Contents
- Treadmill market statistics: U.S. participation and recent trends
- Treadmill market statistics: annual workout frequency
- Treadmill market statistics: casual participation
- Treadmill market statistics: core participation
- Treadmill market statistics: home ownership and buying interest
- Treadmill market statistics: treadmill brand preferences
- Sources
Treadmill market statistics: U.S. participation and recent trends
The available U.S. participation series counts people aged 6 and older who used a treadmill during a rolling 12-month period. SFIA reports participant counts in thousands. These figures represent people in the defined population who participated, not treadmill workouts, equipment purchases, sales, or revenue. The series provides a historical view from 2018 through 2023. Source: SFIA Topline Participation Report 2024, p. 32
| Year | U.S. treadmill participants (thousands) |
|---|---|
| 2018 | 53,737 |
| 2019 | 56,823 |
| 2020 | 49,832 |
| 2021 | 53,627 |
| 2022 | 53,589 |
| 2023 | 54,829 |
The reported count rose from 53,737 thousand in 2018 to 56,823 thousand in 2019. It was 49,832 thousand in 2020, then 53,627 thousand in 2021 and 53,589 thousand in 2022. The 2023 figure was 54,829 thousand. SFIA separately reports a 2.3% one-year change through 2023. That change belongs to the participation count series and does not describe sales or ownership. Source: SFIA Topline Participation Report 2024, p. 32
These observations show movement in the number of participants across the reporting years, including a lower count in 2020 followed by higher reported counts in 2021, 2022, and 2023. The figures alone do not explain why the counts changed. They also do not distinguish home use from use in a gym or another setting. Read them as a measure of reported participation in a rolling year, rather than as a direct picture of the treadmill market’s commercial size. Source: SFIA Topline Participation Report 2024, p. 32
Treadmill market statistics: annual workout frequency
SFIA’s “total frequency (mean)” is a separate measure from the participant counts. It reports mean annual treadmill participation occasions for the U.S. population aged 6 and older. An occasion is not a person or a piece of equipment; this metric summarizes frequency across the population under the report’s measure. Source: SFIA Topline Participation Report 2024, p. 28
| Year | Mean annual treadmill participation occasions |
|---|---|
| 2019 | 64 |
| 2020 | 68 |
| 2021 | 67 |
| 2022 | 66 |
| 2023 | 65 |
The mean was 64 occasions in 2019 and 68 in 2020. It then registered 67 in 2021, 66 in 2022, and 65 in 2023. SFIA reports a -2.1% one-year change for the 2023 frequency measure and a distinct 1.0% change across 2019–2023. The period labels matter: the one-year figure compares the reported measure through 2023, while the other covers 2019 to 2023. Source: SFIA Topline Participation Report 2024, p. 28
This mean frequency series should not be substituted for total participation. The count series answers how many people participated during a rolling 12-month period; the frequency series describes annual occasions as reported by SFIA. Neither one indicates the duration or intensity of a session, and neither identifies whether people walked or ran. Keeping those definitions distinct makes comparisons across the sections more useful. Source: SFIA Topline Participation Report 2024, p. 28
Treadmill market statistics: casual participation
SFIA defines casual treadmill participation as 1–49 times in a rolling 12-month period. The annual counts below are in thousands and cover the U.S. population aged 6 and older. “Casual” is a frequency category in the report; it does not state where the treadmill was used or characterize the type of user. Source: SFIA Topline Participation Report 2024, p. 32
| Year | Casual participants, 1–49 times (thousands) |
|---|---|
| 2018 | 25,826 |
| 2019 | 28,473 |
| 2020 | 19,549 |
| 2021 | 25,353 |
| 2022 | 26,401 |
| 2023 | 27,992 |
The casual count was 25,826 thousand in 2018 and 28,473 thousand in 2019. It was 19,549 thousand in 2020, followed by 25,353 thousand in 2021, 26,401 thousand in 2022, and 27,992 thousand in 2023. Each value describes the size of the defined frequency group in that reporting year. Source: SFIA Topline Participation Report 2024, p. 32
The 1–49-times definition sets a broad range of participation frequency. It does not supply separate detail about the number of sessions within that range, workout length, intensity, or equipment location. The series can therefore describe the scale of casual participation and its reported year-to-year pattern, but it cannot support conclusions about how casual participants behave beyond that threshold. It is also a historical participation measure, not a current consumer estimate. Source: SFIA Topline Participation Report 2024, p. 32
Treadmill market statistics: core participation
SFIA’s core category means treadmill participation 50+ times in a rolling 12-month period. As with the casual series, the counts are in thousands and refer to the U.S. population aged 6 and older. The threshold separates two report-defined frequency groups; it is not a weekly target or an equipment-use setting. Source: SFIA Topline Participation Report 2024, p. 32
| Year | Core participants, 50+ times (thousands) |
|---|---|
| 2018 | 27,911 |
| 2019 | 28,349 |
| 2020 | 30,283 |
| 2021 | 28,274 |
| 2022 | 27,189 |
| 2023 | 26,837 |
Core participation was 27,911 thousand in 2018 and 28,349 thousand in 2019. The reported count was 30,283 thousand in 2020, then 28,274 thousand in 2021, 27,189 thousand in 2022, and 26,837 thousand in 2023. These are the values for the 50+ times category, and the table preserves SFIA’s annual reporting units and population scope. Source: SFIA Topline Participation Report 2024, p. 32
Considered alongside casual participation, the core series provides a second view of the report’s frequency-defined population. Casual counts represent 1–49 times; core counts represent 50+ times. Both describe people, not workouts or machines, and the categories do not reveal whether activity took place at home or elsewhere. The reported values do not establish the reason either group changed across years. Source: SFIA Topline Participation Report 2024, p. 32
Treadmill market statistics: home ownership and buying interest
Bespoke’s Consumer Pulse Survey offers a separate, dated look at home equipment responses. In December 2021, 25.4% of respondents reported owning a treadmill at home. The question allowed respondents to select all products that applied and was asked of all respondents; the December sample was N=9,826. This percentage is a survey result from that period, not a current estimate of the share of U.S. households with treadmills. Source: Bespoke’s Consumer Pulse Survey, p. 33
The survey also asked about current home buying interest, excluding equipment respondents already owned. In December 2021, 15.2% said they were currently looking to buy a treadmill for home. This question was posed to all respondents, with a December sample of N=9,826. It measures stated current interest under the question’s exclusion, not a completed purchase or later buying behavior. Source: Bespoke’s Consumer Pulse Survey, p. 34
A further question used a longer horizon: whether respondents would consider buying or replacing equipment for home use in the next five years. For the treadmill item, 12.6% said they would consider it; the December sample was N=9,826. This consideration measure is different from current buying interest. The question concerns a possible purchase or replacement during the next five years, and the response does not mean a purchase happened. Source: Bespoke’s Consumer Pulse Survey, p. 42
| December 2021 survey measure | Response | Sample |
|---|---|---|
| Reported home treadmill ownership | 25.4% | N=9,826 |
| Currently looking to buy for home, excluding already-owned equipment | 15.2% | N=9,826 |
| Would consider buying or replacing for home use in the next five years | 12.6% | N=9,826 |
These measures have different wording and intent: one records reported ownership, one asks about current interest, and one asks about consideration over the next five years. Their denominator is survey respondents, not all treadmill participants or all U.S. households. Together they describe responses in December 2021 and should not be presented as present-day ownership or demand. Sources: Bespoke’s Consumer Pulse Survey, pp. 33, 34 and 42
Treadmill market statistics: treadmill brand preferences
Bespoke asked treadmill-owning respondents which brand they owned at home. Respondents with multiple treadmills were asked to identify the primary one used most often. In December 2021, the chart sample was N=2,498. NordicTrack was named by 34.3%, ProForm by 15.4%, Peloton by 14.0%, Bowflex by 11.7%, Echelon by 6.4%, and Schwinn by 5.6%. These percentages are responses among surveyed owners, not unit market share or sales share. Source: Bespoke’s Consumer Pulse Survey, p. 54
| Primary home treadmill brand named by owners | December 2021 response |
|---|---|
| NordicTrack | 34.3% |
| ProForm | 15.4% |
| Peloton | 14.0% |
| Bowflex | 11.7% |
| Echelon | 6.4% |
| Schwinn | 5.6% |
A separate question focused on people looking to buy a treadmill and asked which brand they were most likely to choose. In December 2021, the sample was N=1,405. Peloton was named by 31.8% and NordicTrack by 29.4%. The responses indicate stated preferences among prospective buyers, not orders or completed purchases. This group differs from the treadmill-owning respondents in the primary-brand question. Source: Bespoke’s Consumer Pulse Survey, p. 39
The brand questions therefore describe two distinct respondent groups and two distinct measures: the primary brand already used most often by surveyed owners, and the brand that prospective buyers said they were most likely to select. Both are December 2021 survey results. Their sample sizes and response percentages should remain attached to those questions when used to characterize treadmill brand preferences. Sources: Bespoke’s Consumer Pulse Survey, pp. 39 and 54