Fitness and classes · Metro area · New York
Gyms and studios in the Ithaca, NY metro area
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for gyms and studios in the Ithaca, NY metro area, set against other metro areas and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 26 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #374 of 387 scored metro areas
#13 of 13 scored metro areas based in New York
- Listings
- 81
- 4 chain locations (5%)
- Official establishments
- 29
- −9.4% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $39.4M
- On memberships, classes and admissions · $911 a household
- Spending per listing
- $487K
- 27% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 18.7
- 26% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 104,047
- −1.4% since 2020
See the gyms and studios around any address in the Ithaca metro 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 Ithaca metro 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
For gyms and studios, the Ithaca metro area has a Groundwork market score of 26 (lower middle): #374 of 387 scored metro areas and #13 of 13 scored metro areas based in New York. That puts it in the bottom quarter of metro areas.
Map listings as of September 2026 show 81 gyms and studios in the Ithaca metro area. Of those, 4 are chain locations, or 5%, against 20% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 18.7, 26% above the U.S. rate of 14.9.
At $911 per household (7% below the U.S. average), households in the Ithaca metro area spend about $39.4M a year on memberships, classes and admissions. Spread across 81 gyms and studios, that is $487K per location, 27% below the U.S. figure of $662K.
Official counts show 29 businesses with payroll classed as fitness centers and recreation instruction in the Ithaca metro area in 2023, down 9.4% from 2019. That is one for every 1,492 households, against one for every 1,641 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 2 SBA-backed loans worth $680K have gone to businesses classed as fitness centers and recreation instruction in the Ithaca metro area. Between 2020 and 2025, the population of the Ithaca metro area declined 1.4%, against +3.1% for the U.S.
How the Ithaca metro area compares
The same measures for New York 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 | Ithaca metro area | New York | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 18.7 | 15.2 | 14.9 |
| Spending per listing | $487K | $707K | $662K |
| Households per official establishment | 1,492 | 1,454 | 1,641 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | −9.4% | −4.0% | +8.2% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −1.4% | −0.6% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on memberships, classes and admissions | $911 | $1,071 | $983 |
| Median household income | $74,024 | $85,974 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 26 | 47 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 29−9.4% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 331
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $5.7M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- Not publishedNot published for this business type
- Map listings, September 2026
- 814 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 60The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 2
- Amount
- $680K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as fitness centers and recreation instruction in the Ithaca metro 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 Ithaca metro area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 104,047−1.4% since 2020
- Households
- 43,263
- Median age
- 36.4
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 54%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.6
- Land area
- 475 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 220
- Median household income
- $74,024+22.9% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $102,718
- Median home value
- $290,900
- Jobs located here
- 46,926
- Daytime population
- 111,478Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Ithaca metro area?
These figures cover the whole metro area. 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 Ithaca metro 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 New York
Every New York market ranked →The highest-scoring metro areas in New York for gyms and studios, numbered among those based in New York, with the Ithaca metro area marked.
Top metro areas in New York
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ | 54 | 12,297 | 16.6 | $736K | +0.6% | #144 of 387 |
| 2Albany-Schenectady-Troy, NY | 53 | 573 | 15.0 | $672K | +1.9% | #153 of 387 |
| 3Watertown-Fort Drum, NY | 47 | 57 | 12.0 | $611K | −3.9% | #215 of 387 |
| 4Kiryas Joel-Poughkeepsie-Newburgh, NY | 47 | 485 | 19.0 | $596K | +3.0% | #217 of 387 |
| 5Glens Falls, NY | 43 | 78 | 14.3 | $584K | −1.9% | #260 of 387 |
| 6Syracuse, NY | 38 | 405 | 14.9 | $582K | −1.3% | #299 of 387 |
| 7Utica-Rome, NY | 37 | 167 | 13.8 | $556K | −2.0% | #308 of 387 |
| 8Buffalo-Cheektowaga, NY | 34 | 725 | 14.5 | $584K | −0.8% | #325 of 387 |
| 9Kingston, NY | 34 | 145 | 19.5 | $523K | +1.1% | #328 of 387 |
| 10Rochester, NY | 33 | 708 | 15.9 | $551K | −0.7% | #334 of 387 |
| 13Ithaca, NY | 26 | 81 | 18.7 | $487K | −1.4% | #374 of 387 |
Other business types in the Ithaca metro 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 classes26
- Gyms27
- Yoga, Pilates and fitness studios24
- Martial arts and dance studios37
Health care
Child care
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many gyms and studios are in the Ithaca, NY metro area?
There are 81 gyms and studios on map listings in the Ithaca metro area as of September 2026. 4 of them (5%) are chain locations. The listings count gyms, fitness studios, martial arts and dance studios. Official counts show 29 businesses with payroll classed as fitness centers and recreation instruction in 2023, down 9.4% from 2019.
How much do households in the Ithaca, NY metro area spend on memberships, classes and admissions?
About $39.4M a year, or $911 per household. That is 7% below the U.S. average (an index of 93, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 81 gyms and studios on map listings, it comes to $487K per location. It is estimated from the incomes of the 43,263 households in the Ithaca metro area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Ithaca, NY metro area compare with the U.S. for gyms and studios?
The Ithaca metro area has 18.7 gyms and studios per 10,000 households, 26% above the U.S. rate of 14.9. Spending per location is $487K, 27% below the U.S. figure of $662K. At the national ratio of gyms and studios to household spending, the Ithaca metro area would have about 60, against 81 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,492 households, against one for every 1,641 across the U.S. The official count fell 9.4% from 2019 to 2023, against +8.2% for the U.S.
How fast is the Ithaca, NY metro area growing?
Population estimates put the Ithaca metro area at 104,047 people in 2025, down 1.4% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 43,263 households. Median household income in the Ithaca metro area is $74,024, 8% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 22.9%, 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. The Ithaca metro area scores 26 for gyms and studios (lower middle), #374 of 387 scored metro areas.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in the Ithaca metro 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 Ithaca metro area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Ithaca metro 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 Ithaca metro 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.