Fitness and classes · County · North Carolina
Gyms and studios in Forsyth County, NC
How Forsyth County, NC compares with other counties and the U.S. for gyms and studios: competitors, household spending, official counts and growth.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 36 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,623 of 2,088 scored counties
#75 of 88 scored counties in North Carolina
- Listings
- 228
- 42 chain locations (18%)
- Official establishments
- 98
- +4.3% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $109.5M
- On memberships, classes and admissions · $685 a household
- Spending per listing
- $480K
- 27% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 14.3
- 4% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 401,718
- +5.0% since 2020
See the gyms and studios around any address in Forsyth 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 Forsyth 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
The Groundwork market score for gyms and studios in Forsyth County is 36 (lower middle), #1,623 of 2,088 scored counties and #75 of 88 scored counties in North Carolina. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.
At $685 per household (30% below the U.S. average), households in Forsyth County spend about $109.5M a year on memberships, classes and admissions. That is about $480K of household spending for each location on map listings, 27% below the U.S. figure of $662K.
Forsyth County has 228 gyms and studios on map listings as of September 2026. Of those, 42 are chain locations, or 18%, against 20% across the U.S. That comes to 14.3 for every 10,000 households, 4% below the U.S. rate of 14.9.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as fitness centers and recreation instruction in Forsyth County was 98 in 2023, up 4.3% from 2019. That is one for every 1,632 households, against one for every 1,641 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 8 SBA-backed loans worth $7.5M have gone to businesses classed as fitness centers and recreation instruction in Forsyth County. Population estimates show Forsyth County grew 5.0% from 2020 to 2025, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%).
How Forsyth 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.
| Measure | Forsyth County | North Carolina | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 14.3 | 14.0 | 14.9 |
| Spending per listing | $480K | $531K | $662K |
| Households per official establishment | 1,632 | 1,675 | 1,641 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +4.3% | +6.5% | +8.2% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +5.0% | +7.2% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on memberships, classes and admissions | $685 | $743 | $983 |
| Median household income | $67,165 | $72,388 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 36 | 40 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 94 → 98+4.3% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 1,366
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $24M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- Not publishedNot published for this business type
- Map listings, September 2026
- 22842 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 165The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 8
- Amount
- $7.5M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as fitness centers and recreation instruction in Forsyth 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 Forsyth County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 401,718+5.0% since 2020
- Households
- 159,925
- Median age
- 39.6
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 64%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.8
- Land area
- 408 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 956
- Median household income
- $67,165+30.2% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $94,082
- Median home value
- $250,400
- Jobs located here
- 197,283
- Daytime population
- 420,468Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Forsyth 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 Forsyth 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 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 Forsyth County marked.
Top counties in North Carolina
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Hoke County, NC | 80 | 12 | 6.2 | $1M | +9.0% | #68 of 2,088 |
| 2Davie County, NC | 77 | 13 | 7.5 | $1M | +6.9% | #105 of 2,088 |
| 3Franklin County, NC | 77 | 23 | 8.1 | $842K | +18.8% | #116 of 2,088 |
| 4Chatham County, NC | 75 | 38 | 11.5 | $882K | +11.0% | #138 of 2,088 |
| 5Currituck County, NC | 75 | 16 | 13.5 | $676K | +16.7% | #144 of 2,088 |
| 6Duplin County, NC | 72 | 12 | 5.8 | $899K | +6.0% | #204 of 2,088 |
| 7Harnett County, NC | 69 | 44 | 8.8 | $744K | +12.3% | #290 of 2,088 |
| 8Davidson County, NC | 68 | 50 | 7.2 | $872K | +6.6% | #312 of 2,088 |
| 9Rowan County, NC | 65 | 43 | 7.3 | $867K | +5.6% | #406 of 2,088 |
| 10Stokes County, NC | 65 | 14 | 7.2 | $754K | +3.5% | #418 of 2,088 |
| 75Forsyth County, NC | 36 | 228 | 14.3 | $480K | +5.0% | #1,623 of 2,088 |
Other business types in Forsyth 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 classes36
- Gyms38
- Yoga, Pilates and fitness studios36
- Martial arts and dance studios44
Health care
Child care
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many gyms and studios are in Forsyth County, NC?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 228 gyms and studios in Forsyth County. 42 of them (18%) are chain locations. The listings count gyms, fitness studios, martial arts and dance studios. Official counts show 98 businesses with payroll classed as fitness centers and recreation instruction in 2023, up 4.3% from 2019.
How much do households in Forsyth County, NC spend on memberships, classes and admissions?
About $109.5M a year, or $685 per household. That is 30% below the U.S. average (an index of 70, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 228 gyms and studios on map listings, it comes to $480K per location. It is estimated from the incomes of the 159,925 households in Forsyth County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Forsyth County, NC compare with the U.S. for gyms and studios?
Forsyth County has 14.3 gyms and studios per 10,000 households, 4% below the U.S. rate of 14.9. Spending per location is $480K, 27% below the U.S. figure of $662K. At the U.S. ratio of gyms and studios to household spending, Forsyth County would have about 165, against 228 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,632 households, against one for every 1,641 across the U.S. The official count rose 4.3% from 2019 to 2023, against +8.2% for the U.S.
How fast is Forsyth County, NC growing?
Population estimates put Forsyth County at 401,718 people in 2025, up 5.0% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 159,925 households. The median household income in Forsyth County is $67,165 a year, 17% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 30.2% from the 2015–2019 survey, 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. Forsyth County scores 36 for gyms and studios (lower middle), #1,623 of 2,088 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Forsyth 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 Forsyth County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Forsyth 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 Forsyth 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.