Groundwork

Fitness and classes · County · California

Gyms and studios in Orange County, CA

Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for gyms and studios in Orange County, CA, set against other counties and the U.S.

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 50 out of 100: Upper middle

Ranked #1,038 of 2,088 scored counties
#39 of 55 scored counties in California

Listings
2,322
478 chain locations (21%)
Official establishments
1,232
+18.0% since 2019
Household spending a year
$1.8B
On memberships, classes and admissions · $1,634 a household
Spending per listing
$762K
15% above the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
21.4
44% above the U.S.
Population, 2025
3,149,507
−1.1% since 2020

See the gyms and studios around any address in Orange 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 Orange County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

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Survey estimates 2020–2024 · population estimates 2025 · official business counts 2023 · map listings September 2026 · Data credits · How we measure

What this means

Map listings as of September 2026 show 2,322 gyms and studios in Orange County. Chain locations make up 21% of them, against 20% across the U.S. That is 21.4 per 10,000 households, 44% above the U.S. rate of 14.9.

Household spending on memberships, classes and admissions in Orange County comes to about $1.8B a year: $1,634 per household, 66% above the U.S. average. Spread across 2,322 gyms and studios, that is $762K per location, 15% above the U.S. figure of $662K.

In 2023, official counts showed 1,232 businesses with payroll in Orange County classed as fitness centers and recreation instruction, up 18.0% from 2019. That is one for every 879 households, against one for every 1,641 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 93 SBA-backed loans worth $46.3M have gone to businesses classed as fitness centers and recreation instruction in Orange County.

Population estimates show Orange County declined 1.1% from 2020 to 2025, against +3.1% for the U.S. The Groundwork market score for gyms and studios in Orange County is 50 (upper middle), #1,038 of 2,088 scored counties and #39 of 55 scored counties in California.

How Orange 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.

Gyms, studios and classes in Orange County, CA compared with California and the U.S.
MeasureOrange CountyCaliforniaU.S.
Listings per 10k households21.417.114.9
Spending per listing$762K$837K$662K
Households per official establishment8791,2811,641
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023+18.0%+14.7%+8.2%
Population growth, 2020–2025−1.1%−0.4%+3.1%
Spending per household on memberships, classes and admissions$1,634$1,435$983
Median household income$116,289$99,122$80,734
Groundwork market score5060

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
1,044 → 1,232+18.0% over the period
Employees, 2023
15,392
Annual payroll, 2023
$367.6M
One-person businesses, 2023
Not publishedNot published for this business type
Map listings, September 2026
2,322478 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
2,672The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here

SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022

Loans
93
Amount
$46.3M

SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as fitness centers and recreation instruction in Orange 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 Orange County

Population, 2025 estimate
3,149,507−1.1% since 2020
Households
1,082,960
Median age
40.6
Homes lived in by their owners
56%
Vehicles per household
2.0
Land area
793 sq. mi.
People per square mile
3,991
Median household income
$116,289+28.9% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$156,761
Median home value
$962,600
Jobs located here
1,713,003
Daytime population
3,381,147Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in Orange 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 Orange County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

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Gyms, 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 Orange County marked.

Top counties in California

Counties in California ranked for gyms and studios by Groundwork market score
MarketScoreListingsPer 10k householdsSpending per listingPopulation growthU.S. rank
1Yuba County, CA92207.0$1.4M+8.2%#7 of 2,088
2Madera County, CA845011.0$952K+7.4%#35 of 2,088
3Calaveras County, CA822614.1$823K+2.8%#54 of 2,088
4San Joaquin County, CA8032813.4$942K+5.5%#71 of 2,088
5Amador County, CA792414.9$755K+3.2%#84 of 2,088
6San Benito County, CA782512.2$1.3M+8.6%#86 of 2,088
7Merced County, CA789811.4$796K+5.1%#97 of 2,088
8Colusa County, CA7756.7$1.5M−0.1%#100 of 2,088
9Tulare County, CA7714710.3$950K+2.4%#107 of 2,088
10Tehama County, CA76208.1$1.1M−1.7%#124 of 2,088
39Orange County, CA502,32221.4$762K−1.1%#1,038 of 2,088

Other business types in Orange County

Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.

Questions

How many gyms and studios are in Orange County, CA?

There are 2,322 gyms and studios on map listings in Orange County as of September 2026. 478 of them (21%) are chain locations. The listings count gyms, fitness studios, martial arts and dance studios. Official counts show 1,232 businesses with payroll classed as fitness centers and recreation instruction in 2023, up 18.0% from 2019.

How much do households in Orange County, CA spend on memberships, classes and admissions?

About $1.8B a year, or $1,634 per household. That is 66% above the U.S. average (an index of 166, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 2,322 gyms and studios on map listings, it comes to $762K per location. It is estimated from the incomes of the 1,082,960 households in Orange County and national spending patterns by income.

How does Orange County, CA compare with the U.S. for gyms and studios?

Orange County has 21.4 gyms and studios per 10,000 households, 44% above the U.S. rate of 14.9. Spending per location is $762K, 15% above the U.S. figure of $662K. At the national ratio of gyms and studios to household spending, Orange County would have about 2,672, against 2,322 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 879 households, against one for every 1,641 across the U.S. The official count rose 18.0% from 2019 to 2023, against +8.2% for the U.S.

How fast is Orange County, CA growing?

Population estimates put Orange County at 3,149,507 people in 2025, down 1.1% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 1,082,960 households. Median household income in Orange County is $116,289, 44% above the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 28.9%, 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. Orange County scores 50 for gyms and studios (upper middle), #1,038 of 2,088 scored counties.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Orange 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 Orange County

Screening a site or an acquisition in Orange 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 Orange 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.