Groundwork

Fitness and classes · County · Kentucky

Gyms and studios in Laurel County, KY

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

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 52 out of 100: Upper middle

Ranked #966 of 2,088 scored counties
#20 of 63 scored counties in Kentucky

Listings
21
3 chain locations (14%)
Official establishments
3
Businesses with payroll, 2023
Household spending a year
$12.9M
On memberships, classes and admissions · $536 a household
Spending per listing
$612K
8% below the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
8.8
41% below the U.S.
Population, 2025
63,746
+1.6% since 2020

See the gyms and studios around any address in Laurel 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 Laurel 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

At $536 per household (46% below the U.S. average), households in Laurel County spend about $12.9M a year on memberships, classes and admissions. That works out to $612K per location, 8% below the U.S. figure of $662K.

Laurel County has 21 gyms and studios on map listings as of September 2026. Of those, 3 are chain locations, or 14%, against 20% across the U.S. That is 8.8 per 10,000 households, 41% below the U.S. rate of 14.9.

Official counts show 3 businesses with payroll classed as fitness centers and recreation instruction in Laurel County in 2023. That is one for every 7,999 households, against one for every 1,641 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 1 SBA-backed loan worth $125K has gone to businesses classed as fitness centers and recreation instruction in Laurel County.

Population estimates show Laurel County grew 1.6% from 2020 to 2025, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). The Groundwork market score for gyms and studios in Laurel County is 52 (upper middle), #966 of 2,088 scored counties and #20 of 63 scored counties in Kentucky.

How Laurel 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 Laurel County, KY compared with Kentucky and the U.S.
MeasureLaurel CountyKentuckyU.S.
Listings per 10k households8.811.214.9
Spending per listing$612K$576K$662K
Households per official establishment7,9992,7291,641
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023n/a+5.2%+8.2%
Population growth, 2020–2025+1.6%+2.2%+3.1%
Spending per household on memberships, classes and admissions$536$643$983
Median household income$57,771$63,726$80,734
Groundwork market score5245

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
3
Employees, 2023
25
Annual payroll, 2023
$271K
One-person businesses, 2023
Not publishedNot published for this business type
Map listings, September 2026
213 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
19The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here

SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022

Loans
1
Amount
$125K

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

Population, 2025 estimate
63,746+1.6% since 2020
Households
23,996
Median age
40.6
Homes lived in by their owners
72%
Vehicles per household
2.0
Land area
434 sq. mi.
People per square mile
145
Median household income
$57,771+39.1% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$71,501
Median home value
$159,500
Jobs located here
28,658
Daytime population
68,298Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in Laurel 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 Laurel 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 Laurel 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
20Laurel County, KY52218.8$612K+1.6%#966 of 2,088

Other business types in Laurel County

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

Questions

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

Map listings as of September 2026 show 21 gyms and studios in Laurel County. 3 of them (14%) 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 Laurel County, KY spend on memberships, classes and admissions?

About $12.9M a year, or $536 per household. That is 46% below the U.S. average (an index of 54, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 21 gyms and studios on map listings, it comes to $612K per location. It is estimated from the incomes of the 23,996 households in Laurel County and national spending patterns by income.

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

Laurel County has 8.8 gyms and studios per 10,000 households, 41% below the U.S. rate of 14.9. Spending per location is $612K, 8% below the U.S. figure of $662K. At the U.S. ratio of gyms and studios to household spending, Laurel County would have about 19, against 21 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 7,999 households, against one for every 1,641 across the U.S.

How fast is Laurel County, KY growing?

Population estimates put Laurel County at 63,746 people in 2025, up 1.6% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 23,996 households. The median household income in Laurel County is $57,771 a year, 28% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 39.1% from the 2015–2019 survey, 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. Laurel County scores 52 for gyms and studios (upper middle), #966 of 2,088 scored counties.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

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

Screening a site or an acquisition in Laurel 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 Laurel 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.