2026 Employee Compensation and Benefits Report

Attracting and retaining top talent remains one of the most pressing challenges facing fitness operators, and now there's a new resource to help: the 2026 Employee Compensation and Benefits Report for the Commercial Health and Fitness Industry, a comprehensive benchmarking tool for pay, benefits, and workforce practices.

Based on confidential survey data from 88 companies representing 1,400 facilities across the United States and Canada, the report covers compensation benchmarks for approximately 50 job titles across corporate leadership, salaried club-level roles, and hourly positions. It was produced in partnership with Industry Insights, Inc., an independent research firm specializing in association benchmarking studies.

The report accounts for macroeconomic conditions, putting into context the industry’s performance under market conditions. The data also looks at the challenges of recruiting and retaining talent (see charts below), a growing concern for many operators.

Compensation trends

Compensation for senior leadership varies considerably by company size. Median CEO pay stands at $96,000 for organizations with less than $1 million in annual sales, rises to $140,000 in the $1 million to $10 million range, and climbs sharply to $375,000 for companies generating over $10 million. Average total compensation across all respondents for the CEO role was $244,852, with a median of $150,000—a gap that reflects the skewing effect of large organizations.

At the club level, the general manager role showed an average total compensation of $104,092, with a median of $95,000. Other notable salaried benchmarks include operations manager ($77,116 average), membership sales manager ($75,675), and fitness/training director ($118,592 at the corporate level). For hourly roles, personal trainers averaged $36.74 per hour full-time, while group exercise instructors averaged $34.00.

Turnover data reveals a sharp divide between workforce segments. Executive and senior management roles report just 2.8% turnover, while salaried club-level employees turn over at 9.9%. The most significant challenge lies in frontline staffing: hourly club-level positions report a 26.9% turnover rate, underscoring the ongoing retention pressure operators face at the floor level.

Hiring and retention

Filling open positions also takes time, particularly at senior levels. Executive and senior management roles take an average of 57 days to fill, compared with 42 days for management positions and 20 days for non-management roles. As for sourcing, digital platforms dominate: 53% of respondents cited online job search engines as their most successful recruiting channel, followed by employee referrals (17%) and company websites (11%).

Benefit offerings vary substantially by employee type. Medical insurance is widely available for salaried staff—with nearly three-quarters of organizations partially covering premiums—but coverage for dependents and hourly employees is less consistent. The most common health plan type is a PPO (37.7%), followed by HMOs (24.7%) and HSA-based plans (18.2%). Organizations reported an average 9.7% increase in healthcare costs in 2025.

On retirement, approximately 70% of organizations offer a plan—most commonly a 401(k)—and just over half (55%) provide an employer match, typically capped at 3%–5% of pay. Paid leave scales with tenure: salaried employees average nine days in their first year and more than 20 days after a decade on the job. Employee discounts are among the most universally offered perks across both salaried and hourly staff.

Whether you are evaluating compensation ranges or reassessing benefits packages, this report provides the foundation of data to inform those decisions.

The 2026 Employee Compensation and Benefits Report is available now to HFA members as a complimentary membership benefit, with discounted pricing for professional members. As with all HFA benchmarking research, segmented results are reported only where sufficient data supports reliable analysis, ensuring meaningful and confidential comparisons.

Health & Fitness Business (HFB) is the leading health and fitness industry publication. Published monthly by the Health & Fitness Association (HFA) and distributed free to the industry, HFB offers analysis of the opportunities, challenges, issues, and news that impact the industry.