Christina Gough
Research expert covering sports and video gaming
Fitness industry in the United States - statistics & facts
The United States’ fitness industry is multifaceted and comprises many different companies and organizations including health clubs, gyms, outdoor sports, indoor sports, and much more. Some of the leading health club companies in the U.S. by revenue in 2021 were LA Fitness and Life Time, which accounted for 2.1 and 1.3 billion U.S. dollars in revenue, respectively. Overall, the number of fitness industry businesses in the U.S. has increased year-over-year over the past decade. In 2021, there were almost 110 thousand such businesses throughout the country and that figure was forecast to increase to over 112 thousand in 2022. When looking at the economic impact of the fitness industry in the U.S., the industry contributed more than 35 billion U.S. dollars to the U.S. economy in 2021. Of this revenue, nearly 20 billion U.S. dollars consisted of direct value added to the economy.
How many Americans participate in sports and outdoor activities?
In 2021, the share of men and women engaged in sports and exercise per day in the U.S. was 21.5 percent. Although this figure decreased slightly over the previous year, it increased by three percentage points since 2010. Some of the factors that influence whether Americans participate in sports include socioeconomic status, age, disability, personal interests, and societal expectations. In 2021, Americans who were employed full-time spent the fewest hours per day on leisure and sports. Meanwhile, Americans who were employed part-time spent on average one additional hour on recreational activities. According to a survey conducted in 2023, the most popular sports activity in the U.S. was hiking, with 35 percent of respondents stating that this was the case. Fitness, aerobics, and cardio combined ranked as the second most popular activity.The rise of eFitness in the U.S.
Due to the latest technological advancements, the eServices fitness industry is on the rise in the U.S., offering fitness apps and other wearables to help users keep track of their fitness goals. By 2024, the online revenue for the eServices fitness market in the U.S. was forecast to reach 1.79 billion U.S. dollars in revenue for apps and 3.84 billion U.S. dollars in revenue for wearables. Meanwhile, the number of online app users in the eServices fitness industry in the U.S. was forecast to increase during that same period. By 2024, an estimated 119 million Americans were projected to be using eServices apps and 39.6 million using eServices wearables. The most popular health and fitness app in the U.S., as of 2022, was Planet Fitness. That year, 18.3 million Americans downloaded the app to help them reach their health and fitness goals.
