Updated November 8, 2026
Quick answer: In 2024, 32.9% of US adults met the leisure-time muscle-strengthening guideline in Healthy People 2030's age-adjusted series. That is not a count of barbell lifters. National participation, fitness-facility equipment use and meeting both activity guidelines describe different things, so we keep them separate.
What are the key statistics?
- 32.9%: 2024 national participation. 2024; US adults aged 18 and older; Age adjusted to the year 2000 standard population. Healthy People 2030, PA-04 data.
- 28.3%: Women meeting the muscle-strengthening guideline. 2024; US adults aged 18 and older; Age adjusted to the year 2000 standard population. Healthy People 2030, PA-04 data.
- 41.5%: Ages 18 to 24. 2024; US adults in the specified age group; Not age adjusted. Healthy People 2030, PA-04 data.
- 34.6%: Metropolitan residents meeting the guideline. 2024; US adults aged 18 and older; Age adjusted to the year 2000 standard population. Healthy People 2030, PA-04 data.
- 26.4 million: Past-year dumbbell users at fitness facilities. 2025; HFA fitness-facility equipment users; Not age adjusted / not applicable. Health & Fitness Association, 2026 consumer report summary.
What percentage of US adults do strength training?
The national series measures leisure-time muscle-strengthening activity on at least two days per week. It does not identify which equipment someone uses. Read the values as dated participation estimates, not as the size of a retail market.
Population: US adults aged 18 and older. Adjustment: Age adjusted to the year 2000 standard population.
| Measure | Published result | Data year / period | Original source |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 national participation | 31.9% | 2020 | Healthy People 2030, PA-04 data |
| 2022 national participation | 31.5% | 2022 | Healthy People 2030, PA-04 data |
| 2024 national participation | 32.9% | 2024 | Healthy People 2030, PA-04 data |
How does participation differ by sex?
These categories reproduce the source's sex classifications. The values describe participation, not strength, motivation or what equipment anyone should buy.
Population: US adults aged 18 and older. Adjustment: Age adjusted to the year 2000 standard population.
| Measure | Published result | Data year / period | Original source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Men meeting the muscle-strengthening guideline | 37.7% | 2024 | Healthy People 2030, PA-04 data |
| Women meeting the muscle-strengthening guideline | 28.3% | 2024 | Healthy People 2030, PA-04 data |
Which age groups report strength training most often?
The age-group results describe meeting the same leisure-time guideline. Some age bands overlap and must not be added together. Lower rates in an older group are not evidence about any particular person's ability.
Population: US adults in the specified age group. Adjustment: Not age adjusted.
| Measure | Published result | Data year / period | Original source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ages 18 to 24 | 41.5% | 2024 | Healthy People 2030, PA-04 data |
| Ages 25 to 44 | 37.6% | 2024 | Healthy People 2030, PA-04 data |
| Ages 45 to 54 | 32.7% | 2024 | Healthy People 2030, PA-04 data |
| Ages 55 to 64 | 25.8% | 2024 | Healthy People 2030, PA-04 data |
| Ages 65 to 74 | 23.9% | 2024 | Healthy People 2030, PA-04 data |
| Ages 75 to 84 | 21.7% | 2024 | Healthy People 2030, PA-04 data |
| Ages 85 and older | 14.7% | 2024 | Healthy People 2030, PA-04 data |
| Ages 45 to 64, combined band | 29.2% | 2024 | Healthy People 2030, PA-04 data |
| Ages 65 and older, combined band | 22.2% | 2024 | Healthy People 2030, PA-04 data |
How does participation vary with education and income?
Education and income are associated with different reported participation rates in this dataset. The table does not establish why those differences exist. Education results cover adults aged at least 25, while income results cover adults aged at least 18.
Population: Education: US adults 25+; income: US adults 18+. Adjustment: Age adjusted to the year 2000 standard population.
| Measure | Published result | Data year / period | Original source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Less than high school, meeting the guideline | 16.4% | 2024 | Healthy People 2030, PA-04 data |
| High school, meeting the guideline | 22.4% | 2024 | Healthy People 2030, PA-04 data |
| Some college or associate degree, meeting the guideline | 31.6% | 2024 | Healthy People 2030, PA-04 data |
| Four-year college degree or more, meeting the guideline | 42.4% | 2024 | Healthy People 2030, PA-04 data |
| Family income below 100% of poverty threshold | 20.2% | 2024 | Healthy People 2030, PA-04 data |
| Family income 100% to 199% of poverty threshold | 23.1% | 2024 | Healthy People 2030, PA-04 data |
| Family income 200% to 399% of poverty threshold | 29.5% | 2024 | Healthy People 2030, PA-04 data |
| Family income at least 400% of poverty threshold | 42.0% | 2024 | Healthy People 2030, PA-04 data |
Does participation differ between metropolitan and non-metropolitan areas?
These estimates describe the source's geographic categories. They are not state rankings and do not by themselves measure gym availability.
Population: US adults aged 18 and older. Adjustment: Age adjusted to the year 2000 standard population.
| Measure | Published result | Data year / period | Original source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Metropolitan residents meeting the guideline | 34.6% | 2024 | Healthy People 2030, PA-04 data |
| Non-metropolitan residents meeting the guideline | 22.0% | 2024 | Healthy People 2030, PA-04 data |
How is meeting both activity guidelines different from strength training alone?
CDC's older 2020 snapshot helps define the categories, not update the 2024 series. The two-guideline category requires both aerobic and muscle-strengthening activity. The crude strength-only-or-with-aerobic total below must not be spliced into the age-adjusted PA-04 trend.
Population: US adults aged 18 and older. Adjustment: Crude estimates, not the PA-04 age-adjusted series.
| Measure | Published result | Data year / period | Original source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Met both aerobic and muscle-strengthening guidelines | 24.2% | 2020 | CDC NCHS Data Brief 443 |
| Met only the muscle-strengthening guideline | 6.8% | 2020 | CDC NCHS Data Brief 443 |
| Met the muscle-strengthening guideline, with or without aerobic sufficiency | 31.0% | 2020 | CDC NCHS Data Brief 443 |
What do fitness-facility data say about dumbbell use?
Facility behavior provides useful commercial context, but it is not a national strength-training prevalence measure. HFA reports the following equipment-use figures for 2025. A person may use more than one type of equipment.
Population: HFA fitness-facility equipment users. Adjustment: Not age adjusted / not applicable.
| Measure | Published result | Data year / period | Original source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Past-year dumbbell users at fitness facilities | 26.4 million | 2025 | Health & Fitness Association, 2026 consumer report summary |
| Dumbbell users engaging weekly | 56.4% | 2025 | Health & Fitness Association, 2026 consumer report summary |
| Compound annual growth in dumbbell users since 2021 | 6.4% | 2025 | Health & Fitness Association, 2026 consumer report summary |
| Past-year treadmill users, a cardio comparison | 34.4 million | 2025 | Health & Fitness Association, 2026 consumer report summary |
How we compiled this
We compiled publicly accessible results, not a new survey. Healthy People 2030 PA-04 uses National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) estimates for US adults. Overall and subgroup estimates marked age adjusted use the year 2000 standard population; age-group rates are not age adjusted. CDC Data Brief 443 supplies a separately labeled 2020 context panel. HFA's 2026 report summary describes 2025 fitness-facility behavior, from its annual tracking study of approximately 18,000 US residents aged six and older. These are three source publications, not three independent national estimates of the same quantity. Self-report, differing age coverage and differing activity definitions limit comparisons. No national headcount, causal effect or significance test was calculated. Data years remain separate from this page's update date.
All source pages below were opened and checked on November 8, 2026 (Asia/Manila). Source publications can update after this review. We do not claim ownership of the underlying third-party statistics.
- Healthy People 2030, PA-04 data. Checked November 8, 2026.
- CDC NCHS Data Brief 443. Checked November 8, 2026.
- Health & Fitness Association, 2026 consumer report summary. Checked November 8, 2026.
How should readers use these findings?
The participation tables are most useful for describing who reports meeting a defined weekly threshold. The facility panel answers a different question about equipment users. Combining them does not produce a defensible count of US weightlifters or an estimate of demand for any Nordic Lifting product.
Related Nordic Lifting resources
These links are separate from the research findings. The sources did not test or endorse Nordic Lifting products.
- Wrist Wraps & Lifting Straps Bundle
- Nordic Lifting press room
- Small-space workout equipment guide
- Straps and wraps
- Women in Strength Training: US Participation Statistics
- Home Gym Statistics: Space, Cost and Equipment Choices
Frequently asked questions
What percentage of US adults do strength training?
In the Healthy People 2030 age-adjusted series, 32.9% of US adults aged 18 and older met the leisure-time muscle-strengthening guideline in 2024. This includes more than lifting weights and is not a national count of weightlifters. Original source and methodology.
Is strength training participation increasing?
The age-adjusted PA-04 series reports 31.9% in 2020, 31.5% in 2022 and 32.9% in 2024. These dated observations should not be described as uninterrupted annual growth. Original source and methodology.
Does muscle-strengthening participation mean weightlifting?
No. The NHIS definition includes activities such as sit-ups, push-ups and lifting weights. It is broader than barbell lifting, Olympic weightlifting or powerlifting.
Can national participation and gym equipment use be compared directly?
No. They cover different populations, time windows and behaviors. Gym equipment use is not the same measure as meeting a weekly muscle-strengthening guideline.
Why are age-adjusted and age-group rates labeled separately?
Age adjustment standardizes the age distribution for comparisons. The age-specific figures describe each actual age group and are not interchangeable with that standardized series.
May journalists reuse these statistics?
Yes. Credit Nordic Lifting with a backlink to this page, retain the original-source credits and data years, and respect the original sources' terms. Questions can go to henrik@nordiclifting.com.
Ready-to-copy citation
Nordic Lifting. US Strength Training Statistics 2026: Age and Participation. Updated November 8, 2026. https://nordiclifting.com/pages/strength-training-statistics. Retain the specific statistic's data year and original-source link shown in the table.
Source: Nordic Lifting, US Strength Training Statistics 2026: Age and Participation (https://nordiclifting.com/pages/strength-training-statistics), updated November 8, 2026. Original data: retain the linked source and data year accompanying the selected statistic.