About 47% of American adults meet the federal guidelines for aerobic exercise, which calls for 150 minutes of moderate-intensity activity per week. But when you add in the strength-training requirement (at least two days per week), that number drops sharply: only 28.3% of men and 20.4% of women hit both benchmarks. Roughly one in four adults, about 26%, report no physical activity at all outside of work.
What Counts as “Regular Exercise”
The answer to this question depends entirely on where you set the bar. The CDC defines adequate physical activity as two things combined: 150 minutes per week of moderate-intensity aerobic activity (like brisk walking) plus muscle-strengthening exercises on at least two days per week. That’s essentially 30 minutes of cardio five days a week, plus two sessions of resistance training targeting all major muscle groups.
When surveys only ask about the aerobic portion, the numbers look better. When they require both aerobic and strength training, the numbers look worse. And when they simply ask whether someone did any physical activity outside of work in the past month, you get yet another figure. All three are commonly cited, which is why you’ll see wildly different percentages depending on the source.
The Gender and Age Gap
Men consistently outpace women in meeting full physical activity guidelines. In 2020, 28.3% of men met both the aerobic and strength-training benchmarks compared to 20.4% of women. That nearly 8-point gap has remained persistent across survey years. Compliance also drops steadily with age for both men and women, meaning younger adults are more likely to meet guidelines than older adults.
Where You Live Matters
Physical activity rates vary dramatically by state. Colorado has the lowest inactivity rate in the country at 17.7%, meaning more than 80% of its residents report at least some exercise outside of work. Utah, Washington, and Vermont are close behind, all with inactivity rates under 20%.
On the other end, seven states have inactivity rates of 30% or higher: Mississippi, Arkansas, Kentucky, Alabama, Louisiana, Oklahoma, and West Virginia. Puerto Rico tops the list at 49.4%, meaning nearly half of adults there report zero leisure-time physical activity. The pattern broadly tracks with income levels, climate, walkability, and access to recreational infrastructure.
Youth Activity Levels Are Low Too
Only about 24.6% of young people met aerobic physical activity guidelines in 2023. That number has barely budged in recent years, up slightly from 23.2% in 2019, but the change isn’t statistically meaningful. Three out of four American teenagers aren’t getting enough physical activity, a statistic that has remained stubbornly flat despite widespread awareness campaigns.
The Numbers Haven’t Changed Much
If you’re hoping to see a national fitness trend moving in the right direction, the data is disappointing. The CDC’s tracking shows adult aerobic compliance essentially flatlined between 2020 and 2024: 47.1%, then 47.3%, then 47.2%. The percentage of completely inactive adults barely moved either, going from 27.0% to 26.2% over the same period. None of these shifts are statistically significant. Despite the growth of boutique gyms, fitness apps, and wearable trackers, the population-level numbers haven’t responded.
Why Meeting Guidelines Matters
The health payoff for clearing even the basic threshold is substantial. Adults who meet the physical activity guidelines have a 41% lower risk of dying over a five-year period compared to those who don’t, based on pooled data from national health surveys. Aerobic activity alone accounts for most of that benefit, cutting five-year mortality risk by 42%. Strength training independently reduces it by about 14%. The two together offer the strongest protection, which is why guidelines emphasize both rather than either one alone.
These are not small numbers. A 41% reduction in mortality risk puts regular exercise alongside quitting smoking as one of the most impactful things a person can do for longevity. Yet roughly three out of four Americans aren’t doing enough of it to fully capture that benefit.