Groundwork

Fitness and classes · County · Kentucky

Gyms and studios in Fayette County, KY

Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for gyms and studios in Fayette County, KY, set against other counties and the U.S.

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 30 out of 100: Lower middle

Ranked #1,799 of 2,088 scored counties
#48 of 63 scored counties in Kentucky

Listings
245
47 chain locations (19%)
Official establishments
94
+16.1% since 2019
Household spending a year
$104.1M
On memberships, classes and admissions · $745 a household
Spending per listing
$425K
36% below the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
17.5
17% above the U.S.
Population, 2025
329,751
+2.2% since 2020

See the gyms and studios around any address in Fayette 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 Fayette County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

Free10 actions over 3 days, no card

Survey estimates 2020–2024 · population estimates 2025 · official business counts 2023 · map listings September 2026 · Data credits · How we measure

What this means

For gyms and studios, Fayette County has a Groundwork market score of 30 (lower middle): #1,799 of 2,088 scored counties and #48 of 63 scored counties in Kentucky. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.

Map listings as of September 2026 show 245 gyms and studios in Fayette County. Of those, 47 are chain locations, or 19%, against 20% across the U.S. That comes to 17.5 for every 10,000 households, 17% above the U.S. rate of 14.9.

Households in Fayette County spend about $104.1M a year on memberships, classes and admissions, or $745 per household, 24% below the U.S. average. That is about $425K of household spending for each location on map listings, 36% below the U.S. figure of $662K.

In 2023, official counts showed 94 businesses with payroll in Fayette County classed as fitness centers and recreation instruction, up 16.1% from 2019. That is one for every 1,486 households, against one for every 1,641 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 12 SBA-backed loans worth $3.7M have gone to businesses classed as fitness centers and recreation instruction in Fayette County. Population estimates show Fayette County grew 2.2% from 2020 to 2025, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%).

How Fayette 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 Fayette County, KY compared with Kentucky and the U.S.
MeasureFayette CountyKentuckyU.S.
Listings per 10k households17.511.214.9
Spending per listing$425K$576K$662K
Households per official establishment1,4862,7291,641
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023+16.1%+5.2%+8.2%
Population growth, 2020–2025+2.2%+2.2%+3.1%
Spending per household on memberships, classes and admissions$745$643$983
Median household income$69,479$63,726$80,734
Groundwork market score3045

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
81 → 94+16.1% over the period
Employees, 2023
1,398
Annual payroll, 2023
$19.2M
One-person businesses, 2023
Not publishedNot published for this business type
Map listings, September 2026
24547 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
157The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here

SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022

Loans
12
Amount
$3.7M

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

Population, 2025 estimate
329,751+2.2% since 2020
Households
139,715
Median age
37.1
Homes lived in by their owners
54%
Vehicles per household
1.7
Land area
284 sq. mi.
People per square mile
1,140
Median household income
$69,479+21.3% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$101,616
Median home value
$293,500
Jobs located here
208,353
Daytime population
386,586Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in Fayette 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 Fayette County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

Free10 actions over 3 days, no card

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 Fayette 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
48Fayette County, KY3024517.5$425K+2.2%#1,799 of 2,088

Other business types in Fayette County

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

Questions

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

There are 245 gyms and studios on map listings in Fayette County as of September 2026. 47 of them (19%) are chain locations. The listings count gyms, fitness studios, martial arts and dance studios. Official counts show 94 businesses with payroll classed as fitness centers and recreation instruction in 2023, up 16.1% from 2019.

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

About $104.1M a year, or $745 per household. That is 24% below the U.S. average (an index of 76, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 245 gyms and studios on map listings, it comes to $425K per location. It is estimated from the incomes of the 139,715 households in Fayette County and national spending patterns by income.

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

Fayette County has 17.5 gyms and studios per 10,000 households, 17% above the U.S. rate of 14.9. Spending per location is $425K, 36% below the U.S. figure of $662K. At the national ratio of gyms and studios to household spending, Fayette County would have about 157, against 245 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,486 households, against one for every 1,641 across the U.S. The official count rose 16.1% from 2019 to 2023, against +8.2% for the U.S.

How fast is Fayette County, KY growing?

Population estimates put Fayette County at 329,751 people in 2025, up 2.2% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 139,715 households. Median household income in Fayette County is $69,479, 14% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 21.3%, 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. Fayette County scores 30 for gyms and studios (lower middle), #1,799 of 2,088 scored counties.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

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

Screening a site or an acquisition in Fayette 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 Fayette 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.