Fitness and classes · County · Massachusetts
Gyms and studios in Essex County, MA
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for gyms and studios in Essex County, MA, set against other counties and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 49 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,111 of 2,088 scored counties
#6 of 14 scored counties in Massachusetts
- Listings
- 622
- 91 chain locations (15%)
- Official establishments
- 264
- +6.5% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $380.7M
- On memberships, classes and admissions · $1,216 a household
- Spending per listing
- $612K
- 8% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 19.9
- 34% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 826,653
- +2.3% since 2020
See the gyms and studios around any address in Essex 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 Essex 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
Map listings as of September 2026 show 622 gyms and studios in Essex County. 91 of them (15%) are chain locations, against 20% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 19.9, 34% above the U.S. rate of 14.9.
Households in Essex County spend about $380.7M a year on memberships, classes and admissions, or $1,216 per household, 24% above the U.S. average. That works out to $612K per location, 8% below the U.S. figure of $662K.
In 2023, official counts showed 264 businesses with payroll in Essex County classed as fitness centers and recreation instruction, up 6.5% from 2019. That is one for every 1,186 households, against one for every 1,641 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 32 SBA-backed loans worth $15.8M have gone to businesses classed as fitness centers and recreation instruction in Essex County.
Population estimates put the population change in Essex County from 2020 to 2025 at +2.3%, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). Essex County scores 49 (lower middle) on the Groundwork market score for gyms and studios, ranking #1,111 of 2,088 scored counties and #6 of 14 scored counties in Massachusetts.
How Essex County compares
The same measures for Massachusetts 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 | Essex County | Massachusetts | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 19.9 | 20.2 | 14.9 |
| Spending per listing | $612K | $619K | $662K |
| Households per official establishment | 1,186 | 1,123 | 1,641 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +6.5% | +2.0% | +8.2% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +2.3% | +2.4% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on memberships, classes and admissions | $1,216 | $1,248 | $983 |
| Median household income | $101,883 | $103,960 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 49 | 41 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 248 → 264+6.5% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 4,980
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $114.7M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- Not publishedNot published for this business type
- Map listings, September 2026
- 62291 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 575The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 32
- Amount
- $15.8M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as fitness centers and recreation instruction in Essex 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 Essex County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 826,653+2.3% since 2020
- Households
- 313,147
- Median age
- 42.2
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 64%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.7
- Land area
- 493 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 1,651
- Median household income
- $101,883+28.5% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $140,108
- Median home value
- $619,100
- Jobs located here
- 329,644
- Daytime population
- 736,954Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Essex 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 Essex 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 Massachusetts
Every Massachusetts market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in Massachusetts for gyms and studios, numbered among those based in Massachusetts, with Essex County marked.
Top counties in Massachusetts
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Suffolk County, MA | 56 | 506 | 15.5 | $765K | +0.1% | #766 of 2,088 |
| 2Plymouth County, MA | 51 | 414 | 20.4 | $644K | +3.5% | #1,004 of 2,088 |
| 3Worcester County, MA | 51 | 617 | 18.4 | $609K | +3.7% | #1,016 of 2,088 |
| 4Norfolk County, MA | 50 | 658 | 23.2 | $655K | +2.2% | #1,051 of 2,088 |
| 5Middlesex County, MA | 50 | 1,503 | 23.7 | $638K | +2.8% | #1,053 of 2,088 |
| 6Essex County, MA | 49 | 622 | 19.9 | $612K | +2.3% | #1,111 of 2,088 |
| 7Bristol County, MA | 47 | 411 | 17.6 | $571K | +2.9% | #1,219 of 2,088 |
| 8Hampden County, MA | 42 | 279 | 15.1 | $564K | +0.2% | #1,432 of 2,088 |
| 9Barnstable County, MA | 41 | 227 | 21.5 | $533K | +2.4% | #1,457 of 2,088 |
| 10Franklin County, MA | 40 | 50 | 15.8 | $527K | −0.3% | #1,491 of 2,088 |
Other business types in Essex 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 classes49
- Gyms57
- Yoga, Pilates and fitness studios40
- Martial arts and dance studios55
Health care
Child care
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many gyms and studios are in Essex County, MA?
There are 622 gyms and studios on map listings in Essex County as of September 2026. 91 of them (15%) are chain locations. The listings count gyms, fitness studios, martial arts and dance studios. Official counts show 264 businesses with payroll classed as fitness centers and recreation instruction in 2023, up 6.5% from 2019.
How much do households in Essex County, MA spend on memberships, classes and admissions?
About $380.7M a year, or $1,216 per household. That is 24% above the U.S. average (an index of 124, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 622 gyms and studios on map listings, it comes to $612K per location. It is estimated from the incomes of the 313,147 households in Essex County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Essex County, MA compare with the U.S. for gyms and studios?
Essex County has 19.9 gyms and studios per 10,000 households, 34% above the U.S. rate of 14.9. Spending per location is $612K, 8% below the U.S. figure of $662K. At the national ratio of gyms and studios to household spending, Essex County would have about 575, against 622 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,186 households, against one for every 1,641 across the U.S. The official count rose 6.5% from 2019 to 2023, against +8.2% for the U.S.
How fast is Essex County, MA growing?
Population estimates put Essex County at 826,653 people in 2025, up 2.3% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 313,147 households. Median household income in Essex County is $101,883, 26% above the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 28.5%, 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. Essex County scores 49 for gyms and studios (lower middle), #1,111 of 2,088 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Essex 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 Essex County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Essex 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 Essex 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.