Groundwork

Fitness and classes · County · Massachusetts

Gyms and studios in Suffolk County, MA

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

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 56 out of 100: Upper middle

Ranked #766 of 2,088 scored counties
#1 of 14 scored counties in Massachusetts

Listings
506
98 chain locations (19%)
Official establishments
219
−6.0% since 2019
Household spending a year
$387.1M
On memberships, classes and admissions · $1,183 a household
Spending per listing
$765K
16% above the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
15.5
4% above the U.S.
Population, 2025
791,891
+0.1% since 2020

See the gyms and studios around any address in Suffolk 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 Suffolk 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 506 gyms and studios in Suffolk County. 98 of them (19%) are chain locations, against 20% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 15.5, 4% above the U.S. rate of 14.9.

At $1,183 per household (20% above the U.S. average), households in Suffolk County spend about $387.1M a year on memberships, classes and admissions. That works out to $765K per location, 16% above the U.S. figure of $662K.

In 2023, official counts showed 219 businesses with payroll in Suffolk County classed as fitness centers and recreation instruction, down 6.0% from 2019. That is one for every 1,494 households, against one for every 1,641 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 15 SBA-backed loans worth $7.6M have gone to businesses classed as fitness centers and recreation instruction in Suffolk County.

Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Suffolk County grew 0.1%, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). Suffolk County scores 56 (upper middle) on the Groundwork market score for gyms and studios, ranking #766 of 2,088 scored counties and #1 of 14 scored counties in Massachusetts.

How Suffolk 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.

Gyms, studios and classes in Suffolk County, MA compared with Massachusetts and the U.S.
MeasureSuffolk CountyMassachusettsU.S.
Listings per 10k households15.520.214.9
Spending per listing$765K$619K$662K
Households per official establishment1,4941,1231,641
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023−6.0%+2.0%+8.2%
Population growth, 2020–2025+0.1%+2.4%+3.1%
Spending per household on memberships, classes and admissions$1,183$1,248$983
Median household income$95,631$103,960$80,734
Groundwork market score5641

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
233 → 219−6.0% over the period
Employees, 2023
3,785
Annual payroll, 2023
$96.8M
One-person businesses, 2023
Not publishedNot published for this business type
Map listings, September 2026
50698 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
585The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here

SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022

Loans
15
Amount
$7.6M

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

Population, 2025 estimate
791,891+0.1% since 2020
Households
327,167
Median age
36.0
Homes lived in by their owners
36%
Vehicles per household
1.0
Land area
58 sq. mi.
People per square mile
13,478
Median household income
$95,631+37.3% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$139,221
Median home value
$705,800
Jobs located here
748,596
Daytime population
1,129,553Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in Suffolk 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 Suffolk 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 Massachusetts

Every Massachusetts market ranked →

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

Top counties in Massachusetts

Counties in Massachusetts ranked for gyms and studios by Groundwork market score
MarketScoreListingsPer 10k householdsSpending per listingPopulation growthU.S. rank
1Suffolk County, MA5650615.5$765K+0.1%#766 of 2,088
2Plymouth County, MA5141420.4$644K+3.5%#1,004 of 2,088
3Worcester County, MA5161718.4$609K+3.7%#1,016 of 2,088
4Norfolk County, MA5065823.2$655K+2.2%#1,051 of 2,088
5Middlesex County, MA501,50323.7$638K+2.8%#1,053 of 2,088
6Essex County, MA4962219.9$612K+2.3%#1,111 of 2,088
7Bristol County, MA4741117.6$571K+2.9%#1,219 of 2,088
8Hampden County, MA4227915.1$564K+0.2%#1,432 of 2,088
9Barnstable County, MA4122721.5$533K+2.4%#1,457 of 2,088
10Franklin County, MA405015.8$527K−0.3%#1,491 of 2,088

Other business types in Suffolk County

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

Questions

How many gyms and studios are in Suffolk County, MA?

Suffolk County has 506 gyms and studios on map listings as of September 2026. 98 of them (19%) are chain locations. The listings count gyms, fitness studios, martial arts and dance studios. Official counts show 219 businesses with payroll classed as fitness centers and recreation instruction in 2023, down 6.0% from 2019.

How much do households in Suffolk County, MA spend on memberships, classes and admissions?

About $387.1M a year, or $1,183 per household. That is 20% above the U.S. average (an index of 120, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 506 gyms and studios on map listings, it comes to $765K per location. It is estimated from the incomes of the 327,167 households in Suffolk County and national spending patterns by income.

How does Suffolk County, MA compare with the U.S. for gyms and studios?

Suffolk County has 15.5 gyms and studios per 10,000 households, 4% above the U.S. rate of 14.9. Spending per location is $765K, 16% above the U.S. figure of $662K. At the national ratio of gyms and studios to household spending, Suffolk County would have about 585, against 506 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,494 households, against one for every 1,641 across the U.S. The official count fell 6.0% from 2019 to 2023, against +8.2% for the U.S.

How fast is Suffolk County, MA growing?

Population estimates put Suffolk County at 791,891 people in 2025, up 0.1% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 327,167 households. Median household income in Suffolk County is $95,631, 18% above the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 37.3%, 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. Suffolk County scores 56 for gyms and studios (upper middle), #766 of 2,088 scored counties.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

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

Screening a site or an acquisition in Suffolk 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 Suffolk 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.