Quantifying the Value of Health: Understanding Economic Impact Categories on the Fitwel Platform

Fitwel empowers building owners, managers, and developers to optimize their assets in a rapidly evolving world—marked by climate risk, shifting market demands, and a growing emphasis on health and wellness in the built environment. As the connection between health-promoting strategies and financial performance becomes increasingly evident, Fitwel has taken a major step forward in helping users unlock the full value of healthy buildings.

What Are Economic Impact Categories?

Fitwel’s new Economic Impact Categories (EICs) are designed to complement our long-standing Health Impact Categories (HICs). Together, they provide a more holistic view of how certified projects support both human well-being and asset-level financial performance.

After two years of research, we’ve translated the evidence base linking health-promoting strategies with measurable economic outcomes. The result? A feature that enables you to assess, track, and optimize your project’s economic impact—from tenant retention to risk mitigation.

Economic Impact Categories will populate for in-progress and/or completed Fitwel v3 and Fitwel Scale Certification (FSP) projects based on 47 applicable strategies in the v3 strategy library. They are not available for certifications under previous versions.

Why This Matters

The integration of Economic Impact Categories allows users to:

Quantify the Economic Value of Health

Link health-focused strategies to core business metrics, such as:

• Increased tenant retention and satisfaction
• Reduced absenteeism
• Lower operating costs
• Higher occupancy rates

Strengthen the Business Case for Wellness

Align health-promoting strategies with financial performance goals, making it easier to justify investments and gain stakeholder support.

Prioritize High-Impact Strategies

Identify and invest in strategies that deliver the greatest ROI and support long-term resilience and value creation.

How Economic Impact Categories Empower Fitwel Users

Economic Impact Categories make value visible and measurable:

Drive Continuous Improvement

Use performance data to identify underperforming categories and adjust strategies to improve outcomes.

Communicate ROI to Stakeholders

Generate easy-to-understand performance charts that show the financial return of health initiatives, helping you secure buy-in from investors and internal teams.

Make Data-Driven Decisions

Set and align goals across health, ESG, and financial performance metrics to meet market expectations and investor requirements.

Start Using Economic Impact Categories Today

The Economic Impact Categories are now available on the Fitwel platform to all users pursuing certification - asset and FSP pathways. By integrating this new feature into your project planning and performance tracking, you can make more informed, value-aligned decisions that boost both health outcomes and property performance.

Need help interpreting your Economic Impact Category results or using them to shape your strategy? Contact our Support Team or visit the Fitwel Platform for a deeper dive into how EICs can drive your portfolio forward.

Economic Impact Categories assess how Fitwel strategies influence financial outcomes—enabling deeper insight into how investments in health translates into economic value.

Economic Impact Category Performance Chart

This chart displays a project’s performance across five economic impact categories, showing the percentage of available points achieved within each category. This visual breakdown helps teams spot opportunities for improved outcomes.

Economic Impact Categories and Their Benefits

1. Increases Return on Investment (ROI): Strategies that increase return on investment raise the project's asset value through appreciated property value over time or increased rental or lease rates. They also support increased local economic activity, thereby indirectly increasing a project's value by proximity. 

2. Reduces Risk Exposure: Strategies that reduce risk exposure protect the project’s asset value through reduced vulnerability to disaster-related damages, as well as reduced exposure to litigation and liability from residents and tenants.  

3. Increases Productivity: Strategies that increase productivity protect the project’s asset value by supporting increased focus and efficiency among occupants. 

4. Reduces Costs: Strategies that reduce costs protect the project’s asset value through the reduction of management and operations costs, including reduced energy bills, insurance valuations, and more.

5. Increases Tenant Satisfaction:Strategies that increase tenant satisfaction protect the projects asset value by creating an environment that is well-received by occupants ultimately supporting retention, occupancy rates, and net promoter scores. 

Health Impact Categories and Their Role

Alongside economic impacts, Fitwel continues to prioritize human well-being through Health Impact Categories, which measure how strategies contribute to community and occupant health. These categories include:

• Community Health – Expanding positive health impacts beyond the building’s occupants.
• Morbidity – Reducing chronic disease and absenteeism.
• Social Equity – Ensuring health benefits extend to vulnerable populations.
• Well-Being – Enhancing mental wellness and perceptions of safety.
• Healthy Food – Increasing access to nutritious food choices.
• Occupant Safety – Decreasing risk of injury and crime.
• Physical Activity – Encouraging movement and fitness in everyday life.

For more details on how Economic Impact Categories can enhance your project’s value, visit the Fitwel platform or connect with your associated Relationship Manager.

Disclaimer: The data presented in Fitwel’s Economic and Health Impact Category charts is for informational purposes only. It does not guarantee specific outcomes and is subject to change as Fitwel evolves.