U.S. fitness center / health club memberships 2000-2019

The number of members of fitness centers and health clubs within the United States has experienced a near continual increase between 2000 and 2019, with the exception of a slight decline during 2008, 2009 and 2012, possibly associated with the global financial crisis that took place during this period which resulted in a similar reduction in the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in the United States over the first two of these periods. In 2019, there were found to be over 64 million members of fitness centers and health clubs within the U.S., the greatest number during the period of observation.

Fitness center overview

A health club or fitness center is a private club or centre that facilitates physical activity through the provision of exercise equipment. With over 200,000 clubs as members, the International Health, Racquet and Sportsclub Association (IHRSA) is an organization committed to reporting annual health and fitness market figures.

Influence of economic growth

The growth in the number of members of fitness clubs shown in this figure closely resembles that of the growth of the U.S. economy over the same period, with each of which growing at a rate of around three percent per year. An additional similarity that highlights the relationship between these variables is the decline in the number of fitness club members during the 2008 financial crisis, during which time both the number of fitness clubs and the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of the U.S. declined by approximately 2.5 percent and 2.8 percent respectively. This suggests that the number of fitness club members is closely tied to economic growth, indicating that the change in financial behaviors as a result of the financial instability associated with the global coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic can be expected to exert a substantial influence over the general fitness industry and on the number of fitness club members in the United States.