The numbers are showing a monthly increase in revenue for the new year.

The fitness industry has been rebounding nicely ever since COVID decimated the business with the closure demands of gyms five to six years ago. In fact, 22 to 25 percent of all health clubs closed their doors for good during this time, according to reports from the International Health, Racquet & Sportsclub Association (IHRSA) and multiple other sources. If you are still in the game, give yourself a pat on the back. You weathered the storm. And according to stats compiled from 2024 to the current day, there are several reasons why gym owners should feel quite optimistic about the future. Revenue is rising across the industry.

Here are just five of the reasons why gym owners should feel confident about the upcoming years.

Revenue Is Rising Across All Gym Models

Data compiled from the last two years shows the median monthly revenue increasing not just with brand-name gyms, but independent and boutique gyms as well. Personal training, small-group, and big-group classes have all shown growth, according to the Health & Fitness Association (HFA) 2025 Fitness Industry Benchmarking Report.

Plus, membership growth has expanded on average by 5.5 percent, and member retention has grown with an average of 66.4 percent for the year.

Personal Training and Small Group Training Are Extremely Popular

According to the 2025 US Health & Fitness Consumer Report: Expanded Insights, membership reached a record high for fitness facilities in America in 2024, with more than 77 million people belonging to at least one gym. And while the consumer report stated that the most often used pieces of equipment in a gym are still free weights and treadmills, more people are signing up for training from professionals. Yoga, pilates, and pickleball are just a few of the classes that showed a rise in participation. And fitness classes are some of the least expensive and most profitable programs at any gym.

Almost a quarter of all members hired a personal trainer, and about one-third invested in small group training. Interestingly, women were more likely to enroll in personal training, and teenagers and 45 to 60-year-olds showed the most growth in joining small-group classes.

People Are Joining Multiple Gyms

In the past, a person into health and fitness most likely would choose the gym they favor the most and frequent it often. But now with the greater variety of fitness facilities, 75 percent of specialty studio members also have at least one additional membership to another gym, again, according to the HFA consumer report. Specialty studios include yoga, boxing, pilates, MMA, boot camps, and other boutique gyms.

This means you have more opportunities to sign up people for memberships, even if you are not exactly their number one choice. A regular cardio and strength training gym owner could do well if they approach these specialty studios and offer their members a slight discount if they also frequent your gym. If you could form a modified partnership with the owners of these places, you could gain a number of new members.

The Number of Older Adults Hitting the Gym Is Growing

The American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM), a top organization for sports medicine and exercise science, ranks the senior market as the number two overall trend in health and fitness for 2026. (The gym owners surveyed actually ranked the growth of the senior population at the top of the worldwide fitness trends.)

What does this mean? Adults 65 or older now frequent gyms more often than any other age group. Most seniors are also less likely to discontinue their membership. If you don’t have programs tailored for senior citizens at the moment, start brainstorming. Create a few and after six months, use the data to determine which classes are profitable and worth continuing. Just remember, Rome was not built in a day. Give the programs some time to grow before pulling the plug.

Technology Is Bringing More People to the Gym

Ironically, back in the day, those interested in tech would seem more likely to be in front of their computers than sweating away doing bicep curls. Just take a gander at Bill Gates. But now, technology is everywhere. We have a computer in our pocket or on our wrist that is promoting health and fitness. The Health and Fitness category on app stores is one of the largest and most competitive, with more than 100,000 ready for download.

All gym owners should be celebrating and trying their best to incorporate more technology into their own business. These wearable devices and fitness apps are data-driven tools that create workouts, monitor cardio and strength, and plan recovery programs for each individual. If you aren’t hopping on this train yet, find a mentor who can lead you to the promised land.

How to Use This Information to Better Your Gym

Just because the overall numbers are promising, it doesn’t mean your gym’s revenue is guaranteed to grow if you don’t follow the trends. Here are a few things to focus on to increase your profitability.

• Locate the inefficiencies of your gym and correct them. Is something costing you more money than it is making?
• Adjust the productivity of the staff through training. Never underestimate what a good staff can do for retaining members.
• Set goals and use the data (acquired through Gym Insight’s software) to get to where you want to be.
• Use the industry’s reported upswing in revenue to pitch investors if needed.
• Learn from the top performers and replicate what you think could work for your gym.

About Gym Insight

Gym Insight software helps gym owners manage memberships, handle gym access, allow for all types of POS, and keep track of revenue—all in one fully integrated platform, with no contracts and no third-party plug-ins.

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