Community and private recreation and sports centers were represented by 8% of the respondents to the Industry Report survey, with 5% of all respondents reporting from community recreation and sports centers, and 3% from private recreation and sports centers.
Just over half (50.9%) of rec center respondents said they were with public or governmental organizations. Another 26.3% were with private, nonprofit organizations, and 22.8% were with private, for-profit organizations.
Respondents from rec centers were most likely to be located in the Midwest, with 39% of respondents reporting that they were located in this region. The next largest group—22%—were located in the West, and 19.5% were located in the South Atlantic states. Smaller numbers of rec center respondents were located in the Northeastern (11%) or South Central (8.5%) regions of the U.S.
Rec center respondents were most likely to work for facilities in suburban communities, with 45.1% indicating they were located in the suburbs. Another 30.5% were from urban communities, and 24.4% were located in rural areas.
Rec center respondents in 2025 were slightly less likely than in 2024 to report that they had partnered with other organizations. Some 82.1% of rec center respondents in 2025 said they had partnered with outside organizations, down from 85.6% in 2024 and 89% in 2023. The most common partners for rec centers in 2025 were local schools (55.8%), nonprofit organizations (52.6%), local government (50.5%), corporations and local businesses (26.3%), and state government (24.2%).
Rec Center Facility Budgets & Costs
More than half (54.8%) of rec center respondents said their revenues increased from 2023 to 2024. Another 33.3% reported no change, and 11.9% said their revenues were lower in 2024 than in 2023.
In 2025, 61.6% of rec center respondents are expecting their revenues to increase, with 32.6% anticipating no change, and 5.8% expecting a decrease.
Looking forward to 2026, 55.6% of rec center respondents are anticipating higher revenues, while 39.5% are expecting no change, and 4.9% expect revenues to fall.
In 2024, rec center respondents spent an average of $2,090,000 on their operating expenses, 53.3% less than the average for 2023 of $4,475,000. The median spending for 2024 was $620,000.
Looking forward, rec center respondents are expecting their average operating cost to increase 6.2% in 2025, to an average of $2,220,000. They projected a further 1.4% increase in 2026, to an average of $2,250,000.
More than three-quarters (76.5%) of rec center respondents in 2025 said they had taken action to reduce their operating costs over the past year, down from 84.9% in 2024. The most common measures rec center respondents had used to reduce their costs were increasing their fees (51.9%), improving energy efficiency (30.9%), and putting construction and renovation plans on hold (25.9%).
Rec Center Facility Construction Plans
Around two-thirds (67%) of rec center respondents in 2025 said they had plans for construction over the next few years, up from 60.2% in 2024 and 58.1% in 2023. Some 48.4% said they were planning renovations to their existing facilities, while 29.7% were planning additions, and 19.8% were planning new construction.
The median construction budget for rec center respondents in 2025 was $960,000.
The features most commonly included in rec center respondents’ facilities in 2025 include: locker rooms, playgrounds, indoor courts for sports like basketball or volleyball, fitness centers, bleachers and seating, exercise studio rooms, classrooms and meeting rooms, Wi-Fi services, outdoor courts for sports like tennis or basketball, and concession areas.
Some 29.8% of rec center respondents in 2025 said they had plans to add features at their facilities over the next few years, down from 45.5% in 2024 and 48% in 2023.
The most commonly planned additions for rec center respondents were:
- Splash play areas (29.4% of rec center respondents with plans to add features at their facilities said they would add splash play)
- Synthetic turf sports fields (23.5%)
- Outdoor aquatic facilities (23.5%)
- Playgrounds (14.7%)
- Outdoor sports courts (14.7%)
- Concession areas (14.7%)
- Open spaces such as gardens or natural areas (14.7%)
- Fitness trails and outdoor fitness equipment (11.8%)
- Indoor sports courts (11.8%)
- Climbing walls (11.8%)