Fitness and classes · Metro area · Georgia
Gyms and studios in the Athens-Clarke County, GA metro area
How the Athens-Clarke County, GA 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 24 out of 100: Low
Ranked #380 of 387 scored metro areas
#14 of 14 scored metro areas based in Georgia
- Listings
- 130
- 23 chain locations (18%)
- Official establishments
- 70
- +6.3% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $60.4M
- On memberships, classes and admissions · $701 a household
- Spending per listing
- $464K
- 30% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 15.1
- In line with the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 224,148
- +3.9% since 2020
See the gyms and studios around any address in the Athens-Clarke County 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 Athens-Clarke County 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
The Groundwork market score for gyms and studios in the Athens-Clarke County metro area is 24 (low), #380 of 387 scored metro areas and #14 of 14 scored metro areas based in Georgia. That puts it in the bottom quarter of metro areas.
Map listings as of September 2026 show 130 gyms and studios in the Athens-Clarke County metro area. Chain locations make up 18% of them, against 20% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 15.1, in line with the U.S. rate of 14.9.
At $701 per household (29% below the U.S. average), households in the Athens-Clarke County metro area spend about $60.4M a year on memberships, classes and admissions. That is about $464K of household spending for each location on map listings, 30% below the U.S. figure of $662K.
Official counts show 70 businesses with payroll classed as fitness centers and recreation instruction in the Athens-Clarke County metro area in 2023, up 6.3% from 2019. That is one for every 1,230 households, against one for every 1,641 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 8 SBA-backed loans worth $6M have gone to businesses classed as fitness centers and recreation instruction in the Athens-Clarke County metro area. Between 2020 and 2025, the population of the Athens-Clarke County metro area grew 3.9%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%).
How the Athens-Clarke County metro area compares
The same measures for Georgia 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 | Athens-Clarke County metro area | Georgia | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 15.1 | 14.3 | 14.9 |
| Spending per listing | $464K | $554K | $662K |
| Households per official establishment | 1,230 | 1,825 | 1,641 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +6.3% | +5.2% | +8.2% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +3.9% | +5.3% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on memberships, classes and admissions | $701 | $792 | $983 |
| Median household income | $65,608 | $77,353 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 24 | 45 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 70+6.3% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 765
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $12.1M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- Not publishedNot published for this business type
- Map listings, September 2026
- 13023 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 91The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 8
- Amount
- $6M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as fitness centers and recreation instruction in the Athens-Clarke County 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 Athens-Clarke County metro area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 224,148+3.9% since 2020
- Households
- 86,101
- Median age
- 36.7
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 56%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.0
- Land area
- 1,025 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 215
- Median household income
- $65,608+39.0% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $94,551
- Median home value
- $310,200
- Jobs located here
- 94,787
- Daytime population
- 224,908Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Athens-Clarke County 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 Athens-Clarke County 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 Georgia
Every Georgia market ranked →The highest-scoring metro areas in Georgia for gyms and studios, numbered among those based in Georgia (a market based in another state is listed without a number), with the Athens-Clarke County metro area marked.
Top metro areas in Georgia
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Dalton, GA | 65 | 42 | 8.1 | $774K | +3.5% | #63 of 387 |
| 2Warner Robins, GA | 63 | 80 | 10.7 | $680K | +8.2% | #82 of 387 |
| 3Gainesville, GA | 58 | 96 | 13.1 | $616K | +11.4% | #114 of 387 |
| 4Hinesville, GA | 58 | 28 | 9.3 | $581K | +12.6% | #116 of 387 |
| 5Augusta-Richmond County, GA-SC | 55 | 266 | 11.5 | $610K | +4.7% | #141 of 387 |
| 6Savannah, GA | 48 | 236 | 14.6 | $515K | +8.1% | #211 of 387 |
| 7Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA | 45 | 3,799 | 16.4 | $554K | +5.9% | #250 of 387 |
| 8Albany, GA | 43 | 52 | 9.0 | $605K | −1.8% | #259 of 387 |
| Chattanooga, TN-GA | 43 | 324 | 14.0 | $519K | +5.3% | #263 of 387 |
| 9Rome, GA | 42 | 48 | 13.0 | $494K | +2.8% | #273 of 387 |
| 14Athens-Clarke County, GA | 24 | 130 | 15.1 | $464K | +3.9% | #380 of 387 |
Other business types in the Athens-Clarke County 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 classes24
- Gyms28
- Yoga, Pilates and fitness studios20
- Martial arts and dance studios32
Health care
Child care
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many gyms and studios are in the Athens-Clarke County, GA metro area?
There are 130 gyms and studios on map listings in the Athens-Clarke County metro area as of September 2026. 23 of them (18%) are chain locations. The listings count gyms, fitness studios, martial arts and dance studios. Official counts show 70 businesses with payroll classed as fitness centers and recreation instruction in 2023, up 6.3% from 2019.
How much do households in the Athens-Clarke County, GA metro area spend on memberships, classes and admissions?
About $60.4M a year, or $701 per household. That is 29% below the U.S. average (an index of 71, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 130 gyms and studios on map listings, it comes to $464K per location. It is estimated from the incomes of the 86,101 households in the Athens-Clarke County metro area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Athens-Clarke County, GA metro area compare with the U.S. for gyms and studios?
The Athens-Clarke County metro area has 15.1 gyms and studios per 10,000 households, in line with the U.S. rate of 14.9. Spending per location is $464K, 30% below the U.S. figure of $662K. At the national ratio of gyms and studios to household spending, the Athens-Clarke County metro area would have about 91, against 130 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,230 households, against one for every 1,641 across the U.S. The official count rose 6.3% from 2019 to 2023, against +8.2% for the U.S.
How fast is the Athens-Clarke County, GA metro area growing?
Population estimates put the Athens-Clarke County metro area at 224,148 people in 2025, up 3.9% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 86,101 households. Median household income in the Athens-Clarke County metro area is $65,608, 19% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 39.0%, 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 Athens-Clarke County metro area scores 24 for gyms and studios (low), #380 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 Athens-Clarke County 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 Athens-Clarke County metro area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Athens-Clarke County 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 Athens-Clarke County 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.