Fitness industry growth is increasingly translating into stronger bottom-line performance, according to new benchmarking data released by the Health & Fitness Association (HFA).

The findings, drawn from HFA’s newly released 2026 Fitness Industry Benchmarking Report, show that median revenue among participating fitness businesses increased 10.7 per cent in 2025, while median EBITDA margins reached 22.1 per cent. Among operators that submitted financial results for both 2024 and 2025, median EBITDA margins expanded by approximately 1.2 percentage points.

Perhaps more significantly, 63 per cent of reporting operators increased EBITDA dollars, suggesting that continued industry growth is translating into improved earnings rather than simply higher top-line revenue. HFA noted that these gains came despite ongoing pressure from labour, occupancy, financing and other operating costs.

“What stands out is not simply that fitness businesses continued to grow last year, but that more of that growth translated into earnings,” said Greta Wagner, interim president and CEO of HFA.

Productivity Separates High-Profit Operators

The report also highlights several differences between higher- and lower-profit fitness businesses.

High-profit operators generated approximately 21 per cent more revenue per full-time equivalent employee than lower-profit operators. Payroll represented 32.4 per cent of revenue among high-profit operators, compared with 42.5 per cent among lower-profit businesses, pointing to productivity and operating efficiency as important contributors to stronger financial performance.

The report is based on confidential financial and operating data provided by 244 operators representing nearly 27,000 fitness facilities across 40 countries.

HFA’s benchmarking report covers a broad range of operating measures, including revenue growth, profitability, membership performance, staffing and labour costs, productivity, reinvestment, facilities and services, and operator expectations. Results are presented globally and separately for U.S. respondents, with additional comparisons by company size, club type, number of locations, profitability, reinvestment level and membership price point.

For fitness operators, the latest results suggest that the industry’s recent growth cycle is becoming increasingly supported by stronger operating fundamentals — with revenue growth, staff productivity and cost management emerging as important drivers of profitability.