Fitness and classes · Metro area · California
Gyms and studios in the San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA metro area
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for gyms and studios in the San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA metro area, set against other metro areas and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 48 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #204 of 387 scored metro areas
#20 of 25 scored metro areas based in California
- Listings
- 2,551
- 472 chain locations (19%)
- Official establishments
- 1,110
- +22.5% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $1.7B
- On memberships, classes and admissions · $1,490 a household
- Spending per listing
- $684K
- 3% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 21.8
- 46% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 3,282,248
- −0.6% since 2020
See the gyms and studios around any address in the San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad metro area
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 the San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad metro area. 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
At $1,490 per household (52% above the U.S. average), households in the San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad metro area spend about $1.7B a year on memberships, classes and admissions. Spread across 2,551 gyms and studios, that is $684K per location, 3% above the U.S. figure of $662K.
There are 2,551 gyms and studios on map listings in the San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad metro area as of September 2026. Chain locations make up 19% of them, against 20% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 21.8, 46% above the U.S. rate of 14.9.
In 2023, official counts showed 1,110 businesses with payroll in the San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad metro area classed as fitness centers and recreation instruction, up 22.5% from 2019. That is one for every 1,055 households, against one for every 1,641 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 94 SBA-backed loans worth $38.5M have gone to businesses classed as fitness centers and recreation instruction in the San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad metro area.
Population estimates show the San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad metro area declined 0.6% from 2020 to 2025, against +3.1% for the U.S. The Groundwork market score for gyms and studios in the San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad metro area is 48 (lower middle), #204 of 387 scored metro areas and #20 of 25 scored metro areas based in California.
How the San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad metro area 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 | San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad metro area | California | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 21.8 | 17.1 | 14.9 |
| Spending per listing | $684K | $837K | $662K |
| Households per official establishment | 1,055 | 1,281 | 1,641 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +22.5% | +14.7% | +8.2% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −0.6% | −0.4% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on memberships, classes and admissions | $1,490 | $1,435 | $983 |
| Median household income | $106,268 | $99,122 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 48 | 60 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 1,110+22.5% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 17,295
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $415.3M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- Not publishedNot published for this business type
- Map listings, September 2026
- 2,551472 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 2,637The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 94
- Amount
- $38.5M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as fitness centers and recreation instruction in the San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad metro area, 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 the San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad metro area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 3,282,248−0.6% since 2020
- Households
- 1,171,278
- Median age
- 38.9
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 55%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 4,211 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 781
- Median household income
- $106,268+34.6% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $141,250
- Median home value
- $854,700
- Jobs located here
- 1,516,991
- Daytime population
- 3,269,716Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad metro area?
These figures cover the whole metro area. 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 the San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad metro area. 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 metro areas in California for gyms and studios, numbered among those based in California, with the San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad metro area marked.
Top metro areas in California
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Stockton-Lodi, CA | 87 | 328 | 13.4 | $942K | +5.5% | #2 of 387 |
| 2Yuba City, CA | 85 | 57 | 9.2 | $1.2M | +3.3% | #4 of 387 |
| 3Merced, CA | 81 | 98 | 11.4 | $796K | +5.1% | #8 of 387 |
| 4Visalia, CA | 80 | 147 | 10.3 | $950K | +2.4% | #9 of 387 |
| 5Bakersfield-Delano, CA | 78 | 310 | 10.9 | $902K | +2.3% | #10 of 387 |
| 6Fresno, CA | 76 | 450 | 12.2 | $868K | +3.2% | #16 of 387 |
| 7Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA | 72 | 1,967 | 13.6 | $898K | +3.5% | #25 of 387 |
| 8Hanford-Corcoran, CA | 69 | 52 | 11.8 | $794K | +1.0% | #40 of 387 |
| 9Vallejo, CA | 68 | 239 | 15.2 | $907K | +0.6% | #43 of 387 |
| 10Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA | 68 | 1,387 | 15.7 | $862K | +3.2% | #44 of 387 |
| 20San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA | 48 | 2,551 | 21.8 | $684K | −0.6% | #204 of 387 |
Other business types in the San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad metro area
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 classes48
- Gyms53
- Yoga, Pilates and fitness studios29
- Martial arts and dance studios48
Health care
Child care
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many gyms and studios are in the San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA metro area?
As of September 2026, map listings count 2,551 gyms and studios in the San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad metro area. 472 of them (19%) are chain locations. The listings count gyms, fitness studios, martial arts and dance studios. Official counts show 1,110 businesses with payroll classed as fitness centers and recreation instruction in 2023, up 22.5% from 2019.
How much do households in the San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA metro area spend on memberships, classes and admissions?
About $1.7B a year, or $1,490 per household. That is 52% above the U.S. average (an index of 152, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 2,551 gyms and studios on map listings, it comes to $684K per location. It is estimated from the incomes of the 1,171,278 households in the San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad metro area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA metro area compare with the U.S. for gyms and studios?
The San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad metro area has 21.8 gyms and studios per 10,000 households, 46% above the U.S. rate of 14.9. Spending per location is $684K, 3% above the U.S. figure of $662K. At the U.S. ratio of gyms and studios to household spending, the San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad metro area would have about 2,637, against 2,551 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,055 households, against one for every 1,641 across the U.S. The official count rose 22.5% from 2019 to 2023, against +8.2% for the U.S.
How fast is the San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA metro area growing?
Population estimates put the San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad metro area at 3,282,248 people in 2025, down 0.6% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 1,171,278 households. The median household income in the San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad metro area is $106,268 a year, 32% above the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 34.6% 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. The San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad metro area scores 48 for gyms and studios (lower middle), #204 of 387 scored metro areas.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in the San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad metro area. 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 the San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad metro area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad metro area?
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 the San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad metro area. 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.