Smart Rings Are Dominating the Fitness Wearable Market, Especially Among Gen Z
Smart rings now account for 75% of fitness tracker revenue, with consumers under 34 nearly twice as likely to own one, new data shows. The boom comes as RFK Jr. pushes to put wearables on every American
Younger consumers may be waiting longer to walk down the aisle, but they’re not waiting to put a ring on it, especially if that ring tracks sleep, stress and steps.
The numbers back it up: U.S. retail sales of fitness trackers are up 88% year-to-date compared to 2024, according to new data from Circana. More than 1.3 million devices were purchased in the first seven months of 2025, a 35% year-over-year jump. The real headline, though, is what’s on consumers’ fingers, as smart rings now make up 75% of tracker revenue, up from 46% a year ago.
“Innovation is inspiring health-conscious consumers to spend on new fitness tracking technology and bolstering growth in the wearable technology market,” Circana executive director and industry analyst Ben Arnold said, pointing to the small size and minimally intrusive design of smart rings as key reasons that they’re pulling ahead of wrist-worn devices.
As Smart Rings Surge, Wrist-Worn Trackers Wane
The fastest adopters of smart rings are younger users. Circana’s Connected Intelligence Wearables Ownership Report found that U.S. consumers aged 34 and under are nearly twice as likely as the average consumer to own a smart ring. In practice, that means Gen Z and younger Millennials are driving the form-factor shift.
It’s not just rings gaining traction. Circana also reports that spending on wearable fitness device accessories has climbed nearly 50% year-to-date. Traditional wrist-worn trackers, on the other hand, are sliding, with unit sales down 6% so far this year.
Smart rings, however, are moving in the opposite direction. Unit volume is up 195% compared to 2024, and with average selling prices nearly four times those of wrist devices, revenue has reached $217 million year-to-date. The Future of Consumer Technology report forecasts that overall health and fitness tracker revenue will grow 13% by the end of 2025.
While Arnold notes that smart rings lack the large, immersive screens or buttons consumers have grown accustomed to on wrist-worn devices, they excel in different ways. Rings are adept at tracking sleep quality, stress and other wellness indicators while still covering the basics of step counts and workout activity, he said.
Even in a cautious spending climate, Arnold said health-minded consumers are still willing to pay for products that deliver clear benefits, mirroring recent findings from U.K. gym chain The Gym Group.
“Even in an economic environment where consumers are value-conscious and looking for ways to cut costs, they are still willing to invest in the products that deliver benefits they are seeking — a different kind of value,” he said.
Undeniably, the surge has kicked off a war of the rings. Market leader Oura is squaring off against competition from Ultrahuman, RingConn, Samsung Galaxy, AmazFit and a widening field of challengers, each vying for share with various features, pricing and user models that mix subscription and subscription-free options.
Will Wearables Become US Health Policy?
Notably, the competitive scramble among Oura, Ultrahuman, RingConn and others is unfolding as the Health and Human Services (HHS) department prepares a nationwide campaign to boost wearable adoption.
Earlier this summer, HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. confirmed the department’s plans to launch one of its largest pushes ever to encourage Americans to use a wearable health device.
“My vision is that every American is wearing a wearable within four years,” Kennedy Jr. said.
The planned national campaign, which has yet to come to fruition, also comes as Oura deepens its ties with the federal government.
The smart ring leader recently announced plans to bring manufacturing to Fort Worth, Texas, to support its largest enterprise customer, the Department of Defense (DoD).
Oura has worked with the DoD since 2019, deploying tens of thousands of rings across all branches of the armed services for stress management, recovery optimization, fatigue risk management and early illness detection
The Navy, for example, will equip 1,600 sailors aboard the USS Gerald R. Ford Carrier Strike Group later this year for what it says will be its largest volunteer fatigue study to date. The Army and Air Force have also tested the rings in field exercises and research collaborations, with early findings suggesting biometric data can help predict operational effectiveness.