The Chicago Fitness Market at a Glance
SweatLocal now catalogs 2,149 fitness studios across 190 cities in the greater Chicago area, spanning Cook, DuPage, Lake, Will, Kane, and McHenry counties. This is our first market snapshot — a baseline for tracking how the region’s fitness landscape evolves month over month.
Here’s what the data shows.
Format Breakdown
The Chicago metro’s fitness market skews toward general fitness and personal training, which together account for over 800 studios. But the boutique formats — yoga, Pilates, CrossFit, boxing — are where the density gets interesting.
| Format | Studios | Avg Rating | Total Reviews |
|---|---|---|---|
| General Fitness | 541 | 4.47★ | 103,915 |
| Personal Training | 306 | 4.91★ | 11,455 |
| Yoga | 304 | 4.85★ | 13,711 |
| Pilates | 252 | 4.86★ | 11,705 |
| Strength | 193 | 4.89★ | 13,222 |
| Kickboxing | 177 | 4.86★ | 9,311 |
| Boxing | 124 | 4.82★ | 6,240 |
| Crossfit | 113 | 4.84★ | 10,150 |
| Hiit | 50 | 4.86★ | 4,340 |
| Barre | 45 | 4.88★ | 3,875 |
| Cycling | 21 | 4.94★ | 1,265 |
| Bootcamp | 21 | 4.78★ | 1,333 |
| Lagree | 1 | 5.0★ | 10 |
| Dance | 1 | 4.8★ | 25 |
Yoga leads the boutique segment with 304 studios, followed by Pilates at 252. CrossFit maintains strong representation at 113 boxes — roughly one for every 1.5 cities in our coverage area.
Where the Studios Are
Chicago proper dominates with 485 studios, but the suburban density is remarkable. Naperville alone has 72 studios, making it the clear suburban fitness capital.
Top 10 cities by studio count:
- Chicago — 485 studios (avg 4.75★)
- Naperville — 72 studios (avg 4.82★)
- Evanston — 51 studios (avg 4.84★)
- Aurora — 47 studios (avg 4.64★)
- Northbrook — 40 studios (avg 4.87★)
- Plainfield — 37 studios (avg 4.75★)
- Oak Park — 37 studios (avg 4.74★)
- Highland Park — 36 studios (avg 4.86★)
- Libertyville — 33 studios (avg 4.87★)
- Elmhurst — 33 studios (avg 4.81★)
Franchise vs. Independent
Of the 2,149 studios tracked, 1,754 (81%) are independent and 395 (18%) are franchise locations. The independents aren’t just more numerous — they tend to score higher on Google reviews, suggesting that local ownership correlates with stronger community engagement.
The Review Leaders
The most-reviewed studios in the Chicago area tell a story about which formats generate the strongest customer loyalty:
- Planet Fitness (Elgin) — 1,780 reviews, 4.7★
- Planet Fitness (Joliet) — 1,738 reviews, 4.7★
- Planet Fitness (Bolingbrook) — 1,486 reviews, 4.7★
- Planet Fitness (Waukegan) — 1,469 reviews, 4.7★
- Planet Fitness (Montgomery) — 1,442 reviews, 4.7★
What’s Next
This is our baseline. Starting in April, we’ll publish monthly diffs: new studio openings, closings, rating changes, and format growth trends. If you’re a studio owner or fitness enthusiast who wants the monthly report in your inbox, email us to get on the list.
Data collected March 2026 via Google Maps API. Ratings and review counts reflect publicly available Google Reviews data.