Groundwork

Fitness and classes · County · North Carolina

Gyms and studios in Brunswick County, NC

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

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 63 out of 100: Upper middle

Ranked #503 of 2,088 scored counties
#12 of 88 scored counties in North Carolina

Listings
81
12 chain locations (15%)
Official establishments
19
Businesses with payroll, 2023
Household spending a year
$49.5M
On memberships, classes and admissions · $716 a household
Spending per listing
$611K
8% below the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
11.7
21% below the U.S.
Population, 2025
174,702
+26.5% since 2020

See the gyms and studios around any address in Brunswick 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 Brunswick 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

Map listings as of September 2026 show 81 gyms and studios in Brunswick County. Chain locations make up 15% of them, against 20% across the U.S. That comes to 11.7 for every 10,000 households, 21% below the U.S. rate of 14.9.

At $716 per household (27% below the U.S. average), households in Brunswick County spend about $49.5M a year on memberships, classes and admissions. That works out to $611K per location, 8% below the U.S. figure of $662K.

In 2023, official counts showed 19 businesses with payroll in Brunswick County classed as fitness centers and recreation instruction. That is one for every 3,638 households, against one for every 1,641 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 1 SBA-backed loan worth $500K has gone to businesses classed as fitness centers and recreation instruction in Brunswick County.

Population estimates put the population change in Brunswick County from 2020 to 2025 at +26.5%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). The Groundwork market score for gyms and studios in Brunswick County is 63 (upper middle), #503 of 2,088 scored counties and #12 of 88 scored counties in North Carolina. That puts it in the top quarter of counties.

How Brunswick County compares

The same measures for North Carolina 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 Brunswick County, NC compared with North Carolina and the U.S.
MeasureBrunswick CountyNorth CarolinaU.S.
Listings per 10k households11.714.014.9
Spending per listing$611K$531K$662K
Households per official establishment3,6381,6751,641
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023n/a+6.5%+8.2%
Population growth, 2020–2025+26.5%+7.2%+3.1%
Spending per household on memberships, classes and admissions$716$743$983
Median household income$77,024$72,388$80,734
Groundwork market score6340

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
15 → 19
Employees, 2023
121
Annual payroll, 2023
$1.6M
One-person businesses, 2023
Not publishedNot published for this business type
Map listings, September 2026
8112 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
75The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here

SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022

Loans
1
Amount
$500K

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

Population, 2025 estimate
174,702+26.5% since 2020
Households
69,124
Median age
52.9
Homes lived in by their owners
85%
Vehicles per household
2.0
Land area
850 sq. mi.
People per square mile
180
Median household income
$77,024+32.3% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$100,289
Median home value
$349,800
Jobs located here
38,079
Daytime population
135,037Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in Brunswick 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 Brunswick 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 North Carolina

Every North Carolina market ranked →

The highest-scoring counties in North Carolina for gyms and studios, numbered among those based in North Carolina, with Brunswick County marked.

Top counties in North Carolina

Counties in North Carolina ranked for gyms and studios by Groundwork market score
MarketScoreListingsPer 10k householdsSpending per listingPopulation growthU.S. rank
1Hoke County, NC80126.2$1M+9.0%#68 of 2,088
2Davie County, NC77137.5$1M+6.9%#105 of 2,088
3Franklin County, NC77238.1$842K+18.8%#116 of 2,088
4Chatham County, NC753811.5$882K+11.0%#138 of 2,088
5Currituck County, NC751613.5$676K+16.7%#144 of 2,088
6Duplin County, NC72125.8$899K+6.0%#204 of 2,088
7Harnett County, NC69448.8$744K+12.3%#290 of 2,088
8Davidson County, NC68507.2$872K+6.6%#312 of 2,088
9Rowan County, NC65437.3$867K+5.6%#406 of 2,088
10Stokes County, NC65147.2$754K+3.5%#418 of 2,088
12Brunswick County, NC638111.7$611K+26.5%#503 of 2,088

Other business types in Brunswick County

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

Questions

How many gyms and studios are in Brunswick County, NC?

There are 81 gyms and studios on map listings in Brunswick County as of September 2026. 12 of them (15%) are chain locations. The listings count gyms, fitness studios, martial arts and dance studios. Official counts show 19 businesses with payroll classed as fitness centers and recreation instruction in 2023.

How much do households in Brunswick County, NC spend on memberships, classes and admissions?

About $49.5M a year, or $716 per household. That is 27% below the U.S. average (an index of 73, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 81 gyms and studios on map listings, it comes to $611K per location. It is estimated from the incomes of the 69,124 households in Brunswick County and national spending patterns by income.

How does Brunswick County, NC compare with the U.S. for gyms and studios?

Brunswick County has 11.7 gyms and studios per 10,000 households, 21% below the U.S. rate of 14.9. Spending per location is $611K, 8% below the U.S. figure of $662K. At the national ratio of gyms and studios to household spending, Brunswick County would have about 75, against 81 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 3,638 households, against one for every 1,641 across the U.S.

How fast is Brunswick County, NC growing?

Population estimates put Brunswick County at 174,702 people in 2025, up 26.5% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 69,124 households. Median household income in Brunswick County is $77,024, 5% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 32.3%, 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. Brunswick County scores 63 for gyms and studios (upper middle), #503 of 2,088 scored counties.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

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

Screening a site or an acquisition in Brunswick 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 Brunswick 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.