Contents
- Adult muscle strengthening activity statistics: U.S. participation over time
- Adult muscle strengthening activity statistics by age and sex
- Adult muscle strengthening activity statistics across racial and ethnic groups
- Adult muscle strengthening activity statistics by education and family income
- Adult muscle strengthening activity statistics by access, disability, and veteran status
- Adult muscle strengthening activity statistics by sexual orientation and household status
- Sources
Adult muscle strengthening activity statistics: U.S. participation over time
The National Health Interview Survey (NHIS), conducted by CDC/NCHS, asks adults about leisure-time physical activities specifically designed to strengthen muscles. The measure counts adults aged 18 years and over who report those activities at least twice per week; its numerator includes people reporting them 2 to 28 times per week during leisure time, and its denominator is adults aged 18 years and over. It describes a frequency threshold for muscle-strengthening activity, rather than the amount of time spent exercising or activity performed outside leisure time. Source: Healthy People 2030 data Methodology
| Year | U.S. adults meeting the measure |
|---|---|
| 2020 | 31.9% |
| 2022 | 31.5% |
| 2024 | 32.9% |
These are age-adjusted percentages for adults aged 18 years and over, with adjustment to the year 2000 standard population. The 2024 figure is identified as the most recent observed data. Healthy People 2030 sets a national target of 36.6%; that target is an objective, not a measured participation estimate. Source: Healthy People 2030 data Methodology
The objective’s trend data were unavailable because of the 2019 NHIS redesign. Its baseline was revised from 27.6% in 2018 to 31.9% in 2020. The methodology also notes that certain categories in 2024 were recalculated using a newer variable and that estimates for 2022 or earlier may vary slightly from previously reported estimates. The years shown above should therefore remain attached to their respective estimates; they are not a continuous annual series. Source: Healthy People 2030 methodology
Adult muscle strengthening activity statistics by age and sex
The 2024 age-group estimates show different levels across the printed age bands. Adults aged 18–24 had a rate of 41.5%, while the broader 18–44 group was 38.6%. For ages 25–44, the figure was 37.6%. The source provides both the broader and narrower bands; each value belongs to its specific row, so the overlapping categories should not be treated as separate pieces of a single partition. Source: Healthy People 2030 age-group data
| Age group | Meeting the measure in 2024 |
|---|---|
| 18–44 years | 38.6% |
| 45–64 years | 29.2% |
| 65 years and over | 22.2% |
| 18–24 years | 41.5% |
| 25–44 years | 37.6% |
| 45–54 years | 32.7% |
| 55–64 years | 25.8% |
| 65–74 years | 23.9% |
| 75–84 years | 21.7% |
The grouped figures provide a broad view, while the narrower rows add detail within those ranges. The estimate for adults aged 45–54 was 32.7%, compared with 25.8% among those aged 55–64. Among older adults, the measure was met by 23.9% of those aged 65–74 and 21.7% of those aged 75–84. These are percentages of their respective age groups, not counts of adults. Source: Healthy People 2030 age-group data
The 2024 sex table reports 37.7% for the Male row and 28.3% for the Female row. Those age-adjusted estimates describe the source’s printed categories for adults aged 18 years and over. They are separate population estimates and do not indicate why the percentages differ. Source: Healthy People 2030 sex data
Adult muscle strengthening activity statistics across racial and ethnic groups
The 2024 race and ethnicity table includes categories that distinguish race-only rows from Hispanic or Latino ethnicity rows and from race categories explicitly marked not Hispanic or Latino. All values below are percentages meeting the leisure-time measure; the source marks these estimates as age-adjusted to the year 2000 standard population. Source: Healthy People 2030 race and ethnicity data
| Source category | Meeting the measure in 2024 |
|---|---|
| American Indian or Alaska Native only | 27.3% |
| Asian only | 33.2% |
| Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander only | 31.9% |
| Black or African American only | 34.0% |
| White only | 33.1% |
| 2 or more races | 37.3% |
| Hispanic or Latino | 29.4% |
| Not Hispanic or Latino | 33.6% |
| American Indian or Alaska Native only, not Hispanic or Latino | 26.2% |
| Asian only, not Hispanic or Latino | 33.0% |
| Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander only, not Hispanic or Latino | 31.5% |
The rows are source-defined categories, not necessarily mutually exclusive groups that can be combined into one total. In particular, “Hispanic or Latino” and “Not Hispanic or Latino” are ethnicity labels, while other entries identify race categories, sometimes with a non-Hispanic qualifier. Keeping the labels intact helps avoid reading a category as broader or narrower than the table specifies. Source: Healthy People 2030 race and ethnicity data
Adult muscle strengthening activity statistics by education and family income
Education estimates cover adults aged 25 years and over. In 2024, 16.4% of adults in the “Less than High school” row met the measure, as did 22.4% in the “High school” row. The estimate was 31.6% for “Some college or Associate degree” and 42.4% for “4-year college degree or more.” These are the table’s reported percentages for each education category and age scope. Source: Healthy People 2030 education data
The family-income categories are expressed as a percentage of the poverty threshold. In 2024, the reported percentages were 20.2% for families below 100% of that threshold, 23.1% for 100–199%, 29.5% for 200–399%, and 42.0% for 400% or more. These are age-adjusted percentages, and the labels refer to family income relative to the threshold—not dollar amounts. Source: Healthy People 2030 family-income data
The education and income tables each show different percentages across their own categories. They use distinct classifications and should be read separately: education is limited to adults aged 25 years and over, while family income is grouped by poverty-threshold bands. The data establish the reported distribution, but do not explain its causes. Source: Healthy People 2030 education and family-income data
Adult muscle strengthening activity statistics by access, disability, and veteran status
Health-insurance estimates apply to adults aged 18–64. In 2024, 36.1% of adults in the Insured row met the measure. The more specific rows report 39.1% for adults with private health insurance, 24.9% for those with public health insurance, and 28.0% for those without health insurance. These are categories as presented in the source table; the percentages describe reported participation within each category. Source: Healthy People 2030 insurance data
Geographic location estimates show 34.6% for adults in metropolitan areas and 22.0% for those in non-metropolitan areas in 2024. The table marks these estimates as age-adjusted to the year 2000 standard population. Country-of-birth rows report 33.9% for “US” and 29.1% for “Outside US,” also age-adjusted. Those labels are retained as printed, and the estimates concern the population categories rather than a measure of access to a particular facility or program. Source: Healthy People 2030 geographic-location and country-of-birth data
The disability-status table reports 19.2% for “People with disabilities” and 34.2% for “People without disabilities” in 2024; both estimates are age-adjusted. For adults aged 20 years and over, 40.3% in the Veteran row met the measure. The age ranges differ across these tables, so their figures should be interpreted within their stated populations. Source: Healthy People 2030 disability and veteran-status data
Adult muscle strengthening activity statistics by sexual orientation and household status
In the 2024 sexual-orientation table, 33.5% of adults in the Straight row met the measure, compared with 34.6% in the Gay/Lesbian row and 30.6% in the Bisexual row. These age-adjusted percentages retain the combined labels shown by the source. The same table separately presents sex-specific rows for adults in orientation categories. Source: Healthy People 2030 sexual-orientation data
| Source category | Meeting the measure in 2024 |
|---|---|
| Gay, Male | 40.8% |
| Gay/Lesbian, Female | 26.1% |
| Bisexual, Male | 28.9% |
| Bisexual, Female | 31.6% |
| Straight, Male | 38.0% |
| Straight, Female | 28.7% |
The sex-specific estimates are percentages for the exact combined categories printed in the table. They are not interchangeable with the broader orientation rows above, and the source labels should be retained when comparing them. The values alone do not describe why category estimates differ. Source: Healthy People 2030 sexual-orientation data
For household status, the available marital-status row reports 32.0% for adults classified as “Married/Cohabiting partner” in 2024. This age-adjusted percentage uses the source’s combined category label; it does not provide separate estimates for married adults and those living with a cohabiting partner. Source: Healthy People 2030 marital-status data