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The team at bsport compared recent data on facility revenue, participation, and business models across the US and UK fitness markets to find out where people are training hardest and what they're actually willing to pay for. What we found were some interesting differences between the two.
Key things to know
- The US and UK fitness markets are both booming, but members are spending in opposite directions: Americans toward value, Brits toward premium.
- Regional activity levels vary widely within each country. The Northeast leads the US; England leads the UK's four nations.
- In the UK, private clubs cost 46% more than public ones and still capture 76.9% of total market value.
The scale of the industry
Fitness isn't a niche expense in either country. It's a core part of how people spend their money and their time.
The US gyms, health, and fitness clubs market hit $43.3 billion in revenue in 2025. That's spread across more than 100 million total facility users.
The UK market pulled in a record £6.5 billion across 5,842 clubs — smaller by population but punching at a similar weight per capita.
Big national totals are useful for sizing the market, but they don't tell you where to put your next studio. You don't sell memberships to an entire country: You sell them to the people in your neighborhood.
Where people are actually getting moving
Regional activity levels vary a lot more than the national averages suggest.
The most active US states cluster in the Northeast, with California close behind:
- Massachusetts: 67.2%
- New York: 66.0%
- Connecticut: 64.1%
- California: 62.3%
The most active UK regions follow a similar pattern, measured by the share of adults meeting recommended weekly activity levels:
- England: 64.6%
- Scotland: 62.0%
- Wales: 59.0%
- Northern Ireland: 55.0%
It's not a coincidence that these high-activity states and regions also tend to have the densest concentrations of boutique studios and premium clubs.
The UK’s studio–member gap
Across the UK, studios don't always keep pace with where active members actually are. A closer look at the gap between the share of active studios and the share of active members across regions clearly indicates areas where supply might not be meeting demand.
The sharpest gaps appear in Northern Ireland and the South East, with positive gaps suggesting members in these areas might have fewer studios to choose from, highlighting a potential opportunity for growth.
What members actually want to pay for
Knowing where the active people live helps, but you also need to know what they are willing to pay for. And that's where the US and UK stories start to pull in opposite directions.
American and British members are currently making almost opposite bets.
US racing toward value
American members are leaning hard into budget-friendly fitness, and this shift is accelerating.
Low-price gyms recorded 367,747 visits per location in 2025. That's almost double the traffic of the average commercial fitness facility and a 4.5% year-over-year jump.
Meanwhile, luxury facilities saw a 2% drop in traffic as cheaper options pulled members away.
If you're running a mid-tier or premium facility in the US right now, this is the segment quietly eating your lunch. That’s worth factoring into how you price and market your studio heading into next year.
UK doubling down on private clubs
Cross the Atlantic and the story flips. UK members are choosing private health and fitness clubs even though they cost significantly more.
The average private-sector membership runs 46% higher than public facility rates. But despite the premium, private gyms serve nearly seven in 10 UK fitness-facility members (69.7%). Private operators now generate 76.9% of the total UK fitness market's value.
British members aren't just tolerating higher prices at private clubs. They're actively choosing them over cheaper public alternatives, the opposite of what's happening in the US.
Build a business that adapts to both stories
Whichever side of the Atlantic you're operating on, the pattern is the same: Member behavior is shifting. The studios that track it, rather than react to it after the fact, are the ones that grow.
That's a lot easier when you're not stuck behind a desk juggling messy schedules and half-empty classes.
Stop battling admin and let bsport handle your everyday bookings, payments, and member communication in the background, so you can actually focus on the community you’re building.
Learn more about our fitness studio management platform today and get some of your time back.
Sources:
- https://www.marketresearch.com/MarketLine-v3883/Gyms-Health-Fitness-Clubs-United-45430250/
- https://ukactive.com/news/uk-health-and-fitness-market-report-2026-reveals-visits-to-health-and-fitness-clubs-up-10-and-18-of-the-population-now-members/
- https://www.healthandfitness.org/81-million-americans-were-members-of-a-fitness-facility-in-2025-new-hfa-report-finds/
- https://www.axios.com/2024/03/11/exercise-us-states-most-least-apple-watch
- https://www.sportengland.org/research-and-data/data/active-lives/active-lives-data-tables
- https://www.gov.scot/publications/scottish-health-survey-2024-volume-1-main-report/pages/7--physical-activity/
- https://www.gov.wales/national-survey-wales-headline-results-april-2024-march-2025-html
- https://www.health-ni.gov.uk/news/health-survey-ni-first-results-202324
- https://www.healthandfitnessbusiness.org/feb2026/research
- https://online.flippingbook.com/view/55959561/89/
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