IHRSA Releases 2015 Health Club Consumer Report: The Story Behind Members and Their Clubs
Posted: September 30, 2015 in IHRSA
IHRSA Health Club Consumer Report
BOSTON, MA – The International Health, Racquet & Sportsclub Association (IHRSA) released the 2015 Health Club Consumer Report: The Story Behind Members and Their Health & Fitness Clubs. This annual publication provides demographics and participation data on American health club consumers. New to this year’s edition is an in-depth review of activity preferences by gender, consumer trend analysis of generational and ethnic groups, and multi-year analyses of membership trends by club type.
“U.S. health club participation has reached an all-time high of 63 million total consumers, including 54.1 million members and 9.3 million non-member club users; showing that the many different club types are meeting consumers needs to get active, pursue their athletic goals, and maintain wellness,” said Jay Ablondi, IHRSA’s executive vice president of global products. “Last year, a large percentage of studio members indicated that they were enrolled at more than one facility in order to pursue their fitness goals. Specifically, 64-79% of small group training studio participants, and 86-91% of boot camp/cross training and boxing/MMA members, reported working out at more than one club.”
More than 63 million Americans used a health club or studio in 2014, including 9.3 millions non-members. Members utilized the health club for an average of 102 days. Males were slightly more likely to frequent their clubs more often than females as males visited their health clubs for an average of 104 days in 2014, in comparison with females, who utilized their clubs for 100 days.
According to the report, the gender gap closed in 2014 as males and females were equally likely to be health club members. While males are more likely to belong to commercial multipurpose and boot camp facilities, females are more likely to belong to yoga/Pilates/barre and residential centers. Men and women are nearly equally represented in nonprofit and combat-focused facilities (boxing/mixed martial arts/MMA).
The average membership tenure indicated by respondents was 4.9 years in 2014. However, membership duration varies across club segments as multipurpose and corporate club members remain members longer than studio segments. On average, multipurpose club members belong to their clubs for an average of 6.3 years, while corporate club members stay on board for 6.1 years. Membership tenure for studio members range between 4.4 and 5.1 years.
The 2015 IHRSA Health Club Consumer Report also covers the following topics:
- Macro Health Club Membership Trends: an examination of club membership growth and the industry landscape;
- The Health/Fitness Club Value Equation: insights on the relationship of dues to the consumer price index, the member and club value equation, and the future of the industry from a price-value perspective;
- Member Behavior: insights on membership tenure, attendance, and activity participation across demographics;
- Member Demographics and the Impact on the Industry: an exploration of gender, household, ethnicity, and educational demographics as well as how national demographics are influencing the health club industry;
- Personal Training: an analysis of personal training users and spending;
- Overarching Insights & Takeaways for Health Club Operators: a summary of the opportunities for health club owners, operators and staff, to include marketing and programming options.
“The IHRSA Health Club Consumer Report is relied upon by club operators, suppliers, analysts, and other industry stakeholders for a comprehensive grasp of member demographics and participation data,” said Melissa Rodriguez, IHRSA’s senior research manager. “Along with The Seasonal Trend Report, readers can cultivate a complete understanding of consumer participation trends throughout the year.”
The 2015 IHRSA Health Club Consumer Report is based on analysis of 10,778 online interviews that were carried out with a nationwide sample of individuals and households in early 2015. This publication is available in PDF format at ihrsa.org/consumer-report for $99.95 (IHRSA member price) and $199.95 (non-members). For more information on IHRSA research, please visit ihrsa.org/research. Contact pr@ihrsa.org with media inquiries, or call (617) 951 – 0055.
