Fitness and classes · County · California
Gyms and studios in Merced County, CA
How Merced County, CA compares with other counties and the U.S. for gyms and studios: competitors, household spending, official counts and growth.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 78 out of 100: High
Ranked #97 of 2,088 scored counties
#7 of 55 scored counties in California
- Listings
- 98
- 24 chain locations (24%)
- Official establishments
- 20
- −9.1% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $78M
- On memberships, classes and admissions · $906 a household
- Spending per listing
- $796K
- 20% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 11.4
- 23% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 297,260
- +5.1% since 2020
See the gyms and studios around any address in Merced 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 Merced 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
For gyms and studios, Merced County has a Groundwork market score of 78 (high): #97 of 2,088 scored counties and #7 of 55 scored counties in California. That puts it in the top 10% of counties for gyms and studios.
Household spending on memberships, classes and admissions in Merced County comes to about $78M a year: $906 per household, 8% below the U.S. average. That works out to $796K per location, 20% above the U.S. figure of $662K.
There are 98 gyms and studios on map listings in Merced County as of September 2026. Of those, 24 are chain locations, or 24%, against 20% across the U.S. That is 11.4 per 10,000 households, 23% below the U.S. rate of 14.9.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as fitness centers and recreation instruction in Merced County was 20 in 2023, down 9.1% from 2019. That is one for every 4,303 households, against one for every 1,641 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 2 SBA-backed loans worth $140K have gone to businesses classed as fitness centers and recreation instruction in Merced County. Population estimates put the population change in Merced County from 2020 to 2025 at +5.1%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%).
How Merced County compares
The same measures for California 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 | Merced County | California | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 11.4 | 17.1 | 14.9 |
| Spending per listing | $796K | $837K | $662K |
| Households per official establishment | 4,303 | 1,281 | 1,641 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | −9.1% | +14.7% | +8.2% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +5.1% | −0.4% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on memberships, classes and admissions | $906 | $1,435 | $983 |
| Median household income | $65,510 | $99,122 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 78 | 60 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 22 → 20−9.1% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 198
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $3M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- Not publishedNot published for this business type
- Map listings, September 2026
- 9824 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 118The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 2
- Amount
- $140K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as fitness centers and recreation instruction in Merced 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 Merced County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 297,260+5.1% since 2020
- Households
- 86,055
- Median age
- 32.1
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 54%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.1
- Land area
- 1,938 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 150
- Median household income
- $65,510+22.1% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $87,781
- Median home value
- $391,800
- Jobs located here
- 77,775
- Daytime population
- 255,124Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Merced 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 Merced 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 California
Every California market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in California for gyms and studios, numbered among those based in California, with Merced County marked.
Top counties in California
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Yuba County, CA | 92 | 20 | 7.0 | $1.4M | +8.2% | #7 of 2,088 |
| 2Madera County, CA | 84 | 50 | 11.0 | $952K | +7.4% | #35 of 2,088 |
| 3Calaveras County, CA | 82 | 26 | 14.1 | $823K | +2.8% | #54 of 2,088 |
| 4San Joaquin County, CA | 80 | 328 | 13.4 | $942K | +5.5% | #71 of 2,088 |
| 5Amador County, CA | 79 | 24 | 14.9 | $755K | +3.2% | #84 of 2,088 |
| 6San Benito County, CA | 78 | 25 | 12.2 | $1.3M | +8.6% | #86 of 2,088 |
| 7Merced County, CA | 78 | 98 | 11.4 | $796K | +5.1% | #97 of 2,088 |
| 8Colusa County, CA | 77 | 5 | 6.7 | $1.5M | −0.1% | #100 of 2,088 |
| 9Tulare County, CA | 77 | 147 | 10.3 | $950K | +2.4% | #107 of 2,088 |
| 10Tehama County, CA | 76 | 20 | 8.1 | $1.1M | −1.7% | #124 of 2,088 |
Other business types in Merced 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 classes78
- Gyms73
- Yoga, Pilates and fitness studios
- Martial arts and dance studios78
Health care
Child care
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many gyms and studios are in Merced County, CA?
As of September 2026, map listings count 98 gyms and studios in Merced County. 24 of them (24%) are chain locations. The listings count gyms, fitness studios, martial arts and dance studios. Official counts show 20 businesses with payroll classed as fitness centers and recreation instruction in 2023, down 9.1% from 2019.
How much do households in Merced County, CA spend on memberships, classes and admissions?
About $78M a year, or $906 per household. That is 8% below the U.S. average (an index of 92, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 98 gyms and studios on map listings, it comes to $796K per location. It is estimated from the incomes of the 86,055 households in Merced County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Merced County, CA compare with the U.S. for gyms and studios?
Merced County has 11.4 gyms and studios per 10,000 households, 23% below the U.S. rate of 14.9. Spending per location is $796K, 20% above the U.S. figure of $662K. At the U.S. ratio of gyms and studios to household spending, Merced County would have about 118, against 98 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 4,303 households, against one for every 1,641 across the U.S. The official count fell 9.1% from 2019 to 2023, against +8.2% for the U.S.
How fast is Merced County, CA growing?
Population estimates put Merced County at 297,260 people in 2025, up 5.1% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 86,055 households. The median household income in Merced County is $65,510 a year, 19% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 22.1% from the 2015–2019 survey, 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. Merced County scores 78 for gyms and studios (high), #97 of 2,088 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Merced 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 Merced County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Merced 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 Merced 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.