Fitness center employment in Arkansas metro areas less than national average

With the new year, some look to set resolutions, and sometimes that could be setting new fitness goals. Reaching those goals might be easier with the help of employees at fitness and recreational sports centers. The U.S. Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics has developed a data chart showing the employment location quotients at these centers by metropolitan area.

An employment location quotient is the ratio of an industry’s employment share in an area compared to its national share, and a location quotient greater than 1 means the industry has a higher share of area employment than the national average. In the United States, there were 35,262 centers, employing 673,590 who earn an average weekly salary of $320. The Bridgeport-Stamford-Norwalk, Conn., metro area had highest employment location quotient at 2.8 times the national average. Manhattan, Kan., had the lowest quotient at 0.12.

The Fort Smith metro was not far ahead at 0.19, with 19 centers, 94 employees, earning $159 weekly.

The Jonesboro metro area, with a quotient of 0.45, had eight centers and 115 employees, earning $271 per week.

The Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers metro area, with a 0.8 location quotient, had 66 centers and 868 employees, earning $314 weekly.