91, the 25th-percentile wage was $16.20, the median was $22.35, the 75th-percentile wage was $29.62, and the 90th-percentile wage was $38.82. A studio using a mix of newer instructors and higher-paid specialists may therefore face a wider range than a budget based only on the national mean.
| May 2023 U.S. wage point | Hourly wage |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $12.91 |
| 25th percentile | $16.20 |
| Median | $22.35 |
| Mean | $24.65 |
| 75th percentile | $29.62 |
| 90th percentile | $38.82 |
The mean annual wage of $51,270 and mean hourly wage of $24.65 are separate BLS measures presented for the occupation. They should not be treated as a complete studio budget: rent, utilities, equipment, software, marketing, insurance, and other operating categories are outside these wage observations.
Industry and state staffing benchmarks
Industry placement changes the relevant wage comparison. In May 2023, other amusement and recreation industries employed 188,370 exercise trainers and group fitness instructors at a mean hourly wage of $25.23. Civic and social organizations employed 24,020 at a mean of $19.81. Local government, excluding schools and hospitals, employed 11,880 at a mean of $23.29. Other personal services employed 8,030 at a mean of $29.02, while technical and trade schools employed 510 at a mean of $27.10. BLS Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2023.
These industry rows are comparison points for different operating models. A private yoga studio may resemble the recreation category more closely than a public employer, but the data does not isolate yoga studios. The higher $29.02 mean in other personal services and the $27.10 mean in technical and trade schools illustrate why a studio should match its benchmark to its staffing arrangement and service mix.
State-level figures also show meaningful variation in both employment scale and mean pay:
- California had 39,470 workers at a mean hourly wage of $29.49.
- Texas had 19,030 workers at a mean hourly wage of $20.61.
- New York had 18,720 workers at a mean hourly wage of $31.43.
- Florida had 15,860 workers at a mean hourly wage of $21.50.
- Illinois had 14,460 workers at a mean hourly wage of $26.36.
The state observations are from May 2023 and cover the same broad occupation. They can frame instructor recruiting costs, but they do not establish a state-specific yoga-studio operating-cost total.
Metropolitan labor benchmarks
Metro-level wages can be more relevant than statewide averages when a studio competes for instructors in a dense labor market. In May 2023, New York-Newark-Jersey City reported employment of 20,290 and a mean hourly wage of $33.84. San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward reported 5,830 workers and a $39.82 mean. Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim reported 14,000 workers and a $26.47 mean. BLS Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2023.
Other metropolitan benchmarks were $27.30 per hour for 11,600 workers in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, $27.70 for 7,450 workers in Boston-Cambridge-Nashua, and $24.66 for 7,270 workers in Washington-Arlington-Alexandria. Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington reported 6,270 workers at $25.14 per hour, while Denver-Aurora-Lakewood reported 6,130 workers at $25.02 per hour.
| Metropolitan area, May 2023 | Employment | Mean hourly wage |
|---|---|---|
| New York-Newark-Jersey City | 20,290 | $33.84 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward | 5,830 | $39.82 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim | 14,000 | $26.47 |
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin | 11,600 | $27.30 |
| Boston-Cambridge-Nashua | 7,450 | $27.70 |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria | 7,270 | $24.66 |
| Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington | 6,270 | $25.14 |
| Denver-Aurora-Lakewood | 6,130 | $25.02 |
The $39.82 San Francisco mean and $33.84 New York metro mean are not forecasts. They are May 2023 observations for the broader exercise-trainer occupation. A studio can use them to set a local comparison point, while recognizing that class format, instructor seniority, and employment structure may differ.
Benefits and payroll burden
Wages are only one part of employee compensation. In December 2025, BLS reported that private-industry employers paid $46.15 per hour worked in total compensation, including $32.36 in wages and salaries. Benefits averaged $13.79 per hour and represented 29.9% of total compensation. Employer Costs for Employee Compensation, 2025 Q04 Results.
The private-industry benefit components were $3.52 per hour for paid leave, or 7.6% of total compensation; $1.87 for supplemental pay, or 4.1%; $3.51 for insurance, or 7.6%; $1.55 for retirement and savings, or 3.4%; and $3.34 for legally required benefits, or 7.2%.
Within legally required benefits, Social Security and Medicare averaged $2.75 per hour worked, while workers’ compensation averaged $0.42. Health insurance averaged $3.30 per hour, or 7.1% of total compensation. Defined-contribution retirement averaged $1.16, or 2.5%, and nonproduction bonuses averaged $1.34, or 2.9%.
Paid leave details were $1.75 per hour for vacation leave, or 3.8% of total compensation, and $0.50 for sick leave, or 1.1%. Overtime and premium pay averaged $0.43 per hour, or 0.9%. These are national private-industry employer costs per employee hour worked, not a yoga-studio-specific ledger or a required package for every worker.
Small-establishment compensation
The BLS also reported a specific small-establishment benchmark for leisure and hospitality businesses with 1–49 workers in December 2025. Total compensation averaged $18.97 per hour worked. Wages and salaries averaged $16.02, equal to 84.5% of total compensation, while benefits averaged $2.95, equal to 15.5%.
The benefit components in this small-establishment row included $0.44 per hour for paid leave, or 2.3% of total compensation; $0.18 for supplemental pay, or 0.9%; $0.42 for insurance, or 2.2%; and $0.11 for retirement and savings, or 0.6%. Legally required benefits averaged $1.80 per hour, or 9.5%.
| Leisure and hospitality establishments with 1–49 workers, December 2025 | Cost per hour | Share of total compensation |
|---|---|---|
| Total compensation | $18.97 | 100.0% |
| Wages and salaries | $16.02 | 84.5% |
| Benefits | $2.95 | 15.5% |
| Paid leave | $0.44 | 2.3% |
| Supplemental pay | $0.18 | 0.9% |
| Insurance | $0.42 | 2.2% |
| Retirement and savings | $0.11 | 0.6% |
| Legally required benefits | $1.80 | 9.5% |
This is a small-establishment benchmark, not an estimate of every yoga studio. Its value is comparative: it separates wages from benefits for a leisure-and-hospitality employer with 1–49 workers and gives owners a way to examine whether their staffing model resembles a smaller establishment.
Regional labor-cost benchmarks
Regional private-industry compensation averages further demonstrate that labor cost is geographically uneven. In December 2025, total compensation per employee hour worked averaged $53.99 in the Northeast, $53.71 in New England, and $54.09 in the Middle Atlantic. The South averaged $41.21, and the Midwest averaged $43.26. The West averaged $50.85. Employer Costs for Employee Compensation, 2025 Q04 Results.
Within the West, the Mountain division averaged $44.25 per hour and the Pacific division averaged $54.56. These figures are private-industry compensation benchmarks across the region or division, not yoga-studio-only totals. They include the employer cost of wages and benefits and should remain distinct from the May 2023 occupation-specific wage observations.
For planning, the benchmarks answer different questions. The May 2023 OEWS figures describe what exercise trainers and group fitness instructors earned in national, state, industry, and metro settings. The December 2025 ECEC figures describe broader private-industry employer compensation costs, including benefits. Keeping those scopes separate helps a yoga studio assess instructor pay and the additional cost of employing staff without presenting either dataset as a complete operating-cost forecast.