Crunch Fitness franchise unit economics
Crunch Fitness franchisees run big-box gyms that sell monthly memberships at several price levels plus personal training.
Crunch Fitness in the news
- Crunch Fitness Acquires Bay Area Franchise Locations, Expanding Corporate Footprint · Athletech News ·
- Crunch's CR Fitness Plans to Open 20 Clubs in Phoenix · Athletech News ·
Each Crunch Fitness headline above is the publisher's own and links to the publisher. Averan Advisors checked these Crunch Fitness links on 11 October 2026. Franchise news lists news on 95 brands, including Crunch Fitness. Crunch Fitness is in the Gyms and Clubs franchise guide.
Crunch Fitness franchise at a glance
Crunch Fitness's 2026 FDD reports a profit and loss statement for the median club in each of four age groups, from 12 to 59 months open, with member counts and personal training revenue, plus average and median sales for the upper, middle and bottom thirds of its 331 reporting clubs.
Crunch Fitness franchisees averaged $3,134,867 of sales in 2025, according to Item 19 of Crunch Fitness’ 2026 FDD, issued 29 April 2026. The 331 in that group are 69%* of Crunch Fitness’ 481 locations. Fees paid to Crunch Fitness come to about 7%* of sales. A Crunch Fitness franchise costs $2,147,500 to $5,367,000 to open.
- A Crunch Fitness franchise costs $2,147,500 to $5,367,000 to open, including a $35,000 initial franchise fee, according to the brand's 2026 FDD.
- Crunch Fitness charges a royalty of 5% of sales and a 2% brand fund contribution.
- Crunch Fitness reported 481 franchised locations in its 2026 FDD.
- The median Crunch Fitness club open 24 to 35 months had EBITDA of 34.1% of revenue in 2025. Crunch Fitness’s FDD defines EBITDA as earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization.
- At the median Crunch Fitness club open 24 to 35 months, wages and benefits took 26.8%, rent took 19.1% and cost of goods took 2.1% of sales in 2025.
- Work out Crunch Fitness's fees at your own sales with the minimum fee calculator.
These figures come from Crunch Fitness's 2026 Franchise Disclosure Document, as the brand reported them, and were read by Averan Advisors.
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Talk to Averan → Move your books and accounting to Averan →- Average members sit between 8,524 and 8,702 from month 12 to month 59. That is a 2.1% range, and 11.4% of the 75,000 people in a protected territory.
- Personal training revenue runs $325,644 to $994,157 across the median clubs. Three times, while membership revenue moves 17%.
- The published profit line skips the cost of goods sold printed directly above it. Deducting it takes the 12-to-23-month median club from $873,488 to $816,256.
- Rent takes 27.3% of revenue at the 12-to-23-month median club and 19.1% at the 24-to-35-month one. That is $14.02 to $24.08 a square foot on 35,863 to 48,703 square feet.
- The build costs $2,147,500 to $5,367,000, with the real property excluded from both figures. Building work alone is $950,000 to $3,000,000.
How much does a Crunch Fitness franchise make?
The average Crunch Fitness unit reported $3,134,867 of revenue in the 2026 FDD. The brand’s disclosure document puts the median 24-to-35-month club’s EBITDA at 34.1% of revenue. Fees come off the top first, at about 7% of sales across royalty, brand fund and the rest of the stack. Revenue is not income. Rent, wages, cost of goods and the franchise fees all come out before an owner is paid. The figures for the highest-selling and lowest-selling businesses are below.
Members & territory
Members, revenue and profit by club age, 2025
| Group | Clubs | Average members | Average monthly revenue | Average sales | Average profit | Revenue per member a month | Share of a 75,000 territory |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Open 12–23 months | 58 | 8,524 | $299,784 | $3,597,409 | $995,863 | $35.17 | 11.37% |
| Open 24–35 months | 53 | 8,617 | $308,736 | $3,704,826 | $1,203,776 | $35.83 | 11.49% |
| Open 36–47 months | 32 | 8,702 | $290,735 | $3,488,816 | $1,166,905 | $33.41 | 11.60% |
| Open 48–59 months | 22 | 8,564 | $288,118 | $3,457,412 | $1,094,726 | $33.64 | 11.42% |
| Upper third, all clubs | 110 | n/a | n/a | $4,863,524 | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| Middle third, all clubs | 111 | n/a | n/a | $2,898,138 | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| Bottom third, all clubs | 110 | n/a | n/a | $1,645,090 | n/a | n/a | n/a |
Members, revenue, profit and club counts are as the brand reported it. Revenue per member and territory share are marked *, the latter using the roughly 75,000 people a protected territory covers.
Member counts run 8,524, 8,617, 8,702 and 8,564 across four years of trading. That is a 2.1% range. Whatever happens to a Crunch club after its first twelve months, gaining members is largely beside the point. For an owner that reframes the whole operating question: the job is holding roughly 8,600 people and selling more to them.
A club holds about 11.4% of the people in its protected territory. That is 8,524 to 8,702 members against roughly 75,000 people *. That is a genuinely high penetration for a fitness brand and it accounts for the plateau. At one in nine residents, the remaining demand is thinner than the first. It also sets the ceiling for any second club in an adjacent territory.
Revenue per member is $33.41 to $35.83 a month. That is on a base membership priced at $9.95 and a Peak option at $19.95, with network pricing reaching $49.95. So roughly two-thirds of what a member is worth arrives through annual fees, enrollment fees, personal training and retail. That mix is the operating lever this model actually offers.
Profit per member runs $116.83 at 12 to 23 months and $139.70 at 24 to 35 months *. That is a $22.87 step on an unchanged member count. Across the whole 12-to-59-month range profit per member moves $116.83 to $139.70 while members move 2.1%. That is another way of saying this business improves by monetizing.
The upper third averages $4,863,524 and the bottom third $1,645,090, 2.96 times. The highest-selling club bills $7,614,726 and the lowest-selling $812,737, a difference of 9.4 times. Medians sit close to the averages in the middle and bottom thirds. In the upper third, the median sits $132,041 below the average. So the very top of this system is a handful of outsized clubs.
Top performers
What separates the top Crunch Fitness performers
Crunch Fitness splits its locations into groups instead of publishing one average. The top group averaged $4,863,524 a year. The lowest averaged $1,645,090. Both run the same brand, on the same agreement, paying the same fees.
Decided before you open
- Site and trade area.The top band sells 3.0× the bottom band. Catchment, daytime population and neighboring businesses affect where a location falls.
- Capacity.Locations run 35,863 to 48,703 square feet. The build sets how much you can sell.
- Opening cost range.Opening costs $2,147,500 to $5,367,000, a 2.5× range inside one brand.
- Lease cost.Occupancy cost ran 19.1% of sales in this filing. Rent stays the same when sales fall, so it takes a larger share of sales at lower-selling locations.
- Cash needed in the first year.This filing shows how a new location builds up: the month sales cover costs, and how much cash you fund before then.
Live operating levers
- Wages.Wages take 26.8% of sales, against EBITDA of 34.1% at that club. The levers are staff productivity, scheduling against demand hour by hour, and the balance of base pay to commission.
- Occupancy cost.Rent and building costs take 19.1% of sales here. The rent is fixed when the lease is signed, so this share falls only as sales per square foot rise.
- Membership drives the model.Track how many members join, how many cancel, and what each member spends beyond the plan.
- Service and retail mix.Retail sales and the share of customers on higher service tiers raise revenue per hour without adding hours or rooms.
- Fees.Crunch Fitness’ fees run about 7.0% of sales, and Crunch Fitness sets no minimum royalty.
Context you underwrite around
- Locations included.These figures cover 331 of 481 locations. Locations open less than the full year, brand-owned, or not meeting the reporting criteria are excluded, as are locations under the brand’s current size standard.
- What the filing does not include.Item 19 publishes no attainment figure, and its profit and loss covers the median club in each age group, not every club.
Fees and what it costs to open
Royalty and fees
| Median club | Total sales | Royalty at 5% | Brand fund at 2% | Required local marketing | Actual marketing as the brand reported it | Total on actuals | Share of revenue |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12–23 months | $3,169,574 | $158,479 | $63,391 | $221,870 | $242,138 | $464,008 | 14.6% |
| 24–35 months | $3,568,798 | $178,440 | $71,376 | $210,696 | $210,205 | $460,021 | 12.9% |
| 36–47 months | $3,885,497 | $194,275 | $77,710 | $202,394 | $239,067 | $511,052 | 13.2% |
| 48–59 months | $2,927,457 | $146,373 | $58,549 | $182,127 | $220,168 | $425,090 | 14.5% |
Ours, built from the filed rates applied to each median club's filed revenue. Crunch charges a 5% royalty on monthly gross sales and a 2% Brand Marketing Fund contribution, both drawn automatically on the 5th of the following month through the franchisor's membership management platform. The franchisor reserves the right to charge a pro rata share of actual marketing expenses instead of the 2%.
Three of the four median clubs spend above their marketing requirement. They spend $20,268, $36,673 and $38,041 more. The 24-to-35-month club lands within $491 of the formula, which is close enough to suggest it is spending to the minimum. So the requirement is a minimum that most operators choose to clear, and any model built on the contractual minimum understates what the system actually spends.
The marketing formula takes the lesser of two numbers. That is 7% of gross sales including personal training, against an age-based minimum measured on sales excluding it. For the 36-to-47-month median club, where training is 25.6% of revenue, that choice saves $69,591 a year against the 7%-of-everything figure *. A club that grows its training business therefore lowers its marketing obligation as a share of total sales.
Royalty and brand fund together take 7% of gross sales, with no minimum. That is $221,870 at the youngest median club and $271,985 at the 36-to-47-month one. Unlike most fitness brands in this library these have no monthly minimum. So the percentage stays a percentage all the way down, a real structural advantage for a club having a slow year.
Cost to open a club
| Item | Low | High |
|---|---|---|
| Building work | $950,000 | $3,000,000 |
| Fitness equipment, fixtures and other fixed assets | $850,000 | $1,500,000 |
| Office equipment, technology, furniture and graphics | $100,000 | $200,000 |
| Additional funds, three months | $25,000 | $200,000 |
| Utilities, licenses, bonding and prepaid expenses | $30,000 | $100,000 |
| Initial advertising | $45,000 | $75,000 |
| Architect fees | $35,000 | $60,000 |
| Signs | $25,000 | $50,000 |
| Professional fees | $20,000 | $50,000 |
| Initial franchise fee | $35,000 | $35,000 |
| Insurance | $15,000 | $35,000 |
| Construction extension fee | $0 | $20,000 |
| Permitting fees | $5,000 | $15,000 |
| Opening inventory | $8,000 | $16,000 |
| Training expenses | $4,000 | $8,000 |
| Site selection travel | $500 | $3,000 |
| Total | $2,147,500 | $5,367,000 |
As the brand reported it, reordered here by size.
Building work and equipment are $1,800,000 to $4,500,000, 84% of the build at both ends. Everything else combined is $347,500 to $867,000. The range on those two lines alone is $2,700,000, which is 84% of the total $3,219,500 range. Where a club lands inside it is a construction and landlord question decided before the doors open.
The build is 0.44 to 1.10 times the upper-third club's annual revenue, and 1.31 to 3.26 times the bottom third's. That is $2,147,500 to $5,367,000 against $4,863,524 and $1,645,090. Measured against profit instead, the low build is 2.2 years of the 12-to-23-month average of $995,863 and the high build is 5.4 years, before rent is capitalized, financed or paid.
$25,000 to $200,000 of additional funds covers three months. The low figure is four days of the 12-to-23-month median club's operating expenses *, which sits oddly against a build of $2,147,500. The high figure is just over a month. On a format that costs $866,770 of annual rent at the youngest median club, working capital deserves its own number.
The profit and loss
Profit and loss for the median club by age, 2025
| Line | 12–23 months | Share | 24–35 months | Share | 36–47 months | Share | 48–59 months | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clubs in grouping | 58 | n/a | 53 | n/a | 32 | n/a | 22 | n/a |
| Square footage | 36,000 | n/a | 48,703 | n/a | 35,863 | n/a | 45,000 | n/a |
| Membership revenue | $2,738,206 | 86.4% | $2,921,294 | 81.9% | $2,793,083 | 71.9% | $2,493,953 | 85.2% |
| Personal training revenue | $327,215 | 10.3% | $558,851 | 15.7% | $994,157 | 25.6% | $325,644 | 11.1% |
| Other revenue | $104,154 | 3.3% | $88,653 | 2.5% | $98,257 | 2.5% | $107,860 | 3.7% |
| Total sales | $3,169,574 | 100.0% | $3,568,798 | 100.0% | $3,885,497 | 100.0% | $2,927,457 | 100.0% |
| Cost of goods sold | $57,231 | 1.8% | $74,461 | 2.1% | $52,437 | 1.3% | $52,022 | 1.8% |
| Rent | $866,770 | 27.3% | $682,603 | 19.1% | $761,935 | 19.6% | $665,259 | 22.7% |
| Wages and benefits | $677,329 | 21.4% | $957,930 | 26.8% | $1,104,295 | 28.4% | $806,771 | 27.6% |
| Club expense | $509,850 | 16.1% | $500,713 | 14.0% | $613,427 | 15.8% | $457,059 | 15.6% |
| Sales and marketing | $242,138 | 7.6% | $210,205 | 5.9% | $239,067 | 6.2% | $220,168 | 7.5% |
| Total operating expense | $2,296,087 | 72.4% | $2,351,451 | 65.9% | $2,718,723 | 70.0% | $2,149,256 | 73.4% |
| EBITDAR | $1,740,258 | 54.9% | $1,899,950 | 53.2% | $1,928,709 | 49.6% | $1,443,460 | 49.3% |
| EBITDA as the brand reported it | $873,488 | 27.6% | $1,217,347 | 34.1% | $1,166,774 | 30.0% | $778,201 | 26.6% |
| EBITDA after cost of goods sold * | $816,256 | 25.8% | $1,142,886 | 32.0% | $1,114,337 | 28.7% | $726,179 | 24.8% |
Every dollar figure through the profit line is as the brand reported it, reordered here by size. The shares of revenue and the final row are marked *.
Membership revenue moves 17% across the four age groups and personal training moves three times. That is $2,493,953 to $2,921,294 against $325,644 to $994,157. The 36-to-47-month median club earns the highest total sales in the table, $3,885,497, on membership revenue lower than the 24-to-35-month club's. Its personal training revenue of $994,157 is $435,306 above the 24-to-35-month club's. In a system where member counts flatten after year one, that is where the growth lives.
The filed profit line skips the cost of goods sold printed directly above it. Total sales less total operating expense reproduces each filed profit figure to within a dollar. That means the $52,022 to $74,461 of cost of goods has been left out. Restoring it takes the 12-to-23-month median club from $873,488 to $816,256 and the 24-to-35-month one from $1,217,347 to $1,142,886 *. Worth adjusting before any of these figures goes into a model.
Rent is 27.3% of revenue at the youngest median club and 19.1% at the next one. That is $866,770 on 36,000 square feet against $682,603 on 48,703, $24.08 a square foot against $14.02. The 8.2-point gap is worth $260,000 of profit a year at this revenue level, and it is decided entirely at the lease. In a format where the box is 36,000 to 49,000 square feet, rent per square foot is the single number that separates these clubs.
Wages run 21.4% at the youngest median club and 28.4% at the 36-to-47-month one. Rising with personal training, since trainers are paid out of that line and training revenue rises from 10.3% of sales to 25.6%. So the wages increase is buying revenue: the 36-to-47-month club adds 7.0 points of wages and 15.3 points of training revenue.
EBITDAR runs 49.3% to 54.9% across all four groups, far tighter than profit at 26.6% to 34.1%. Strip rent out and these clubs look almost identical. Put rent back and they separate by 7.5 points. Rent decides a Crunch club’s outcome.
Club expense holds at 14.0% to 16.1% across every group. That is $457,059 to $613,427, covering utilities, repairs, technology, supplies, card processing and professional fees. It is the most stable line in the table and the one least worth chasing; the money is in rent, training and the marketing requirement.
The network of locations
Clubs opened and closed, 2023 to 2025
| Year | Start | Opened | Terminations | Non-renewals | Reacquired | Ceased, other | End | Net change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 315 | 52 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 359 | +44 |
| 2024 | 359 | 68 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 11 | 415 | +56 |
| 2025 | 415 | 82 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 13 | 481 | +66 |
As the brand reported it; every row reconciles exactly.
Openings rose 52, 68, 82 while departures ran 8, 12 and 16. The network grew 52.7% across three years, from 315 franchised clubs to 481. At a build costing $2,147,500 upward, 82 openings in a single year is a substantial amount of committed capital.
95 projected openings sit against 5 signed but unopened agreements. An unusual shape: most brands have a long backlog of signed agreements and project a fraction of it. Here the pipeline is thin on paper and the projection is large. That means the coming year's openings depend on agreements yet to be signed or on existing multi-club owners exercising development schedules.
Departures ran 2.5%, 3.3% and 3.9% of the club base. That is 8 in 2023, 12 in 2024 and 16 in 2025, rising in number and as a share. Against 82 openings that is comfortably covered, but the trend is upward in a network whose clubs cost over $2m to build.
Affiliate-held clubs fell from 13 to 5. Two sold to franchisees and one closed in 2025, after five left in 2023. Every club in the performance tables is franchisee-operated: the five affiliate locations are excluded from the analysis explicitly.
Questions we get asked
Questions owners ask.
How much does a Crunch Fitness franchise make?
Crunch Fitness franchisees averaged $3,134,867 of sales in 2025, according to Item 19 of Crunch Fitness’ 2026 FDD, issued 29 April 2026. The 331 in that group are 69%* of Crunch Fitness’ 481 locations. Fees paid to Crunch Fitness come to about 7%* of sales. A Crunch Fitness franchise costs $2,147,500 to $5,367,000 to open.
What should a Crunch Fitness club be billing and earning?
Across all 331 reporting clubs, the upper third averaged $4,863,524 of sales with a median of $4,731,483, the middle third $2,898,138 with a median of $2,848,462. The bottom third averaged $1,645,090, with a median of $1,666,443. The highest-selling club billed $7,614,726 and the lowest-selling $812,737. For the 167 clubs aged 12 to 59 months, average profit ran $995,863, $1,203,776, $1,166,905 and $1,094,726 across the four age groups. The filed profit figures leave out the cost of goods sold line, which is $52,022 to $74,461 at the median clubs.
How many members should a Crunch Fitness club hold?
About 8,600, and it gets there in the first year. Average members ran 8,524 at 12 to 23 months, 8,617 at 24 to 35, 8,702 at 36 to 47 and 8,564 at 48 to 59, a 2.1% range across four years. Against a protected territory of roughly 75,000 people that is 11.4% penetration. Revenue per member works out at $33.41 to $35.83 a month, on a base membership priced at $9.95 and network pricing reaching $49.95. So most of a member's value arrives through annual fees, personal training and retail.
Where does the money go at Crunch Fitness?
At the 12-to-23-month median club, rent takes 27.3% of revenue, wages 21.4%, club expense 16.1% and sales and marketing 7.6%. That leaves 27.6% of profit before the 1.8% cost of goods is deducted. At the 24-to-35-month median club rent falls to 19.1% while wages rise to 26.8%, and profit reaches 34.1%. Strip rent out and EBITDAR sits at 49.3% to 54.9% across all four age groups, far tighter than profit. The lease is the largest cost difference between these clubs.
What does Crunch Fitness cost a franchisee each year?
Crunch charges a 5% royalty on gross sales and a 2% Brand Marketing Fund contribution, both drawn automatically on the 5th of the following month, with no monthly minimum on either. On top sits a local marketing requirement calculated as the lesser of 7% of gross sales including personal training, and an age-based minimum measured on sales excluding it. All in, the median clubs spend 12.9% to 14.6% of revenue on brand and marketing. Three of the four spend more than the contract requires, by $20,268 to $38,041.
Who does bookkeeping for a Crunch Fitness franchise?
Three things shape the close for this brand. First, the marketing requirement is a formula: the lesser of 7% of gross sales including personal training and an age-based minimum measured on sales excluding it, reviewed quarterly on the quarter’s average and assessed across the whole group for multi-club owners. That needs its own schedule, because it changes at 24 months and again at 72, and because a club growing its training revenue lowers its obligation. Second, the revenue mix is the management question: member counts flatten after year one at roughly 8,600. So the pack should have membership revenue, personal training revenue and other revenue separately, each per member, against revenue per member of $33.41 to $35.83 a month. Third, royalty and brand fund are drawn automatically through the franchisor’s membership management platform on the 5th of the following month. So cash leaves on a schedule the books have to accrue ahead of. An audit finding an underpayment above 2% has costs of $5,000 to $20,000. On presentation, the benchmark profit figures exclude cost of goods sold, so internal reporting on the same convention should say so explicitly. Averan provides bookkeeping, controller, and fractional CFO support for franchise owners and has Certified QuickBooks ProAdvisors on the team.
- The filing gives no attainment figure. The filing does not say how many locations reached the average it publishes.
Questions worth putting to Crunch Fitness
The filing answers what it answers. These are the gaps an owner or a buyer should close directly.
- Is the profit figure in Item 19 before or after owner pay, and how many locations sit below it?
- Which factors does Crunch Fitness see in its highest-selling locations, such as trade area, years open and size?
- How long does a new location take to reach the average you publish, and what does the build-up look like month by month?
- At what level of sales do the minimum charges stop applying and the percentage take over?
- How many Crunch Fitness locations closed, were sold, or changed hands last year, and why?
Run your own numbers.
The Franchise Numbers Check runs the same checks on your own numbers. It scores where you stand and compares you with Item 19 of your brand’s FDD. It works out what one location earns and spends, and builds a 13-week cash forecast. It checks whether you are ready to open another one. It is free and it runs in your browser.
Launch the diagnostic →What is your rent per square foot at Crunch Fitness?
We review your unit economics, cash forecast and reporting, built around the lease and the training mix that decide this model.
Talk to AveranWhere these figures come from.
Every figure here comes from Crunch Franchising, LLC’s 2026 FDD and is unaudited by us. We are unaffiliated with the brand. Calculations of our own are labeled where they appear, the figures describe past performance at other businesses and are not a projection of yours. This page is an educational summary. It is not an offer to sell a franchise, and it is not financial, legal or tax advice. Crunch Fitness® is a registered trademark of its owner. How Averan reads a Franchise Disclosure Document.
These figures come from the brand's disclosure. They are not a forecast, an offer to sell a franchise or advice. Source: Crunch Franchising, LLC, 2026 Franchise Disclosure Document, issued 29 April 2026.
the franchise library, all 447 brands · how franchise unit economics work · running the books across several locations · what Averan does for franchise owners
Crunch Fitness reads against the rest of the gyms and clubs group: Anytime Fitness · Fitness Premier · Planet Fitness · Snap Fitness · UFC GYM. The gyms and clubs guide compares all of them on the same figures.
Questions owners ask next
The figures above raise these, and each one is answered on its own page.
- At what level of sales does a minimum fee stop costing me more than the percentage?It works out the sales level where a minimum fee stops applying.
- How much cash do I fund before a new location covers its own costs?It builds a 13-week forecast for the months before break-even.
- My payroll percentage keeps climbing. Is that a payroll problem?It shows how to tell whether payroll is rising or revenue is falling.
- How much of Item 19 can I rely on?It explains what an Item 19 financial performance representation tells you and what it leaves out.
- What should I be looking at every week?It lists the handful of numbers that move before the P&L does.