Fitness Centers

The 33,200 fitness centers in the US provide exercise equipment, classes, and services that allow members to improve their physical fitness. The main source of fitness center revenue is membership fees. Fitness centers also generate revenue by providing athletic instruction, admission fees for non-member usage, and food and beverage. The industry includes independently-owned centers, chains, and franchises.

Seasonality of Demand

Most fitness centers experience higher membership growth right after the winter holidays, when many people resolve to lose weight or exercise more.

Membership Attrition

Maintaining a strong membership base can be a challenge for fitness centers.

Oct 9, 2026 - Fitness Operators Report Strong Revenue Growth and Profitability

• Fitness operators reported solid revenue and membership growth in 2025, according to the Health & Fitness Association's 2026 Global Report, released in September. Among 244 participating operators worldwide, representing nearly 27,000 facilities, median revenue increased 10.7% in 2025, while median EBITDA margins reached 22.1%. Recurring membership fees accounted for an average 76.2% of revenue, underscoring the importance of member retention. Multi-site operators reported median revenue growth of 12.2%, compared with 8.6% for single-site businesses, suggesting advantages from scale. The findings indicate favorable conditions for US fitness centers, although rising operating expenses and price-sensitive consumers remain challenges. Operators that control labor costs, retain members, and diversify revenue through training and wellness services may be better positioned to sustain profitability. Results reflect participating global operators rather than the entire US market.
• US fitness centers are struggling to hire qualified personal trainers despite strong industry demand, according to recent research published by the International Sports Sciences Association (ISSA). Its 2026 Fitness Hiring Report found that 94% of surveyed gym partners would use a pipeline of pre-vetted, job-ready trainers. Hiring frequently takes more than two weeks and sometimes exceeds a month, with operators citing gaps in applicants' sales, client acquisition, and retention skills. Anytime Fitness reported a shortage of approximately 1,300 coaches across its US locations. For fitness centers, staffing difficulties can constrain personal training revenue, increase recruitment and onboarding costs, and limit service expansion. Operators may benefit from stronger partnerships with certification providers, improved candidate screening, and training programs that emphasize business and customer-service skills alongside technical qualifications.
• Connecticut’s updated automatic-renewal law makes gym memberships easier to cancel by requiring online cancellation for online sign-ups and one-business-day processing of qualifying voicemail requests, according to a Health & Fitness Association report. Those changes could raise churn while forcing operators to tighten cancellation workflows and member-retention efforts. Fitness centers must also send annual renewal reminders, avoid obstructing or delaying cancellations, and maintain accessible cancellation channels. Since July 1, gyms have needed to update membership agreements, websites, billing systems, staff procedures, and voicemail monitoring. For the industry, the rules place more pressure on retention, service quality, and member engagement rather than relying on automatic renewals or difficult cancellation processes. Similar state laws could also increase compliance complexity for multi-state fitness chains.
• Weakening consumer confidence in August points to a cautious outlook for US fitness centers, where memberships and add-on services can be trimmed when household budgets tighten. The University of Michigan Index of Consumer Sentiment fell 6.3% from July to 51.7 and was 11.2% below a year earlier, suggesting greater sensitivity to membership fees, personal training and boutique-style services. Separately, The Conference Board Consumer Confidence Index slipped to 89.4 from 90.2 in July. Its Present Situation Index improved to 121.2, but the Expectations Index fell to 68.2 as consumers grew more pessimistic about jobs, incomes and business conditions. For operators, weaker confidence could favor lower-cost memberships and flexible plans while increasing pressure on retention, ancillary spending, and pricing.

Industry size & Structure

A typical fitness center operates out of a single location, employs about 22 workers, and generates about $1.3 million annually.

• The fitness center industry consists of 33,200 companies that employ about 746,800 workers and generate $43.5 billion annually.
• The industry includes independently-owned centers, chains, and franchises.
• Large companies include 24 Hour Fitness, Gold's Gym, Life Time Fitness, and New York Sports Clubs.
• There were around 81 million members of health clubs in the US in 2025, according to the Health & Fitness Association.