The fitness industry has grown up, and the latest fitness industry statistics make that growth concrete. What used to be a side hobby is now a core part of how Americans (and people around the world) stay healthy and add years to their lives. Gyms, studios, personal trainers, and home setups reach more people today than they ever have. The data tells the story.
Below are 37 fitness industry statistics for 2026. They cover four areas. Gym and health club performance. The people who work in the industry. Exercise participation and public health. And the workouts driving the biggest shifts in how people train. Every number comes from government agencies, peer-reviewed research, or the Health & Fitness Association's industry reports.
Every stat is cited inline. Full source details are at the bottom of the page.
Gym and Health Club Industry Statistics
These gym industry statistics cover membership, facilities, and revenue across the U.S. and global market.
Roughly 1 in 4 Americans aged 6 and up now belong to a gym, health club, or fitness studio. That's the highest membership rate ever recorded in the U.S. [1].
U.S. health club membership hit 77.7 million people in 2024, up from 72.9 million the year before [1].
Total U.S. fitness facility users in 2024 reached 96 million, counting both members and non-member users [1].
That represents 31% of the U.S. population aged 6 and up [1].
U.S. health club industry revenue hit $37.2 billion in 2023, finally pushing past the pre-pandemic peak of $35.0 billion set in 2019 [2].
Health clubs generated $22.4 billion in total economic impact across the U.S. in 2023, counting direct, indirect, and induced effects [2].
That same year, health clubs supported about 778,000 U.S. jobs across direct employment, supplier roles, and induced jobs [2].
The U.S. had 41,228 health and fitness facilities operating at the end of 2024, a 1.4% bump over 2023 [1].
Worldwide, the health and fitness industry pulled in $103.1 billion in revenue in 2024 and served 240.5 million members across more than 200,000 facilities [3].
Global health club membership climbed 5.6% year over year in 2024. The biggest gains came from North America and Latin America [3].
The U.S. is still the world's largest fitness market, pulling in roughly 36% of total global industry revenue [3].
Boutique studios keep driving growth. Members visit their studio on average 104 times per year, well above traditional gym averages [1].
Fitness Workforce and Personal Training Statistics
Personal trainer statistics and broader fitness industry growth data show steady gains in employment and pay.
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics counted 370,100 fitness trainers and instructors employed nationwide as of 2024 [6].
Employment in the field is projected to grow 12% from 2024 to 2034, much faster than the average for all occupations [6].
The BLS projects about 74,200 openings for fitness trainers and instructors each year over the next decade [6].
Median pay for U.S. fitness trainers and instructors was $46,180 a year as of May 2024 [6].
Fitness centers and recreational sports facilities employ the largest chunk of fitness trainers, roughly 57% of the workforce [6].
Personal trainers and group instructors at U.S. health clubs were a major part of the 778,000 jobs the industry sustained in 2023 [2].
Most fitness trainer roles require a high school diploma plus a recognized certification. Many employers prefer or require CPR and AED certification on top of that [6].
Worldwide, the industry now employs more than 1.5 million people across gyms, studios, and supporting roles [3].
Exercise Participation and Public Health Statistics
Only 27.4% of U.S. adults 18 and older hit the federal physical activity guidelines for both aerobic and muscle-strengthening activity in 2022 [4].
About 47.2% of U.S. adults met the aerobic guideline alone in 2022 [4].
Men were much more likely than women to meet both guidelines, hitting 31.2% versus 23.8% [4].
Adherence drops sharply with age. It falls from 33.0% among adults 18 to 34 down to 15.3% among adults 65 and older [4].
Adults with a bachelor's degree or higher were more than twice as likely to meet the combined guidelines as adults without a high school diploma [4].
Age-adjusted obesity prevalence among U.S. adults sat at 40.3% from August 2021 through August 2023. Severe obesity hit 9.4% of adults [5].
Among U.S. adults 60 and older, obesity prevalence was 38.9% from August 2021 through August 2023 [5].
The World Health Organization estimates that physical inactivity will cost global public health systems $300 billion between 2020 and 2030 if current activity levels stay flat [7].
Worldwide, about 81% of adolescents and 31% of adults fall short of WHO recommendations for physical activity [7].
Women are less active than men in most countries. The global gap sits at about five percentage points in physical activity prevalence [7].
A peer-reviewed meta-analysis in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine found regular resistance training is tied to a 15% lower risk of all-cause mortality [8].
The same study found combining resistance training with aerobic activity dropped all-cause mortality risk by 28%. That was the biggest reduction of any activity pattern studied [8].
Adults who did 30 to 60 minutes of muscle-strengthening work per week saw the strongest links to lower cardiovascular disease and cancer risk in the AJPM analysis [8].
Workout Preferences and Activity Trend Statistics
Strength training statistics now lead the workout trend data, and broader fitness industry trends show group fitness and younger members reshaping U.S. health club membership.
Strength training is now the most common activity members report at U.S. health clubs. More members are lifting than running on the treadmill [1].
Group fitness keeps rebounding. Group exercise class attendance was up 11.3% year over year at U.S. health clubs in 2024 [1].
Members under 35 are now the largest age group in U.S. health clubs, making up roughly 47% of total membership [1].
Women now make up 50.1% of U.S. health club members. That's the first time on record the industry has crossed the 50% mark for female membership [1].
Taken together, these fitness industry statistics show a sector that is bigger, broader, and more strength-focused than ever, with fitness industry trends pointing to lifting and group classes as the next phase of fitness industry growth.
Sources
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Health & Fitness Association. "One in Four Americans Belonged to a Gym in 2024." Health & Fitness Association, 2025, https://www.healthandfitness.org/one-in-four-americans-belonged-to-a-gym-in-2024/.
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Health & Fitness Association. "The U.S. Health and Fitness Industry Is a $22.4 Billion Economic Powerhouse." Health & Fitness Association, 2024, https://www.healthandfitness.org/the-u-s-health-and-fitness-industry-is-a-22-4-billion-economic-powerhouse/.
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Health & Fitness Association. "2025 Global Fitness Industry Report Shows Record Growth and What's Next for the Market." Health & Fitness Association, 2025, https://www.healthandfitness.org/2025-global-fitness-industry-report-shows-record-growth-and-whats-next-for-the-market/.
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Elgaddal, Nazik, Ellen A. Kramarow, and Cynthia Reuben. "Physical Activity Among Adults Aged 18 and Over: United States, 2020 and 2022." NCHS Data Brief No. 555, National Center for Health Statistics, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2024, https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/products/databriefs/db555.htm.
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Emmerich, Samuel D., Cheryl D. Fryar, Bryan Stierman, and Cynthia L. Ogden. "Obesity and Severe Obesity Prevalence in Adults: United States, August 2021-August 2023." NCHS Data Brief No. 508, National Center for Health Statistics, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2024, https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/products/databriefs/db508.htm.
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U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. "Fitness Trainers and Instructors." Occupational Outlook Handbook, U.S. Department of Labor, 2025, https://www.bls.gov/ooh/personal-care-and-service/fitness-trainers-and-instructors.htm.
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World Health Organization. "Physical Activity." World Health Organization, Oct. 2022, https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/physical-activity.
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Shailendra, Prathiyankara, Katherine L. Baldock, L. S. K. Li, Jason A. Bennie, and Terry Boyle. "Resistance Training and Mortality Risk: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis." American Journal of Preventive Medicine, vol. 63, no. 2, 2022, pp. 277-285, https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35599175/.
