According to the latest insights from the Health & Fitness Association (HFA), 81 million Americans belonged to a gym, studio or fitness facility in 2025 – an all-time high.

The 2026 US Health & Fitness Consumer Report: Headline Trends found that membership increased by 5.2 per cent last year compared to 2024.

When including people who used gyms on flexible options, the number of gym-goers rises to more than 100 million.

While Gen Z had the highest penetration – at a whopping 35.5 per cent – penetration rose across every demographic, all age groups, income brackets and genders, with the over-65s being the fastest growing cohort. Year-on-year membership in older age groups increased by 8.6 per cent.

“What this data makes clear is that fitness facilities can no longer be considered a niche amenity, but rather part of the basic infrastructure that Americans rely on to manage their health, stress and sense of community,” says Anton Severin, vice president of research at HFA.

“Even in an uncertain economy, people keep going to the gym because they see real value in what these spaces provide.

“The association between membership and active living is one of the most compelling findings in this report. Fitness facilities are not just places where active people happen to go but environments that support and sustain physical activity habits over time. That distinction matters enormously for how we think about the industry’s role in public health.”

Usage of US fitness facilities also reached new heights with an estimated 7 billion visits in 2025, surpassing the previous pre-pandemic peak in 2019.

Members are also more engaged: the share of members who did not use their membership at all has fallen from around 10 per cent to 4.6 per cent – an all-time low.

Nearly half (49.4 per cent) of members are meeting or exceeding federal aerobic physical activity guidelines, compared to just 24.5 per cent of Americans who don’t use fitness facilities.

Members are also seven times less likely to report no physical activity during a typical week than non-users – 4.7 per cent versus 33.1 per cent.Free weight usage has grown faster than any other equipment category since 2021.

Pickleball is continuing to rise, increasing 21.3 per cent from 2024 to 7.6 million members, with nearly two-thirds playing weekly.

Yoga is the most widely practiced activity and Pilates and tai chi continued to grow steadily.

This news from the US coincides with new figures from UK Active showing that penetration in the UK is now at 18 per cent.