Eight fitness-related activities ranked in the top ten of core participants in the United States in 2013, according to the 2014 Sports, Fitness, and Leisure Activities Topline Participation Report published by the Sports & Fitness Industry Association (SFIA). Freshwater Fishing with 17.7 million and Basketball with 16.7 million core participants rounded out the top ten. Core participants are those who participate in a sport or activity on a regular basis (definitions vary by activity).
| Rank | Activity | Definiition of core participant | # of core participants |
| 1 | Walking for Fitness | 50+/year | 79.8 million |
| 2 | Running/Jogging | 50+/year | 29.8 million |
| 3 | Stretching | 50+/year | 26.5 million |
| 4 | Treadmill | 50+/year | 26.4 million |
| 5 | Free Weights (<15 lbs) | 50+/year | 25.7 million |
| 6 | Bicycling (Road/Paved) | 26+/year | 21.4 million |
| 7 | Weight/Resistance Machines | 50+/year | 21.4 million |
| 8 | Free Weights (>15 lbs) | 50+/year | 20.6 million |
| 9 | Fishing | 8+/year | 17.7 million |
| 10 | Basketball | 13+/year | 16.7 million |
“With over 60 percent of active Americans participating in fitness-related activities, it’s no surprise fitness is dominating the list,” said VJ Mayor, SFIA’s Director of Communications and Research. “All the activities listed, including basketball and freshwater fishing, are flexible to the participant in that they can be performed individually and on the participant’s own schedule.”
The 2014 SFIA Sports, Fitness and Leisure Activities Topline Participation Report, conducted by Sports Marketing Surveys USA, provide overall, casual, and core participation numbers for over 100 different sports and activities. During January and February of 2014, a total of 19,240 online interviews were carried out with a nationwide sample of individuals and households from the US Online Panel of over one million people operated by Synovate/IPSOS.
“We’re proud to be able to offer the topline report annually to our members,” said Mayor. “The data contained within the report provides our members with useful data they can use within their own organizations.”
The 2014 SFIA Sports, Fitness and Leisure Activities Topline Participation Report is FREE to all current SFIA members and $99 for non-members. More information about the report can be found here.
