As America’s obesity epidemic worsens and health gaps widen, one often overlooked factor stands out: access to gyms. Save for the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic, fitness-related businesses—and public interest in them—have seen steady growth since 2012, but access to fitness centers is still far from uniform across the country.
A new analysis from Cinch examines the U.S. metros and states with the highest concentration of gyms. Using the latest data from the BLS and CDC, researchers calculated the number of fitness centers per 100,000 residents in each location.
Key Takeaways, With Data for New York State
- Public Interest in Gyms Keeps Growing: Searches for “gym membership” peaked in early 2025 after a steep pandemic-era decline. Meanwhile, the number of gyms in the U.S. has risen by 56% since 2012, compared to 38% for total private establishments.
- Strong Link Between Gym Access and Better Health: Nationally, there are 13.2 gyms per 100K residents, but some locations far exceed that—and many of those locations see higher activity levels, lower obesity rates, and more adults in good health than average.
- The Northeast Leads in Gym Density: The region averages 15.1 gyms per 100,000 residents, followed by the West (14.0), South (13.0), and Midwest (11.3). These differences may reflect potential barriers to access like geographic spread, lower population density, or limited demand.
- Gym Access in New York State: In total, New York State has 2,655 gyms and fitness centers—about 13.5 for every 100,000 residents, more than the national average of 13.2.
The full report covers 346 U.S. metros and all 50 states, with a detailed breakdown of gym density, the share of adults in good health, physical activity rates, and obesity prevalence for each location.