Local market data · Gyms · Chicago
AI for gyms in Chicago
The Chicago metro area had 1,293 gyms in 2022, the 3rd most of 386 US metros and 3% of all in the country. They employed 23,962 people at an average of $21,693 a year. 56% have fewer than 10 staff, so the same few people answer the phone, book, follow up and do the paperwork. Those are the jobs AI tools take on today.
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A free 30-minute call. You leave knowing which part of your gym to hand to AI first, what we would build, and roughly how long it takes.
Gyms in Chicago vs the US
| Chicago metro | United States | |
|---|---|---|
| Businesses | 1,293 | 40,786 |
| People employed | 23,962 | 649,964 |
| Average staff per business | 18.5 | 15.9 |
| Average yearly pay per employee | $21,693 | $18,602 |
| Share with fewer than 10 staff | 56% | 60% |
Pay here is 17% higher than the national average for gyms, so every hour of staff time costs more to spend on admin. The average gym here has 18.5 people on payroll, 16% higher than the US figure of 15.9.
How big gyms in Chicago are
Businesses with paid employees, by number of employees, March 2022.
Gyms by county in the Chicago area
Cook County has the most, with 640 of the metro's 1,293 (49%). Among the 10 big metros on this page, Chicago ranks 4th for average pay and 9th for the share of small firms.
| County | Businesses | Employees | Avg pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cook County | 640 | 11,472 | $24,518 |
| DuPage County | 197 | 4,279 | $20,626 |
| Lake County | 143 | 2,230 | $24,428 |
| Will County | 91 | 1,778 | $16,673 |
| Kane County | 64 | 678 | $16,897 |
| McHenry County | 46 | 1,321 | $15,396 |
| Lake County | 46 | 1,046 | $16,342 |
| Porter County | 20 | 511 | $15,335 |
| Kendall County | 18 | 264 | $14,712 |
| DeKalb County | 11 | 240 | $15,388 |
| Grundy County | 11 | 119 | $13,681 |
| Jasper County | 5 | 18 | $9,944 |
Census withholds pay where few firms would make it identifiable.
Where AI helps a gym first
A gym loses people in three quiet places: the tour request nobody answered, the trial pass nobody followed up, and the member who simply stopped coming. AI can answer the phone and chat, chase every lead, and flag members who have gone quiet, so the front desk can stay with the people in the building. Pick one of those, run it for a month, then add the next.
What your team's admin hours cost in Chicago
Change any number. The starting values are the Chicago averages above; the hours and the share are yours to set.
Those hours cost you$76,000 a year
The share you would hand off$22,800 a year
Hours your team gets back2,280 a year
See what we would build for thisGuides for gyms, one job each
Gyms in other big metros
| Metro | Businesses | Avg pay | Rank of 387 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles | 1,814 | $22,375 | 2nd |
| New York | 2,840 | $24,544 | 1st |
| Miami | 944 | $23,437 | 7th |
| Dallas | 1,020 | $18,326 | 5th |
| Houston | 786 | $18,917 | 10th |
| Atlanta | 812 | $16,758 | 9th |
| Washington | 939 | $19,660 | 8th |
| Philadelphia | 982 | $18,119 | 6th |
| Boston | 1,032 | $20,901 | 4th |
Where these numbers come from
From the U.S. Census Bureau, County Business Patterns 2022 (released 2024), industry code NAICS 713940 (Fitness and recreational sports centers), for the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN metro area (13 counties). It counts businesses with paid employees in March 2022, so solo owners with no payroll are not in it. Average pay is total yearly payroll divided by employees. The calculator uses 50 working weeks and 2,080 hours a year. Page checked 2026-11-12.
Find the hours your gym can get back
A free 30-minute call. You leave knowing which part of your gym to hand to AI first, what we would build, and roughly how long it takes.
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