New Year & Health: Over 5.48M Americans Search for Gyms in Jan!

Published: December 10

Each January, fitness centers across the United States experience a notable surge in new sign-ups as people flock to meet their fitness goals. However, this year’s trend was anything but ordinary.

While gym-related searches soared by an impressive 21% in the first month of the year, this surge was swiftly followed by a puzzling 18% drop. What drives this fascinating cycle of peaks and valleys in gym attendance?

Is it the allure of New Year’s resolutions, the promise of a healthier lifestyle, or something deeper in the minds of gym-goers? In this report, we dive into the data to uncover this rollercoaster trend.

Average Monthly Searches Of Every 50 States In The USA

The image above shows that California topped the gym-related search trend with 552,500 average monthly searches in January 2024 out of the 50 states of the USA. This trend is followed by the states including – 

  • Texas, with 490,700 average monthly searches
  • Florida, with 377,900 average monthly searches
  • New York, with 301,200 average monthly searches
  • Illinois, with 202,600 average monthly searches
  • Georgia, with 157,200 average monthly searches
  • New Jersey, with 155,800 average monthly searches
  • Pennsylvania, with 154,300 average monthly searches
  • North Carolina, with 153,100 average monthly searches
  • Massachusetts, with 128,600 average monthly searches
  • Virginia, with 123,300 average monthly searches

One of the primary reasons why California is at the top of the list of maximum gym-related searches could be its population. According to The U.S. Census Bureau 2023, California is the most populated state in the USA, with over 38 million people. 

The table above also clearly shows that Wyoming, with a population of 584,057, has the lowest average number of searches in the USA (Jan’24).

Population To Search Ratio (In Percent) | Dec’23 – Feb’24

The image shown above clearly shows that the surge is followed by a sudden decrease in the population-to-search ratio. Inverted V is the right word to use for this statistic.  

Reading the table below suggests that even though California ranks first in the list of states with the highest average search results, it still has a low population-to-search turnout. Surprisingly, with only 5,877,610 residents, Colorado had the maximum turnout in January ’24, i.e., 1.99%. 

This trend is followed by the states including –

1. Massachusetts – 1.83%

2. New Jersey – 1.68%

3. Florida – 1.67%

4. Illinois – 1.61%

5. Texas – 1.60%

6. New York – 1.54%

7. Washington – 1.49%

8. Rhode Island  – 1.43%

9. California – 1.42%

10 Georgia – 1.42%

Gym-Related Search Growth In Jan 2024 (In %)

We have already discovered which* states have the maximum number of average searches in the month of January 2024. Now is the time to find out which states noticed the maximum growth from the previous month (Dec’23).

According to the bar graph, Arizona led the nation with a 48% increase in search growth in January. With an average search volume of 69,320 in December 2023, it increased to 102,400 in January 2024.

Not just that, According to Google Trends, the interest rate for the keyword “gyms” spiked from 67 (Nov 12 -Nov 18) to 100 (Dec 31 – Jan 6) in Arizona.

The rest of the top 10 states with the highest average search growth percent include:

1. Illinois – 44%

2. Massachusetts – 38%

3. Tennessee – 38%

4. Alabama – 38%

5. North Dakota – 38%

6. West Virginia – 38%

7. Georgia – 37%

8. Indiana – 36%

9. Florida – 35%

10. Idaho – 35%

On the other hand, Maine and Oregon noticed no growth in gym-related search queries.

How We Conducted Our Study?

Our SEO experts at Webspero Solutions got these insights by doing extensive research using industry-standard tools like Semrush, Google Trends, and Google Ads Planner. By comparing and analyzing search trends of the top-ranking keywords, we identified all our findings for this study.

Final Takeaways

-> New year, new you is the resolution that most take while looking forward to having a healthy year. This is probably the major reason for the sudden spike in gym-related search queries. 

Now that we know the reason for the rise let’s touch on the reasons for the decline:

-> Lack of motivation to join the gym after all 

-> People are already set in their gyming routine, so it decreases the number of searches, eventually in February. 

This year, we are ready to find out whether this spike and decline is a yearly nature in the gym business. 

gurushuran webspero
Gursharan Singh

Co-founder of WebSpero Solutions, with more than a decade of experience leading the company's Digital Marketing division, including SEO, GEO, PPC, and Content, which are his core domains. Gursharan's focus has always been on how businesses earn visibility in search, first through traditional SEO, and now increasingly through Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) as AI-driven search reshapes how content gets discovered and cited. He believes that original, high-quality content is the foundation of both search engines and AI models, which alike reward content that's genuinely useful, well-structured, and authoritative. At WebSpero, he heads the strategy behind SEO and GEO for client campaigns, directing teams to prioritize content that performs across traditional rankings and AI Overviews/LLM citations alike. Over the years, this focus has helped WebSpero build a strong reputation and track record in the marketing space.