You’ve probably noticed your gym membership costs more than it did last year, or that new home equipment suddenly carries a bigger price tag than it used to. A new industry report says you’re not imagining it — and for a real share of people, the cost increase is becoming the reason they quit.
The report behind the number
The figures come from SFIA’s 2026 First Half Game Plan report, published August 20, 2026, covering the twelve months ending that June. It’s a mid-year check-in the association runs alongside its bigger annual survey, built to catch shifts a once-a-year report would miss.
The headline finding sounds like good news on its own: 81.3% of Americans age 6 and up participated in at least one of 126 tracked physical activities, and the share of Americans who are entirely inactive dropped to a record low of 18.7%. Cost is the complication sitting underneath that number.
How many people are actually affected
26.9% of participants said out-of-pocket cost affected how much they were able to participate, per the report. 30.2% said they paid more for their activity than they had the year before. The cost increase itself isn’t a rumor — roughly three in ten people who work out or play a sport are feeling it directly in what they’re charged.
Of the people who said cost was already affecting them, 24.9% said they’d quit altogether if prices kept climbing. That’s not “I’d cut back.” That’s a real share of a national participation number saying the activity goes away entirely past a certain price point.
The tariff connection, specifically
Of the participants reporting higher costs, 25% pointed to tariffs as a factor, according to SFIA. That’s a direct line from a trade policy most people never think about in a gym context. It shows up on a monthly membership statement, or on the price tag of a new set of dumbbells.
How “record participation” and “rising costs” can both be true
It sounds like a contradiction — inactivity at a record low while a quarter of participants say cost is squeezing them — but it isn’t one. Alex Kerman, SFIA’s Senior Director and Head of Research, put it this way in the association’s own release: “Rising costs are already affecting how some Americans participate, making affordability and access increasingly important.” People are still showing up. What they’re doing once they get there — how often, at what facility, with how much new gear — is what’s shrinking around the cost pressure.
Who’s most likely to walk away
The report’s own framing puts the risk at the margin, not the middle: people already paying close attention to cost, already stretched by a price increase, are the ones closest to the quitting threshold. If your own gym or league hasn’t raised prices yet, this data is less about you and more about the friend or family member who’s already mentioned cutting back.
What’s actually driving the price increases
Tariffs on imported equipment are one identified driver. They’re not standing alone — general cost-of-living pressure and facility operating costs are part of the same squeeze, per the report. What’s notable is that this is the first time SFIA’s own data has drawn a direct participant-reported line to tariffs specifically, rather than one undifferentiated pressure.
What to check before you renew
If a membership or league fee renewal is coming up, it’s worth asking directly whether the new price reflects a facility-wide increase or something specific to your plan. The answer changes whether shopping around actually helps. A price increase driven by equipment and operating costs across the board won’t be solved by switching gyms — one tied to a specific membership tier or contract might be.
The bottom line
Fitness participation in America hasn’t slowed down — it’s at a record high. The cost of sustaining it has just started climbing fast enough that a real share of participants are naming a breaking point, and tariffs are part of why.
This article was produced with the assistance of AI and reviewed by Womens Overview editors prior to publication.