August Delivers Strongest US Foot Traffic Gain of 2026

HFA is expandig its FIT Tracker reporting with monthly check-ins designed to provide US fitness industry stakeholders with more timely, data-driven insight into market performance. The August update found visitation rising across eight of nine Census divisions, led by HVLP facilities and studios. Weighted visits per location increased 2.4% from August 2025, the strongest monthly gain of 2026.

The August gain followed a 2.1% increase in June and a slight 0.2% adjusted decline in July. Across the three summer months, visitation ran 1.4% above the same period last year.

Weighted visits per location, year-over-year change

HVLP Accounts for Most of the August Increase

HVLP facilities led in August with 3% year-over-year growth, narrowly ahead of studios at 2.5%. Mid-market gyms increased 2%, while luxury clubs declined 1.5%. HVLP facilities accounted for 74% of the overall increase because they represent about 30% of sampled locations and generate substantially more visits per location than studios.

Contribution to the overall August change, percentage points.

HVLP, mid-market gyms, and studios recorded their highest August visitation levels since 2019. The HVLP index reached 123, meaning visits per location were 23% above August 2019 and a new August record. Mid-market and studio foot traffic also reached new post-pandemic highs with visitation indexes of 107 and 83 respectively, while the luxury club index stood at 80.

August visits per location, indexed to August 2019.

Visitation Rises in Eight of Nine Census Divisions

The August increase was geographically widespread. Weighted visits per location rose in eight of nine Census divisions. Middle Atlantic recorded the strongest gain at 5.1%, followed by East South Central at 4.8%. West South Central was the only division to decline, down 3.8%.

Weighted visits per location across all four facility types, changes compared to August 2025.

HFA’s FIT Tracker draws on anonymized foot-traffic data from more than 10,000 US commercial fitness facilities. The monthly data is a complement to HFA’s quarterly reports. (The FIT Tracker was developed in partnership with Sports Marketing Surveys USA, a Buffalo Groupe company and powered by Placer.ai.)

Get Insights Into HFA’s FIBR Report in an Exclusive Webinar

HFA’s 2026 Fitness Industry Benchmarking Report (FIBR) will be released later this month, and this year, you can get more out of the annual report from an exclusive webinar on October 29 at 11 a.m. EST.

2026 Fitness Industry Benchmarking Report: See How Your Business Measures Up will be hosted by Anton Severin, HFA vice president of research, and Greg Manns, CPA, senior vice president of research at Industry Insights. The one-hour webinar will dissect data from a confidential survey of 244 companies representing nearly 27,000 fitness facilities across 40 countries.

Don’t miss this opportunity to learn how to use the FIBR findings to help increase your benchmarks in the future. Register now for the webinar.

Severin

Manns

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