According to the IHRSA’s 2023 U.S. Health & Fitness Consumer Report*, the total number of Americans who were members of a fitness club in 2022 increased by a record 3.7 percent to 68.9 million (ages six and older).
The club membership number is higher than in 2019, before the pandemic when the U.S. fitness club industry had 64.2 million members. Fitness club facility users (members plus non-members) increased 8.1 percent to 82.7 million.
“A growing number of Americans are joining gyms because they know that science confirms exercise’s key role in improving physical and mental health. The data in this report helps operators identify key trends in consumer behavior so they can remain in tune with consumers and better evaluate opportunities that exist today to better serve their communities and be successful,” said
Liz Clark, president and CEO of IHRSA.
Highlights from IHRSA’s 2023 U.S. Health & Fitness Consumer Report includes:
- Studio membership grew 37 percent,
- More members belong to more than one type of fitness facility,
- The average member age dropped from 39 to 37 years old,
- Average membership dues increased from $58 per month to $59,
- Average attendance grew from 72 days to 75 days/year,
- Visit rates were highest among older members than younger,
- Hispanic memberships had the highest growth rate of any ethnicity and paid the highest dues of any ethnicity,
- Treadmills, free weights and resistance machines remained the three most popular type of fitness equipment in 2022, and
- The Top 3 fitness activities were yoga, swimming and high-intensity interval training.
The date for the report, which focuses on people who used a fitness facility in the past 12 months, came from a rolling online survey of 18,000 people ages six and older conducted in 2022 by Sports Marketing Surveys USA. L.E.K. Consulting analyzed the data and wrote the report.
Photo courtesy MPHC
