Walk through almost any gym at 6 p.m., and you will see it. Most of the people on the floor are in their teens and twenties, and they use the space differently than the members you signed five years ago.
That shift is real, and it shows up in hard numbers. But most of what gets written about Gen Z is guesswork wrapped in a survey. Some of it comes from gym chains, fitness apps, and equipment makers that want you to buy something. This guide distinguishes between what is well supported and what is only suggested.
You will see who is actually joining, what younger members hire a gym to do, and what drives them out. Then you will get a plain plan for the first 90 days of a new member’s life, plus a checklist to test it in your own club. If you want a broader view of what is popular right now, our guide to top fitness trends in America covers that. This piece is about the people, not the workouts.
Who is actually joining
The best US source here is the Health & Fitness Association (HFA). Its 2025 consumer report, as covered by Athletech News, shows how age shares of facility members changed:
| Age group | Share of members, 2024 | Compared with 2015 |
| Under 25 | 30.8% | Up from 22.9% |
| 25 to 44 | 33.8% | Down from 36.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 12.3% | Down |
| 55 and older | 22.9% | Not stated |
The same report found that male gym membership grew faster than female membership. From 2019 to 2024, female membership grew by 3.8% per year, while male membership grew by 6.2% per year. Men now hold 51.5% of memberships.
One caution. HFA reports “under 25,” not “Gen Z.” Pew Research defines Gen Z as anyone born in 1997 or later, so the two groups overlap but are not the same. HFA’s bracket also includes teens under 18. Use it as a close stand-in, not an exact count.
Planet Fitness points the same way. Its CEO called Gen Z the chain’s fastest-growing segment, and its free summer pass for ages 14 to 19 enrolled 3.7 million teens in 2025, according to Athletech News. The company said it waived $168 million in dues. It also reports that 93% of participants built routines that lasted past summer. That number is the company’s own claim, and the article gives no figure for how many teens became paying members.
What it means: Younger members make up a larger share of the market than a decade ago. Whether that slice stays and pays is a separate question, and no source I found answers it on its own.
What the data cannot tell you
Before the findings, a short warning, because it changes how you should use them.
- Many surveys come from interested parties. The Gym Group is a UK budget gym operator. Strava is a fitness app. Their data describe their own customers, who are not a random sample of young people.
- Most surveys are not US-based. Some of the best-known Gen Z numbers come from the UK.
- Age brackets differ. Studies use 16 to 28, 16 to 29, 18 to 29, or under 25. They are not directly comparable.
- There is no independent US data on Gen Z retention. Some vendors publish churn figures by generation, but I left those out because they come from competing software companies and their methods are not public.
Treat the numbers below as clues about your members, to be checked against your own records.
Three jobs younger members hire a gym to do
A useful way to read the data is to ask what job a member hires your gym for. For younger members, three jobs show up again and again: train, belong, and track.
Job one: train
Strength comes first. Strava’s 2025 report says Gen Z is twice as likely as Gen X to name weight training as their primary sport. It also says 61% of Gen Z lifters do it for aesthetics, and that 38% of women are hesitant to lift because they worry about bulking up. Strava’s figures come from its own users, so read them as a signal, not a census.
What it means: Younger members want a floor that makes lifting feel normal. That points to clear beginner zones, coaching that explains the basics, and equipment that does not intimidate newcomers.
Job two: belong
This is where the data is loudest. The Gym Group’s 2026 research, a UK survey of 2,000 people aged 16 to 29 fielded in July 2026, found 62% agree the gym is also a place to socialize. The company’s 2025 research, covered by Athletech News, found 51% had made new friends through fitness and 44% socialized with friends during workouts. Both are UK data from a gym operator.
US data points in the same direction. CivicScience reports that Gen Z respondents are 65% more likely than average to cite social reasons for exercising, though it does not publish sample sizes or field dates. And Strava’s CEO told Fortune that Gen Z is 39% more likely than Gen X to use fitness to meet people with shared interests, and that new running clubs on the platform grew 3.5 times in 2025.
Belonging has a flip side. Strava’s report says 27% of women and 20% of men find run clubs exclusive or intimidating. A group that feels closed does not help anyone.
What it means: Do not leave the community to chance. A first friend is a retention tool, and the people who feel left out will be the first to leave.
Job three: track
Younger members like proof. Strava’s report says 63% of Gen Z respondents rank wearables as a top fitness investment, and its platform data shows Gen Z entering more races. Gen Z 10K participation was up 39% and marathon participation up 33% on the platform. Again, those are Strava users.
What it means: Members who can see progress are more likely to feel it is working. Whatever you offer, make results visible: milestones, personal records, and a simple way to log or share them. If you are weighing options, see how member apps compare before you build anything custom.
What drives younger members out
The most useful US data on leaving isn’t Gen Z-specific, but it fits the pattern. A February 2026 survey by Sogolytics of 1,069 US adults, covered by Athletech News, found:
- Cost: 35% of former members cited pricey fees.
- Crowding: 45% of current members said packed spaces make consistency hard, and nearly half of that group were somewhat or very likely to cancel.
- Feeling out of place: 21% of former members felt out of place, and members who felt intimidated were about twice as likely to plan to leave within six months.
- New to fitness: 31% of newcomers lose motivation within the first few weeks, and 57% would likely leave if their preferred trainer were to leave.
The survey gave no age breakdown. Younger members are more likely to be new to the gym, so these risks probably weigh on them more, but that is an inference, not a finding.
Money matters too. The Gym Group’s 2025 UK survey found 44% of Gen Z rank fitness among their top two discretionary expenses, ahead of streaming and dining out. Average monthly fitness spending was about 48.81 pounds, reported as $65.63. That is UK data from an operator. It suggests younger members value fitness, but it does not mean they will pay more than your market rate.
The first 90 days: a map for a new member
The data points to a simple idea. Younger members hire you for strength, belonging, and proof, and they leave over cost, crowding, and feeling out of place. So design the first 90 days around those six things.
| Stage | Main risk | What to do |
| Join (day 0) | Feeling judged or lost | Offer a short, friendly orientation and name a go-to staff member |
| First visits (weeks 1 to 3) | Losing motivation | Book a first coached session and a second visit before they leave |
| First friend (weeks 2 to 6) | Feeling alone | Introduce them to a small group, class, or training partner |
| First plateau (weeks 6 to 10) | Progress feels stuck | Show them their numbers and set a new goal |
| Day 90 | Doubt about value | Check in personally, offer a plan for the next 90 days |
An illustrative cost check
The numbers below are made up to show the math, not benchmarks. Say you run a monthly community session that costs $150 for the coach and promotion, or $1,800 a year. Say an average member pays $60 a month, or $720 a year.
The event pays for itself if it keeps about three extra members for a year, since $1,800 divided by $720 is 2.5, rounded up to 3. If you have 200 members and the event is open to all, that is a retention gain of 1.5 percentage points. Track whether the people who attend actually stay longer than those who do not.
Serving members under 18
Planet Fitness opens its summer program to ages 14 to 19. If you plan to serve minors, check your state’s rules on parental consent, waivers, and supervision with a qualified attorney before you start. Rules vary by state, and this guide cannot cover them.
Self-audit: Is your gym ready for younger members?
- Do I know what share of my members is under 25, and how that has changed?
- Is there a place on my floor where a beginner can lift without feeling watched?
- Does every new member get a first coaching session and a clear next step?
- Do I have at least one small group, class, or event where new people meet?
- Do I know when my floor is most crowded, and what I do about it?
- Can a member see their progress without asking staff?
- Is my cancellation process easy to find and honest?
Owner action list
- Count your under-25 members and compare their 90-day retention with everyone else’s.
- Write down the six stages of a new member’s first 90 days, and who owns each.
- Add one low-pressure group experience each month, and track who attends.
- Mark peak crowding times and offer a quieter option, such as early-morning or off-peak orientation.
- Train a staff member to run beginner strength sessions.
- Review your pricing against nearby gyms, and consider an entry tier for students and young adults.
- Check back after 90 days and keep what moves retention.
Where Wellyx fits
Most of this is about people, not software, but the right gym management software can help gyms put these strategies into practice. With Wellyx, you can use a 10-stage lead management pipeline and automated sequences to follow up with new joiners on days 3, 14, and 30. Community sessions and workshops can run through online booking, which supports paid events, deposits, and confirmations. For crowding, class scheduling supports custom capacity and waitlists, so popular classes stay comfortable. And reporting tools with more than 100 reports and KPI dashboards let you compare the groups you define and see who stays.
FAQs
How many gym members are Gen Z?
HFA’s 2025 report, covered by Athletech News, puts under-25s at 30.8% of US facility members in 2024, up from 22.9% in 2015. That bracket includes teens and is not an exact match for Gen Z, which Pew defines as born in 1997 or later. Treat it as a close estimate.
Why do Gen Z members join gyms?
Surveys point to strength training, social connection, mental health, and tracking progress. Strava says Gen Z is twice as likely as Gen X to call weight training their main sport. The Gym Group found 62% of young UK adults see the gym as a place to socialize. Most of this data comes from brands and apps.
Why do younger members cancel?
No independent US data splits cancellations by age. A February 2026 survey of 1,069 US adults found cost, crowding, and feeling out of place to be the top reasons, and 31% of newcomers lose motivation within weeks. Because younger members are more often new to the gym, those risks likely weigh more on them.
Do Gen Z members want cheaper gyms?
The evidence is mixed. The Gym Group found 44% of young UK adults rank fitness among their top two discretionary expenses, so they value it. But cost was the top reason former members gave in a US survey. Price likely matters most when the member does not yet feel the value.
Can gyms legally sign up members under 18?
It depends on your state. Many programs, including Planet Fitness’s summer pass for ages 14 to 19, serve teens, but rules on parental consent, waivers, and supervision vary. This guide cannot cover them. Talk to a qualified attorney in your state before you enroll anyone under 18.
Conclusion
Younger members are a growing part of the market, and the data suggests they want three things from a gym: a place to train, people to belong with, and proof it is working. They leave when the price feels high, the floor feels crowded, or they feel out of place.
You do not need to rebuild your gym. You need to design the first 90 days with care, help each new member make a first friend, and measure what works with your own numbers. Most Gen Z research comes from companies with something to sell, so treat it as a starting point and let your own retention data decide.
Want to follow new members through their first 90 days? Book a Wellyx demo and see lead follow-up, booking, and reporting for your gym.
