Fitness and classes · County · Maine
Gyms and studios in Penobscot County, ME
The gyms and studios in Penobscot County, ME, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 46 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,272 of 2,088 scored counties
#10 of 16 scored counties in Maine
- Listings
- 92
- 15 chain locations (16%)
- Official establishments
- 30
- +7.1% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $50.1M
- On memberships, classes and admissions · $768 a household
- Spending per listing
- $545K
- 18% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 14.1
- 5% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 157,967
- +3.8% since 2020
See the gyms and studios around any address in Penobscot 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 Penobscot County. 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
At $768 per household (22% below the U.S. average), households in Penobscot County spend about $50.1M a year on memberships, classes and admissions. That is about $545K of household spending for each location on map listings, 18% below the U.S. figure of $662K.
There are 92 gyms and studios on map listings in Penobscot County as of September 2026. Chain locations make up 16% of them, against 20% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 14.1, 5% below the U.S. rate of 14.9.
Official counts show 30 businesses with payroll classed as fitness centers and recreation instruction in Penobscot County in 2023, up 7.1% from 2019. That is one for every 2,174 households, against one for every 1,641 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 3 SBA-backed loans worth $602K have gone to businesses classed as fitness centers and recreation instruction in Penobscot County.
Population estimates put the population change in Penobscot County from 2020 to 2025 at +3.8%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). Penobscot County scores 46 (lower middle) on the Groundwork market score for gyms and studios, ranking #1,272 of 2,088 scored counties and #10 of 16 scored counties in Maine.
How Penobscot County compares
The same measures for Maine 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 | Penobscot County | Maine | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 14.1 | 16.4 | 14.9 |
| Spending per listing | $545K | $524K | $662K |
| Households per official establishment | 2,174 | 1,687 | 1,641 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +7.1% | +12.0% | +8.2% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +3.8% | +3.7% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on memberships, classes and admissions | $768 | $858 | $983 |
| Median household income | $66,356 | $74,733 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 46 | 37 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 28 → 30+7.1% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 520
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $9.5M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- Not publishedNot published for this business type
- Map listings, September 2026
- 9215 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 76The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 3
- Amount
- $602K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as fitness centers and recreation instruction in Penobscot 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 Penobscot County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 157,967+3.8% since 2020
- Households
- 65,221
- Median age
- 43.4
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 71%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.8
- Land area
- 3,397 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 46
- Median household income
- $66,356+30.6% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $88,290
- Median home value
- $214,100
- Jobs located here
- 73,466
- Daytime population
- 158,403Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Penobscot 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 Penobscot County. 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 Maine
Every Maine market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in Maine for gyms and studios, numbered among those based in Maine, with Penobscot County marked.
Top counties in Maine
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Waldo County, ME | 72 | 17 | 9.7 | $785K | +2.6% | #212 of 2,088 |
| 2Lincoln County, ME | 71 | 15 | 9.0 | $932K | +3.8% | #226 of 2,088 |
| 3Somerset County, ME | 64 | 20 | 8.6 | $738K | +2.3% | #459 of 2,088 |
| 4York County, ME | 62 | 143 | 15.6 | $614K | +4.8% | #542 of 2,088 |
| 5Sagadahoc County, ME | 58 | 27 | 16.4 | $560K | +3.4% | #704 of 2,088 |
| 6Washington County, ME | 53 | 14 | 9.9 | $648K | +0.8% | #904 of 2,088 |
| 7Androscoggin County, ME | 52 | 57 | 12.1 | $611K | +4.8% | #967 of 2,088 |
| 8Piscataquis County, ME | 48 | 9 | 10.7 | $615K | +3.5% | #1,171 of 2,088 |
| 9Oxford County, ME | 48 | 34 | 14.1 | $496K | +4.2% | #1,191 of 2,088 |
| 10Penobscot County, ME | 46 | 92 | 14.1 | $545K | +3.8% | #1,272 of 2,088 |
Other business types in Penobscot County
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 classes46
- Gyms52
- Yoga, Pilates and fitness studios58
- Martial arts and dance studios53
Health care
Child care
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many gyms and studios are in Penobscot County, ME?
As of September 2026, map listings count 92 gyms and studios in Penobscot County. 15 of them (16%) are chain locations. The listings count gyms, fitness studios, martial arts and dance studios. Official counts show 30 businesses with payroll classed as fitness centers and recreation instruction in 2023, up 7.1% from 2019.
How much do households in Penobscot County, ME spend on memberships, classes and admissions?
About $50.1M a year, or $768 per household. That is 22% below the U.S. average (an index of 78, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 92 gyms and studios on map listings, it comes to $545K per location. It is estimated from the incomes of the 65,221 households in Penobscot County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Penobscot County, ME compare with the U.S. for gyms and studios?
Penobscot County has 14.1 gyms and studios per 10,000 households, 5% below the U.S. rate of 14.9. Spending per location is $545K, 18% below the U.S. figure of $662K. At the U.S. ratio of gyms and studios to household spending, Penobscot County would have about 76, against 92 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 2,174 households, against one for every 1,641 across the U.S. The official count rose 7.1% from 2019 to 2023, against +8.2% for the U.S.
How fast is Penobscot County, ME growing?
Population estimates put Penobscot County at 157,967 people in 2025, up 3.8% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 65,221 households. The median household income in Penobscot County is $66,356 a year, 18% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 30.6% 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. Penobscot County scores 46 for gyms and studios (lower middle), #1,272 of 2,088 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Penobscot 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 Penobscot County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Penobscot 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 Penobscot 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.