Fitness and classes · Metro area · Connecticut
Gyms and studios in the Waterbury-Shelton, CT metro area
How the Waterbury-Shelton, CT metro area compares with other metro areas and the U.S. for gyms and studios: competitors, household spending, official counts and growth.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 59 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #103 of 387 scored metro areas
#1 of 5 scored metro areas based in Connecticut
- Listings
- 285
- 36 chain locations (13%)
- Official establishments
- 96
- Businesses with payroll, 2023
- Household spending a year
- $183.6M
- On memberships, classes and admissions · $1,020 a household
- Spending per listing
- $644K
- 3% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 15.8
- 6% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 463,349
- +3.2% since 2020
See the gyms and studios around any address in the Waterbury-Shelton 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 Waterbury-Shelton 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
Map listings as of September 2026 show 285 gyms and studios in the Waterbury-Shelton metro area. 36 of them (13%) are chain locations, against 20% across the U.S. That comes to 15.8 for every 10,000 households, 6% above the U.S. rate of 14.9.
Household spending on memberships, classes and admissions in the Waterbury-Shelton metro area comes to about $183.6M a year: $1,020 per household, 4% above the U.S. average. That works out to $644K per location, 3% below the U.S. figure of $662K.
In 2023, official counts showed 96 businesses with payroll in the Waterbury-Shelton metro area classed as fitness centers and recreation instruction. That is one for every 1,876 households, against one for every 1,641 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 4 SBA-backed loans worth $575K have gone to businesses classed as fitness centers and recreation instruction in the Waterbury-Shelton metro area.
Population estimates show the Waterbury-Shelton metro area grew 3.2% from 2020 to 2025, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%). For gyms and studios, the Waterbury-Shelton metro area has a Groundwork market score of 59 (upper middle): #103 of 387 scored metro areas and #1 of 5 scored metro areas based in Connecticut.
How the Waterbury-Shelton metro area 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 | Waterbury-Shelton metro area | Connecticut | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 15.8 | 19.9 | 14.9 |
| Spending per listing | $644K | $582K | $662K |
| Households per official establishment | 1,876 | 1,226 | 1,641 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | −0.7% | +8.2% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +3.2% | +3.0% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on memberships, classes and admissions | $1,020 | $1,158 | $983 |
| Median household income | $86,191 | $95,781 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 59 | 42 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 96
- Employees, 2023
- 1,153
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $20.1M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- Not publishedNot published for this business type
- Map listings, September 2026
- 28536 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 277The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 4
- Amount
- $575K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as fitness centers and recreation instruction in the Waterbury-Shelton 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 Waterbury-Shelton metro area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 463,349+3.2% since 2020
- Households
- 180,116
- Median age
- 42.6
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 69%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.7
- Land area
- 413 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 1,102
- Median household income
- $86,191
- Average household income
- $114,324
- Median home value
- $317,700
- Jobs located here
- 164,434
- Daytime population
- 395,318Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Waterbury-Shelton 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 Waterbury-Shelton 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 Connecticut
Every Connecticut market ranked →The highest-scoring metro areas in Connecticut for gyms and studios, numbered among those based in Connecticut, with the Waterbury-Shelton metro area marked.
Top metro areas in Connecticut
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Waterbury-Shelton, CT | 59 | 285 | 15.8 | $644K | +3.2% | #103 of 387 |
| 2Norwich-New London-Willimantic, CT | 49 | 197 | 17.0 | $581K | +2.0% | #199 of 387 |
| 3Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford, CT | 47 | 896 | 19.3 | $586K | +3.0% | #219 of 387 |
| 4Bridgeport-Stamford-Danbury, CT | 46 | 870 | 24.5 | $574K | +3.7% | #231 of 387 |
| 5New Haven, CT | 38 | 474 | 20.5 | $520K | +2.5% | #304 of 387 |
Other business types in the Waterbury-Shelton 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 classes59
- Gyms72
- Yoga, Pilates and fitness studios70
- Martial arts and dance studios40
Health care
Child care
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many gyms and studios are in the Waterbury-Shelton, CT metro area?
There are 285 gyms and studios on map listings in the Waterbury-Shelton metro area as of September 2026. 36 of them (13%) are chain locations. The listings count gyms, fitness studios, martial arts and dance studios. Official counts show 96 businesses with payroll classed as fitness centers and recreation instruction in 2023.
How much do households in the Waterbury-Shelton, CT metro area spend on memberships, classes and admissions?
About $183.6M a year, or $1,020 per household. That is 4% above the U.S. average (an index of 104, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 285 gyms and studios on map listings, it comes to $644K per location. It is estimated from the incomes of the 180,116 households in the Waterbury-Shelton metro area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Waterbury-Shelton, CT metro area compare with the U.S. for gyms and studios?
The Waterbury-Shelton metro area has 15.8 gyms and studios per 10,000 households, 6% above the U.S. rate of 14.9. Spending per location is $644K, 3% below the U.S. figure of $662K. At the national ratio of gyms and studios to household spending, the Waterbury-Shelton metro area would have about 277, against 285 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,876 households, against one for every 1,641 across the U.S.
How fast is the Waterbury-Shelton, CT metro area growing?
Population estimates put the Waterbury-Shelton metro area at 463,349 people in 2025, up 3.2% since 2020, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 180,116 households. Median household income in the Waterbury-Shelton metro area is $86,191, 7% 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 Waterbury-Shelton metro area scores 59 for gyms and studios (upper middle), #103 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 Waterbury-Shelton 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 Waterbury-Shelton metro area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Waterbury-Shelton 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 Waterbury-Shelton 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.