Groundwork

Fitness and classes · County · Kentucky

Gyms and studios in Carter County, KY

The gyms and studios in Carter County, KY, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 40 out of 100: Lower middle

Ranked #1,483 of 2,088 scored counties
#34 of 63 scored counties in Kentucky

Listings
9
2 chain locations (22%)
Official establishments
3
Businesses with payroll, 2023
Household spending a year
$5.5M
On memberships, classes and admissions · $513 a household
Spending per listing
$616K
7% below the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
8.3
44% below the U.S.
Population, 2025
26,149
−1.7% since 2020

See the gyms and studios around any address in Carter 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 Carter 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

As of September 2026, map listings count 9 gyms and studios in Carter County. Of those, 2 are chain locations, or 22%, against 20% across the U.S. That comes to 8.3 for every 10,000 households, 44% below the U.S. rate of 14.9.

Households in Carter County spend about $5.5M a year on memberships, classes and admissions, or $513 per household, 48% below the U.S. average. That works out to $616K per location, 7% below the U.S. figure of $662K.

In 2023, official counts showed 3 businesses with payroll in Carter County classed as fitness centers and recreation instruction. That is one for every 3,598 households, against one for every 1,641 across the U.S.

Population estimates put the population change in Carter County from 2020 to 2025 at −1.7%, against +3.1% for the U.S. For gyms and studios, Carter County has a Groundwork market score of 40 (lower middle): #1,483 of 2,088 scored counties and #34 of 63 scored counties in Kentucky.

How Carter County compares

The same measures for Kentucky 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 Carter County, KY compared with Kentucky and the U.S.
MeasureCarter CountyKentuckyU.S.
Listings per 10k households8.311.214.9
Spending per listing$616K$576K$662K
Households per official establishment3,5982,7291,641
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023n/a+5.2%+8.2%
Population growth, 2020–2025−1.7%+2.2%+3.1%
Spending per household on memberships, classes and admissions$513$643$983
Median household income$51,235$63,726$80,734
Groundwork market score4045

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
3
Employees, 2023
9
Annual payroll, 2023
$118K
One-person businesses, 2023
Not publishedNot published for this business type
Map listings, September 2026
92 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
8The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here

SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022

Loans
0
Amount
$0

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

Population, 2025 estimate
26,149−1.7% since 2020
Households
10,794
Median age
41.9
Homes lived in by their owners
80%
Vehicles per household
2.2
Land area
410 sq. mi.
People per square mile
64
Median household income
$51,235+47.5% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$69,045
Median home value
$132,800
Jobs located here
6,014
Daytime population
23,638Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in Carter 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 Carter 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 Kentucky

Every Kentucky market ranked →

The highest-scoring counties in Kentucky for gyms and studios, numbered among those based in Kentucky, with Carter County marked.

Top counties in Kentucky

Counties in Kentucky ranked for gyms and studios by Groundwork market score
MarketScoreListingsPer 10k householdsSpending per listingPopulation growthU.S. rank
1Spencer County, KY74912.3$724K+7.7%#169 of 2,088
2Oldham County, KY713314.3$821K+4.9%#235 of 2,088
3Scott County, KY702611.5$710K+8.2%#262 of 2,088
4Woodford County, KY681211.1$728K+3.7%#325 of 2,088
5Meade County, KY6798.2$863K+2.2%#341 of 2,088
6Boone County, KY676613.0$714K+6.5%#353 of 2,088
7Shelby County, KY66179.2$847K+6.2%#374 of 2,088
8Logan County, KY6565.5$994K+4.2%#397 of 2,088
9Lincoln County, KY6555.2$992K+4.6%#398 of 2,088
10Montgomery County, KY6565.5$977K+2.5%#399 of 2,088
34Carter County, KY4098.3$616K−1.7%#1,483 of 2,088

Other business types in Carter County

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

Questions

How many gyms and studios are in Carter County, KY?

Carter County has 9 gyms and studios on map listings as of September 2026. 2 of them (22%) are chain locations. The listings count gyms, fitness studios, martial arts and dance studios. Official counts show 3 businesses with payroll classed as fitness centers and recreation instruction in 2023.

How much do households in Carter County, KY spend on memberships, classes and admissions?

About $5.5M a year, or $513 per household. That is 48% below the U.S. average (an index of 52, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 9 gyms and studios on map listings, it comes to $616K per location. It is estimated from the incomes of the 10,794 households in Carter County and national spending patterns by income.

How does Carter County, KY compare with the U.S. for gyms and studios?

Carter County has 8.3 gyms and studios per 10,000 households, 44% below the U.S. rate of 14.9. Spending per location is $616K, 7% below the U.S. figure of $662K. At the national ratio of gyms and studios to household spending, Carter County would have about 8, against 9 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 3,598 households, against one for every 1,641 across the U.S.

How fast is Carter County, KY growing?

Population estimates put Carter County at 26,149 people in 2025, down 1.7% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 10,794 households. Median household income in Carter County is $51,235, 37% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 47.5%, 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. Carter County scores 40 for gyms and studios (lower middle), #1,483 of 2,088 scored counties.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Carter 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 Carter County

Screening a site or an acquisition in Carter 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 Carter 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.