New HFA Fit Tracker Shows Continued Growth of US Market

The report analyzes foot traffic data and discovers some surprising trends.

The American fitness industry continued its growth trajectory in the first half of 2025. Commercial gym visits rose 3.5% compared to the same period last year, according to new data from the HFA’s inaugural Fitness Industry Traffic (FIT) Tracker.

FIT Tracker analyzes foot traffic data aggregated by Sports Marketing Surveys USA (a Buffalo Groupe company) and powered by Placer.ai. The companies are working in partnership with the HFA in this new series of FIT Tracker reports for HFA members only.

The new industry resource tracks foot traffic from 11,000 fitness facilities nationwide and categorizes key visitation metrics by four facility types: HVLP, mid-priced, luxury, and boutique/studio. The data covers about one-in-five US commercial fitness facilities, providing a compelling snapshot of US market trends.

Health & Fitness Business and other industry media outlets have previously reported raw data from Placer.ai on foot traffic patterns in US gyms, but this is the first time the HFA research team has brought meaning and clarity to a broad-based dataset.

HVLP and mid-priced facilities drove much of the industry’s growth, posting increases in the first half of the year

Year-over-year rise in monthly visits per visitor (first half 2025)

Luxury clubs experienced the highest growth at

HVLP facility growth (first half of 2025)

HVLPs see strongest start on record with

average visits per location (first half of 2025)

“The increase in both overall visits and visit frequency once again highlights the critical role that fitness facilities play in helping people stay active and engaged in their health.”

Liz Clark, HFA President & CEO

Mid-priced facility growth (first half of 2025)

HVLP visits during the second quarter 2025 proved particularly strong compared to second quarter 2024, jumping

HVLP visits per quarter per location—the highest quarterly average observed since at least 2017

Luxury clubs, despite maintaining the highest overall traffic, at more than

visits per location, saw a modest

decline in total visits. However, these upscale facilities continued to demonstrate strong member engagement, with visitors averaging

visits per month

This suggests that continued consumer sensitivity to pricing amid economic uncertainty may be contributing to the softening performance of higher-priced segments.

Regional and Seasonal Patterns Emerge

Geographic analysis revealed significant regional variations. The Mid-Atlantic, Pacific, and Mountain regions led growth across multiple facility types.

The Mid-Atlantic region stood out showing year-over-year growth across all four industry segments, led by mid-priced gyms at

Seasonal patterns also played out predictably. January 2025 delivered the expected New Year’s resolution surge across all segments. However, February had a notable dip in visitation that researchers attributed to declining consumer confidence during that period.

A Step Forward for HFA Research

FIT Tracker represents a new resource for industry stakeholders seekingreal-time insights into consumer behavior. By providing independent, up-to-date data on foot traffic across gym segments and regions, the tracker offers operators, suppliers, investors, and advocates a powerful tool to benchmark performance, monitor emerging trends, and demonstrate the industry’s growing role in public health.

Never let it be said that the HFA research team doesn’t do the necessary legwork to bring new information to HFA members.

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Health & Fitness Business is a publication of

Health & Fitness Business (HFB) is the leading Health & Fitness industry publication. Published monthly by the Health & Fitness Association (HFA) and distributed free to the industry, HFB offers analysis of the opportunities, challenges, issues and news that impact the industry.

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