According to ZipRecruiter, the average gym owner in the U.S. makes $131,526 as of July 25, 2023.
I’d dare to say that number doesn’t give you much info at all.
Here’s why.
The ZipRecruiter data—which is vague—suggests 42 percent of gym owners earn between $14,999 and $48,999 a year, and another 20 percent earn between $49,000 and $83,499. (Source: click here.)
So here’s another statement based on that data:
According to ZipRecruiter, 62 percent of gym owners make less than $84,000 a year.
I’m not a math wizard, but if 62 percent of gym owners make $48,027 less than the average gym owner earnings, it’s likely that some outliers are pulling the average way up.
More odd numbers: ZipRecruiter says that the average gym-owner salary in every U.S. state except Arkansas is above $100,000. (Source: click here.)
I won’t go so far as to say these numbers are wrong. But I will say the salary stats are very high when you compare them to verified data collected by Two-Brain Business.
ZipRecruiter’s numbers might be tied to a very specific group of gym owners whose exact characteristics are not supplied—perhaps owners of franchises in a huge national chain. From the ZipRecruiter site: “Salary estimates, histograms, trends and comparisons are derived from both employer job postings and third-party data sources.” Hmm.
For perspective, here are real, verified 2022 stats from our “State of the Industry” report:
- Half of our survey respondents take home less than $4,000 per month—$48,000 per year.
- The average Two-Brain client’s monthly earnings are $4,854 per month—$58,248 per year.
This is real data collected from real microgym owners. I’m not presenting it to dishearten you but to show you that random internet searches will reveal numbers that don’t always give you the perspective you need to make smart business decisions.
Imagine you’re a new entrepreneur who’s looking to open a gym. Average earnings of $131,526 look pretty sweet: “And that’s just the average! I’m going to be rich!”
So you push ahead without realizing that the vast majority of gym owners actually earn much less than that if they don’t have a mentor (more on that later).
Uh-oh.
Real Data Helps Gyms Owners
The quick exercise above should make it clear that verified, analyzed data supplied with perspective is critical to success in the gym business—and it isn’t always available.
Two-Brain Business is changing that. Every year since 2020, we’ve published a landmark “State of the Industry” report that gives gym owners the numbers they need to make smart decisions. The data it’s based on is so extensive that other fitness industry groups and major corporations regularly ask us to share it with them.
We make the annual report freely available to everyone—even though it costs a lot of money to produce—because we want gym owners to avoid mistakes, grow their businesses and serve more clients.
You have the chance to contribute to the 2023 report and get it before anyone else. Our short survey will take you about 7 minutes to fill out, and your numbers will help us produce the most complete analysis of the fitness industry.
Please take some time to enter your data:
Click here to fill out our 2023 “State of the Industry” survey.
Your participation ensures we can present the clearest picture of our industry and help gym owners make the best choices.
Good News!
If we circle back to the stats at the beginning of this article, here’s some good news: The average Two-Brain client takes home more than $1,000 more than the average gym owner every month ($4,854 vs. $3,787).
Takeaway: Mentorship works.
More good news: Even if the majority of gym owners make less than six figures, according to ZipRecruiter, gym owners can reach $100,000-plus in earnings in about two years with mentorship—no matter what their current salaries are.
This isn’t a made-up stat. It comes from our analysis of Two-Brain client progress. And remember that two years is an average. That means some gym owners are reaching $100,000 in earnings in a year or less. In fact, as of July 31, 2023, Two-Brain had certified 32 millionaire gym owners.
So if you’re disheartened by your current earnings or any of the stats I’ve discussed, know that six-figure earnings are possible as a gym owner, but you won’t reach that level just by checking out ZipRecruiter’s stats, opening a gym and hoping for the best.
If you want to earn $100,000 or more from your gym, you must have a data-backed plan—and Two-Brain has an exact blueprint to help gym owners reach six-figure earnings fast. To hear more about it, click here.
Our “State of the Industry 2023” report comes out Nov. 13.
Please take seven minutes to add your data to the pile.
