Fitness and classes · Small-town market · Mississippi
Gyms and studios in the Meridian, MS area
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for gyms and studios in the Meridian, MS area, set against other small-town markets and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 25 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #492 of 535 scored small-town markets
#9 of 17 scored small-town markets based in Mississippi
- Listings
- 37
- 7 chain locations (19%)
- Official establishments
- 11
- Businesses with payroll, 2023
- Household spending a year
- $17.9M
- On memberships, classes and admissions · $517 a household
- Spending per listing
- $485K
- 27% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 10.7
- 28% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 85,419
- −3.2% since 2020
See the gyms and studios around any address in the Meridian area
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 the Meridian area. 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
The Meridian area scores 25 (lower middle) on the Groundwork market score for gyms and studios, ranking #492 of 535 scored small-town markets and #9 of 17 scored small-town markets based in Mississippi. That puts it in the bottom quarter of small-town markets.
At $517 per household (47% below the U.S. average), households in the Meridian area spend about $17.9M a year on memberships, classes and admissions. That is about $485K of household spending for each location on map listings, 27% below the U.S. figure of $662K.
There are 37 gyms and studios on map listings in the Meridian area as of September 2026. Chain locations make up 19% of them, against 20% across the U.S. That is 10.7 per 10,000 households, 28% below the U.S. rate of 14.9.
In 2023, official counts showed 11 businesses with payroll in the Meridian area classed as fitness centers and recreation instruction. That is one for every 3,150 households, against one for every 1,641 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 1 SBA-backed loan worth $74K has gone to businesses classed as fitness centers and recreation instruction in the Meridian area. Population estimates show the Meridian area declined 3.2% from 2020 to 2025, against +3.1% for the U.S.
How the Meridian area compares
The same measures for Mississippi 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 | Meridian area | Mississippi | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 10.7 | 11.3 | 14.9 |
| Spending per listing | $485K | $516K | $662K |
| Households per official establishment | 3,150 | 3,038 | 1,641 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +3.6% | +8.2% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −3.2% | −0.1% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on memberships, classes and admissions | $517 | $581 | $983 |
| Median household income | $49,822 | $56,447 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 25 | 30 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 11
- Employees, 2023
- 59
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $697K
- One-person businesses, 2023
- Not publishedNot published for this business type
- Map listings, September 2026
- 377 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 27The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 1
- Amount
- $74K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as fitness centers and recreation instruction in the Meridian area, 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 the Meridian area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 85,419−3.2% since 2020
- Households
- 34,652
- Median age
- 40.4
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 68%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.8
- Land area
- 1,395 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 62
- Median household income
- $49,822
- Average household income
- $69,927
- Median home value
- $128,100
- Jobs located here
- 35,184
- Daytime population
- 88,462Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Meridian area?
These figures cover the whole small-town market. 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 the Meridian area. 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 Mississippi
Every Mississippi market ranked →The highest-scoring small-town markets in Mississippi for gyms and studios, numbered among those based in Mississippi, with the Meridian area marked.
Top small-town markets in Mississippi
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Picayune, MS | 46 | 35 | 16.0 | $361K | +5.6% | #330 of 535 |
| 2Laurel, MS | 41 | 34 | 10.8 | $495K | −1.5% | #373 of 535 |
| 3Brookhaven, MS | 40 | 15 | 11.4 | $483K | +0.5% | #385 of 535 |
| 4Oxford, MS | 35 | 39 | 16.2 | $418K | +5.3% | #439 of 535 |
| 5Tupelo, MS | 34 | 78 | 15.1 | $408K | +0.8% | #445 of 535 |
| 6Starkville, MS | 31 | 31 | 12.0 | $457K | +0.8% | #459 of 535 |
| 7Clarksdale, MS | 30 | 5 | 5.9 | $667K | −6.5% | #467 of 535 |
| 8Greenville, MS | 30 | 12 | 7.0 | $662K | −9.4% | #468 of 535 |
| 9Meridian, MS | 25 | 37 | 10.7 | $485K | −3.2% | #492 of 535 |
| 10Vicksburg, MS | 24 | 24 | 14.3 | $457K | −6.3% | #496 of 535 |
Other business types in the Meridian area
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 classes25
- Gyms33
- Yoga, Pilates and fitness studios
- Martial arts and dance studios26
Health care
Child care
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many gyms and studios are in the Meridian, MS area?
As of September 2026, map listings count 37 gyms and studios in the Meridian area. 7 of them (19%) are chain locations. The listings count gyms, fitness studios, martial arts and dance studios. Official counts show 11 businesses with payroll classed as fitness centers and recreation instruction in 2023.
How much do households in the Meridian, MS area spend on memberships, classes and admissions?
About $17.9M a year, or $517 per household. That is 47% below the U.S. average (an index of 53, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 37 gyms and studios on map listings, it comes to $485K per location. It is estimated from the incomes of the 34,652 households in the Meridian area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Meridian, MS area compare with the U.S. for gyms and studios?
The Meridian area has 10.7 gyms and studios per 10,000 households, 28% below the U.S. rate of 14.9. Spending per location is $485K, 27% below the U.S. figure of $662K. At the U.S. ratio of gyms and studios to household spending, the Meridian area would have about 27, against 37 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 3,150 households, against one for every 1,641 across the U.S.
How fast is the Meridian, MS area growing?
Population estimates put the Meridian area at 85,419 people in 2025, down 3.2% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 34,652 households. The median household income in the Meridian area is $49,822 a year, 38% below the U.S. median of $80,734.
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. A small-town market is a town of 10,000 to 50,000 people and the county or counties tied to it by commuting. 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. The Meridian area scores 25 for gyms and studios (lower middle), #492 of 535 scored small-town markets.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in the Meridian area. 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 the Meridian area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Meridian area?
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 the Meridian area. 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.