Fitness and classes · County · Connecticut
Gyms and studios in the South Central Connecticut Planning Region, CT
The gyms and studios in the South Central Connecticut Planning Region, CT, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 43 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,402 of 2,088 scored counties
#9 of 9 scored counties in Connecticut
- Listings
- 474
- 68 chain locations (14%)
- Official establishments
- 169
- Businesses with payroll, 2023
- Household spending a year
- $246.4M
- On memberships, classes and admissions · $1,068 a household
- Spending per listing
- $520K
- 21% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 20.5
- 38% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 578,741
- +2.5% since 2020
See the gyms and studios around any address in the South Central Connecticut Planning Region
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 South Central Connecticut Planning Region. 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 $1,068 per household (9% above the U.S. average), households in the South Central Connecticut Planning Region spend about $246.4M a year on memberships, classes and admissions. That works out to $520K per location, 21% below the U.S. figure of $662K.
The South Central Connecticut Planning Region has 474 gyms and studios on map listings as of September 2026. Chain locations make up 14% of them, against 20% across the U.S. That comes to 20.5 for every 10,000 households, 38% above the U.S. rate of 14.9.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as fitness centers and recreation instruction in the South Central Connecticut Planning Region was 169 in 2023. That is one for every 1,365 households, against one for every 1,641 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 12 SBA-backed loans worth $6.2M have gone to businesses classed as fitness centers and recreation instruction in the South Central Connecticut Planning Region.
Population estimates show the South Central Connecticut Planning Region grew 2.5% from 2020 to 2025, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). The Groundwork market score for gyms and studios in the South Central Connecticut Planning Region is 43 (lower middle), #1,402 of 2,088 scored counties and #9 of 9 scored counties in Connecticut.
How the South Central Connecticut Planning Region compares
The same measures for Connecticut 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 | South Central Connecticut Planning Region | Connecticut | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 20.5 | 19.9 | 14.9 |
| Spending per listing | $520K | $582K | $662K |
| Households per official establishment | 1,365 | 1,226 | 1,641 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | −0.7% | +8.2% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +2.5% | +3.0% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on memberships, classes and admissions | $1,068 | $1,158 | $983 |
| Median household income | $88,197 | $95,781 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 43 | 42 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 169
- Employees, 2023
- 2,430
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $50.6M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- Not publishedNot published for this business type
- Map listings, September 2026
- 47468 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 372The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 12
- Amount
- $6.2M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as fitness centers and recreation instruction in the South Central Connecticut Planning Region, 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 South Central Connecticut Planning Region
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 578,741+2.5% since 2020
- Households
- 230,673
- Median age
- 41.7
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 61%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.6
- Land area
- 367 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 1,554
- Median household income
- $88,197
- Average household income
- $121,518
- Median home value
- $353,100
- Jobs located here
- 298,580
- Daytime population
- 597,614Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the South Central Connecticut Planning Region?
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 the South Central Connecticut Planning Region. 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 Connecticut
Every Connecticut market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in Connecticut for gyms and studios, numbered among those based in Connecticut, with the South Central Connecticut Planning Region marked.
Top counties in Connecticut
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Northeastern Connecticut Planning Region, CT | 69 | 51 | 12.9 | $780K | +3.0% | #287 of 2,088 |
| 2Greater Bridgeport Planning Region, CT | 59 | 194 | 16.2 | $718K | +4.1% | #641 of 2,088 |
| 3Naugatuck Valley Planning Region, CT | 57 | 285 | 15.8 | $644K | +3.2% | #736 of 2,088 |
| 4Northwest Hills Planning Region, CT | 53 | 82 | 17.1 | $644K | +2.2% | #906 of 2,088 |
| 5Southeastern Connecticut Planning Region, CT | 50 | 197 | 17.0 | $581K | +2.0% | #1,062 of 2,088 |
| 6Capitol Planning Region, CT | 49 | 738 | 18.9 | $590K | +3.1% | #1,117 of 2,088 |
| 7Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region, CT | 46 | 158 | 21.3 | $567K | +2.3% | #1,266 of 2,088 |
| 8Western Connecticut Planning Region, CT | 43 | 676 | 28.7 | $532K | +3.5% | #1,399 of 2,088 |
| 9South Central Connecticut Planning Region, CT | 43 | 474 | 20.5 | $520K | +2.5% | #1,402 of 2,088 |
Other business types in the South Central Connecticut Planning Region
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 classes43
- Gyms52
- Yoga, Pilates and fitness studios46
- Martial arts and dance studios41
Health care
Child care
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many gyms and studios are in the South Central Connecticut Planning Region, CT?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 474 gyms and studios in the South Central Connecticut Planning Region. 68 of them (14%) are chain locations. The listings count gyms, fitness studios, martial arts and dance studios. Official counts show 169 businesses with payroll classed as fitness centers and recreation instruction in 2023.
How much do households in the South Central Connecticut Planning Region, CT spend on memberships, classes and admissions?
About $246.4M a year, or $1,068 per household. That is 9% above the U.S. average (an index of 109, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 474 gyms and studios on map listings, it comes to $520K per location. It is estimated from the incomes of the 230,673 households in the South Central Connecticut Planning Region and national spending patterns by income.
How does the South Central Connecticut Planning Region, CT compare with the U.S. for gyms and studios?
The South Central Connecticut Planning Region has 20.5 gyms and studios per 10,000 households, 38% above the U.S. rate of 14.9. Spending per location is $520K, 21% below the U.S. figure of $662K. At the U.S. ratio of gyms and studios to household spending, the South Central Connecticut Planning Region would have about 372, against 474 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,365 households, against one for every 1,641 across the U.S.
How fast is the South Central Connecticut Planning Region, CT growing?
Population estimates put the South Central Connecticut Planning Region at 578,741 people in 2025, up 2.5% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 230,673 households. The median household income in the South Central Connecticut Planning Region is $88,197 a year, 9% above the U.S. median of $80,734.
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 South Central Connecticut Planning Region scores 43 for gyms and studios (lower middle), #1,402 of 2,088 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in the South Central Connecticut Planning Region. 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 South Central Connecticut Planning Region
Screening a site or an acquisition in the South Central Connecticut Planning Region?
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 South Central Connecticut Planning Region. 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.