Fitness and classes · County · Alabama
Gyms and studios in Shelby County, AL
The gyms and studios in Shelby County, AL, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 53 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #912 of 2,088 scored counties
#13 of 50 scored counties in Alabama
- Listings
- 136
- 37 chain locations (27%)
- Official establishments
- 63
- +3.3% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $83.3M
- On memberships, classes and admissions · $958 a household
- Spending per listing
- $612K
- 8% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 15.7
- 5% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 238,552
- +6.5% since 2020
See the gyms and studios around any address in Shelby County
The site report maps the gyms and studios on map listings near the address, by name and distance, and sizes the households and spending around it. Or open the report at the center of Shelby County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.
Free10 actions over 3 days, no cardSurvey estimates 2020–2024 · population estimates 2025 · official business counts 2023 · map listings September 2026 · Data credits · How we measure
What this means
As of September 2026, map listings count 136 gyms and studios in Shelby County. 37 of them (27%) are chain locations, against 20% across the U.S. That comes to 15.7 for every 10,000 households, 5% above the U.S. rate of 14.9.
Households in Shelby County spend about $83.3M a year on memberships, classes and admissions, or $958 per household, 3% below the U.S. average. Spread across 136 gyms and studios, that is $612K per location, 8% below the U.S. figure of $662K.
Official counts show 63 businesses with payroll classed as fitness centers and recreation instruction in Shelby County in 2023, up 3.3% from 2019. That is one for every 1,379 households, against one for every 1,641 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 4 SBA-backed loans worth $1.6M have gone to businesses classed as fitness centers and recreation instruction in Shelby County.
Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Shelby County grew 6.5%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). Shelby County scores 53 (upper middle) on the Groundwork market score for gyms and studios, ranking #912 of 2,088 scored counties and #13 of 50 scored counties in Alabama.
How Shelby County compares
The same measures for Alabama and the whole U.S. Spending per listing divides a year of household spending on all memberships, classes and admissions by the gyms and studios counted, so it measures the demand for each competitor, not any business’s revenue. Households per establishment does the same with the official count.
| Measure | Shelby County | Alabama | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 15.7 | 11.7 | 14.9 |
| Spending per listing | $612K | $562K | $662K |
| Households per official establishment | 1,379 | 2,352 | 1,641 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +3.3% | +12.3% | +8.2% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +6.5% | +3.2% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on memberships, classes and admissions | $958 | $656 | $983 |
| Median household income | $97,961 | $63,999 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 53 | 46 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 61 → 63+3.3% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 884
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $12.9M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- Not publishedNot published for this business type
- Map listings, September 2026
- 13637 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 126The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 4
- Amount
- $1.6M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as fitness centers and recreation instruction in Shelby County, through June 2026, placed by the borrower’s ZIP code. Official establishments are businesses with payroll; the official counts leave out places with fewer than 3.
Population and households in Shelby County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 238,552+6.5% since 2020
- Households
- 86,866
- Median age
- 41.0
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 81%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.1
- Land area
- 785 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 293
- Median household income
- $97,961+25.9% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $128,135
- Median home value
- $326,100
- Jobs located here
- 95,355
- Daytime population
- 222,801Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Shelby County?
These figures cover the whole county. A site report draws rings around one address and counts what’s inside them: households, spending, jobs, and the gyms and studios on map listings by name and distance.
Or open the report at the center of Shelby County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.
Free10 actions over 3 days, no cardGyms, studios and classes across Alabama
Every Alabama market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in Alabama for gyms and studios, numbered among those based in Alabama, with Shelby County marked.
Top counties in Alabama
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Limestone County, AL | 85 | 34 | 8.3 | $989K | +18.0% | #29 of 2,088 |
| 2Blount County, AL | 69 | 12 | 5.4 | $1.1M | +1.8% | #266 of 2,088 |
| 3Chilton County, AL | 68 | 13 | 7.3 | $798K | +5.9% | #316 of 2,088 |
| 4Coffee County, AL | 66 | 21 | 10.0 | $657K | +6.3% | #385 of 2,088 |
| 5St. Clair County, AL | 66 | 36 | 10.3 | $656K | +7.1% | #386 of 2,088 |
| 6Tallapoosa County, AL | 63 | 10 | 5.9 | $967K | −0.8% | #475 of 2,088 |
| 7Lawrence County, AL | 61 | 9 | 6.6 | $914K | +2.3% | #546 of 2,088 |
| 8Dale County, AL | 59 | 10 | 5.1 | $1.1M | +1.3% | #615 of 2,088 |
| 9Morgan County, AL | 58 | 42 | 8.6 | $798K | +2.6% | #671 of 2,088 |
| 10Autauga County, AL | 54 | 26 | 11.3 | $658K | +5.1% | #863 of 2,088 |
| 13Shelby County, AL | 53 | 136 | 15.7 | $612K | +6.5% | #912 of 2,088 |
Other business types in Shelby County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
Groceries and convenience
Auto
Beauty and personal care
Fitness and classes
- Gyms, studios and classes53
- Gyms50
- Yoga, Pilates and fitness studios61
- Martial arts and dance studios65
Health care
Child care
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many gyms and studios are in Shelby County, AL?
Shelby County has 136 gyms and studios on map listings as of September 2026. 37 of them (27%) are chain locations. The listings count gyms, fitness studios, martial arts and dance studios. Official counts show 63 businesses with payroll classed as fitness centers and recreation instruction in 2023, up 3.3% from 2019.
How much do households in Shelby County, AL spend on memberships, classes and admissions?
About $83.3M a year, or $958 per household. That is 3% below the U.S. average (an index of 97, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 136 gyms and studios on map listings, it comes to $612K per location. It is estimated from the incomes of the 86,866 households in Shelby County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Shelby County, AL compare with the U.S. for gyms and studios?
Shelby County has 15.7 gyms and studios per 10,000 households, 5% above the U.S. rate of 14.9. Spending per location is $612K, 8% below the U.S. figure of $662K. At the national ratio of gyms and studios to household spending, Shelby County would have about 126, against 136 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,379 households, against one for every 1,641 across the U.S. The official count rose 3.3% from 2019 to 2023, against +8.2% for the U.S.
How fast is Shelby County, AL growing?
Population estimates put Shelby County at 238,552 people in 2025, up 6.5% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 86,866 households. Median household income in Shelby County is $97,961, 21% above the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 25.9%, before inflation.
What is the Groundwork market score?
The Groundwork market score runs from 0 to 100 and compares a market with others of its kind for one business type: states with states, metro areas with metro areas, small-town markets and counties with their own. It weighs household spending per competitor (35%), households per business with payroll (25%), population growth (20%) and spending power (20%), each ranked against those peers. A higher score means that, taken together, the market has more household spending and more households for each business already there, faster population growth and more spending per household than similar markets. It describes a market, not any one site or deal. Shelby County scores 53 for gyms and studios (upper middle), #912 of 2,088 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Shelby County. It maps the gyms and studios on map listings near the site and sizes the households and spending within the distance you choose. New accounts get 10 actions over 3 days, no card.
How the score works · Top markets for gyms and studios · All 56 business types in Shelby County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Shelby County?
A site report maps the competitors on map listings near an address and sizes the households and spending around it.
The button opens the report at the center of Shelby County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.
This product uses the Census Bureau Data API but is not endorsed or certified by the Census Bureau.
Figures are estimates for research only. Not investment or real estate advice.