Groundwork

Fitness and classes · County · California

Gyms and studios in San Mateo County, CA

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

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 56 out of 100: Upper middle

Ranked #753 of 2,088 scored counties
#32 of 55 scored counties in California

Listings
526
99 chain locations (19%)
Official establishments
292
+10.6% since 2019
Household spending a year
$554M
On memberships, classes and admissions · $2,095 a household
Spending per listing
$1.1M
59% above the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
19.9
34% above the U.S.
Population, 2025
743,568
−2.5% since 2020

See the gyms and studios around any address in San Mateo 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 San Mateo 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

Household spending on memberships, classes and admissions in San Mateo County comes to about $554M a year: $2,095 per household, 2.1 times the U.S. average. Spread across 526 gyms and studios, that is $1.1M per location, 59% above the U.S. figure of $662K.

San Mateo County has 526 gyms and studios on map listings as of September 2026. 99 of them (19%) are chain locations, against 20% across the U.S. That comes to 19.9 for every 10,000 households, 34% above the U.S. rate of 14.9.

In 2023, official counts showed 292 businesses with payroll in San Mateo County classed as fitness centers and recreation instruction, up 10.6% from 2019. That is one for every 906 households, against one for every 1,641 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 18 SBA-backed loans worth $10.6M have gone to businesses classed as fitness centers and recreation instruction in San Mateo County.

Between 2020 and 2025, the population of San Mateo County declined 2.5%, against +3.1% for the U.S. The Groundwork market score for gyms and studios in San Mateo County is 56 (upper middle), #753 of 2,088 scored counties and #32 of 55 scored counties in California.

How San Mateo 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 San Mateo County, CA compared with California and the U.S.
MeasureSan Mateo CountyCaliforniaU.S.
Listings per 10k households19.917.114.9
Spending per listing$1.1M$837K$662K
Households per official establishment9061,2811,641
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023+10.6%+14.7%+8.2%
Population growth, 2020–2025−2.5%−0.4%+3.1%
Spending per household on memberships, classes and admissions$2,095$1,435$983
Median household income$158,855$99,122$80,734
Groundwork market score5660

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
264 → 292+10.6% over the period
Employees, 2023
4,198
Annual payroll, 2023
$108.3M
One-person businesses, 2023
Not publishedNot published for this business type
Map listings, September 2026
52699 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
837The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here

SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022

Loans
18
Amount
$10.6M

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

Population, 2025 estimate
743,568−2.5% since 2020
Households
264,419
Median age
41.8
Homes lived in by their owners
58%
Vehicles per household
1.9
Land area
449 sq. mi.
People per square mile
1,655
Median household income
$158,855+29.5% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$231,822
Median home value
$1,559,600
Jobs located here
425,111
Daytime population
795,447Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in San Mateo 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 San Mateo 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 San Mateo 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
32San Mateo County, CA5652619.9$1.1M−2.5%#753 of 2,088

Other business types in San Mateo County

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

Questions

How many gyms and studios are in San Mateo County, CA?

Map listings as of September 2026 show 526 gyms and studios in San Mateo County. 99 of them (19%) are chain locations. The listings count gyms, fitness studios, martial arts and dance studios. Official counts show 292 businesses with payroll classed as fitness centers and recreation instruction in 2023, up 10.6% from 2019.

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

About $554M a year, or $2,095 per household. That is 2.1 times the U.S. average (an index of 213, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 526 gyms and studios on map listings, it comes to $1.1M per location. It is estimated from the incomes of the 264,419 households in San Mateo County and national spending patterns by income.

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

San Mateo County has 19.9 gyms and studios per 10,000 households, 34% above the U.S. rate of 14.9. Spending per location is $1.1M, 59% above the U.S. figure of $662K. At the U.S. ratio of gyms and studios to household spending, San Mateo County would have about 837, against 526 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 906 households, against one for every 1,641 across the U.S. The official count rose 10.6% from 2019 to 2023, against +8.2% for the U.S.

How fast is San Mateo County, CA growing?

Population estimates put San Mateo County at 743,568 people in 2025, down 2.5% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 264,419 households. The median household income in San Mateo County is $158,855 a year, 97% above the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 29.5% 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. San Mateo County scores 56 for gyms and studios (upper middle), #753 of 2,088 scored counties.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

Run a Groundwork site report on an address in San Mateo 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 San Mateo County

Screening a site or an acquisition in San Mateo 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 San Mateo 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.