Groundwork

Fitness and classes · Metro area · Colorado

Gyms and studios in the Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO metro area

Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for gyms and studios in the Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO metro area, set against other metro areas and the U.S.

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 65 out of 100: Upper middle

Ranked #61 of 387 scored metro areas
#3 of 7 scored metro areas based in Colorado

Listings
2,235
552 chain locations (25%)
Official establishments
1,083
+13.6% since 2019
Household spending a year
$1.8B
On memberships, classes and admissions · $1,470 a household
Spending per listing
$803K
21% above the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
18.3
23% above the U.S.
Population, 2025
3,092,037
+4.1% since 2020

See the gyms and studios around any address in the Denver-Aurora-Centennial 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 Denver-Aurora-Centennial metro area. 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 2,235 gyms and studios in the Denver-Aurora-Centennial metro area. 552 of them (25%) are chain locations, against 20% across the U.S. That comes to 18.3 for every 10,000 households, 23% above the U.S. rate of 14.9.

Household spending on memberships, classes and admissions in the Denver-Aurora-Centennial metro area comes to about $1.8B a year: $1,470 per household, 49% above the U.S. average. That works out to $803K per location, 21% above the U.S. figure of $662K.

Official counts show 1,083 businesses with payroll classed as fitness centers and recreation instruction in the Denver-Aurora-Centennial metro area in 2023, up 13.6% from 2019. That is one for every 1,128 households, against one for every 1,641 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 116 SBA-backed loans worth $63.7M have gone to businesses classed as fitness centers and recreation instruction in the Denver-Aurora-Centennial metro area.

Between 2020 and 2025, the population of the Denver-Aurora-Centennial metro area grew 4.1%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). The Denver-Aurora-Centennial metro area scores 65 (upper middle) on the Groundwork market score for gyms and studios, ranking #61 of 387 scored metro areas and #3 of 7 scored metro areas based in Colorado. That puts it in the top quarter of metro areas.

How the Denver-Aurora-Centennial metro area compares

The same measures for Colorado 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 Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO metro area compared with Colorado and the U.S.
MeasureDenver-Aurora-Centennial metro areaColoradoU.S.
Listings per 10k households18.318.114.9
Spending per listing$803K$740K$662K
Households per official establishment1,1281,2241,641
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023+13.6%+12.3%+8.2%
Population growth, 2020–2025+4.1%+3.9%+3.1%
Spending per household on memberships, classes and admissions$1,470$1,337$983
Median household income$105,762$95,470$80,734
Groundwork market score6564

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
1,083+13.6% over the period
Employees, 2023
13,185
Annual payroll, 2023
$272.4M
One-person businesses, 2023
Not publishedNot published for this business type
Map listings, September 2026
2,235552 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
2,712The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here

SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022

Loans
116
Amount
$63.7M

SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as fitness centers and recreation instruction in the Denver-Aurora-Centennial 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 Denver-Aurora-Centennial metro area

Population, 2025 estimate
3,092,037+4.1% since 2020
Households
1,221,636
Median age
38.7
Homes lived in by their owners
64%
Vehicles per household
1.9
Land area
8,345 sq. mi.
People per square mile
360
Median household income
$105,762+32.8% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$140,691
Median home value
$603,800
Jobs located here
1,626,278
Daytime population
3,090,925Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in the Denver-Aurora-Centennial 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 Denver-Aurora-Centennial metro area. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

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Gyms, studios and classes across Colorado

Every Colorado market ranked →

The highest-scoring metro areas in Colorado for gyms and studios, numbered among those based in Colorado, with the Denver-Aurora-Centennial metro area marked.

Top metro areas in Colorado

Metro areas in Colorado ranked for gyms and studios by Groundwork market score
MarketScoreListingsPer 10k householdsSpending per listingPopulation growthU.S. rank
1Greeley, CO8715312.3$1M+14.2%#1 of 387
2Pueblo, CO678312.1$722K+0.6%#52 of 387
3Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO652,23518.3$803K+4.1%#61 of 387
4Grand Junction, CO649814.9$668K+4.4%#73 of 387
5Colorado Springs, CO6249916.5$743K+3.1%#85 of 387
6Fort Collins-Loveland, CO5929218.9$683K+4.8%#102 of 387
7Boulder, CO3438027.7$553K−0.7%#326 of 387

Other business types in the Denver-Aurora-Centennial metro area

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

Questions

How many gyms and studios are in the Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO metro area?

There are 2,235 gyms and studios on map listings in the Denver-Aurora-Centennial metro area as of September 2026. 552 of them (25%) are chain locations. The listings count gyms, fitness studios, martial arts and dance studios. Official counts show 1,083 businesses with payroll classed as fitness centers and recreation instruction in 2023, up 13.6% from 2019.

How much do households in the Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO metro area spend on memberships, classes and admissions?

About $1.8B a year, or $1,470 per household. That is 49% above the U.S. average (an index of 149, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 2,235 gyms and studios on map listings, it comes to $803K per location. It is estimated from the incomes of the 1,221,636 households in the Denver-Aurora-Centennial metro area and national spending patterns by income.

How does the Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO metro area compare with the U.S. for gyms and studios?

The Denver-Aurora-Centennial metro area has 18.3 gyms and studios per 10,000 households, 23% above the U.S. rate of 14.9. Spending per location is $803K, 21% above the U.S. figure of $662K. At the national ratio of gyms and studios to household spending, the Denver-Aurora-Centennial metro area would have about 2,712, against 2,235 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,128 households, against one for every 1,641 across the U.S. The official count rose 13.6% from 2019 to 2023, against +8.2% for the U.S.

How fast is the Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO metro area growing?

Population estimates put the Denver-Aurora-Centennial metro area at 3,092,037 people in 2025, up 4.1% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 1,221,636 households. Median household income in the Denver-Aurora-Centennial metro area is $105,762, 31% above the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 32.8%, 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 Denver-Aurora-Centennial metro area scores 65 for gyms and studios (upper middle), #61 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 Denver-Aurora-Centennial 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 Denver-Aurora-Centennial metro area

Screening a site or an acquisition in the Denver-Aurora-Centennial 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 Denver-Aurora-Centennial 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.