Groundwork

Fitness and classes · County · North Carolina

Gyms and studios in Macon County, NC

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

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 47 out of 100: Lower middle

Ranked #1,236 of 2,088 scored counties
#46 of 88 scored counties in North Carolina

Listings
25
0 chain locations (0%)
Official establishments
4
Businesses with payroll, 2023
Household spending a year
$11.4M
On memberships, classes and admissions · $620 a household
Spending per listing
$457K
31% below the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
13.6
9% below the U.S.
Population, 2025
39,232
+5.8% since 2020

See the gyms and studios around any address in Macon 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 Macon County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

Free10 actions over 3 days, no card

Survey estimates 2020–2024 · population estimates 2025 · official business counts 2023 · map listings September 2026 · Data credits · How we measure

What this means

Household spending on memberships, classes and admissions in Macon County comes to about $11.4M a year: $620 per household, 37% below the U.S. average. That is about $457K of household spending for each location on map listings, 31% below the U.S. figure of $662K.

Macon County has 25 gyms and studios on map listings as of September 2026. None of them are chain locations, against 20% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 13.6, 9% below the U.S. rate of 14.9.

Official counts show 4 businesses with payroll classed as fitness centers and recreation instruction in Macon County in 2023. That is one for every 4,602 households, against one for every 1,641 across the U.S.

Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Macon County grew 5.8%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). Macon County scores 47 (lower middle) on the Groundwork market score for gyms and studios, ranking #1,236 of 2,088 scored counties and #46 of 88 scored counties in North Carolina.

How Macon 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 Macon County, NC compared with North Carolina and the U.S.
MeasureMacon CountyNorth CarolinaU.S.
Listings per 10k households13.614.014.9
Spending per listing$457K$531K$662K
Households per official establishment4,6021,6751,641
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023n/a+6.5%+8.2%
Population growth, 2020–2025+5.8%+7.2%+3.1%
Spending per household on memberships, classes and admissions$620$743$983
Median household income$59,061$72,388$80,734
Groundwork market score4740

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
4 → 4
Employees, 2023
31
Annual payroll, 2023
$981K
One-person businesses, 2023
Not publishedNot published for this business type
Map listings, September 2026
250 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
17The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here

SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022

Loans
0
Amount
$0

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

Population, 2025 estimate
39,232+5.8% since 2020
Households
18,406
Median age
49.6
Homes lived in by their owners
78%
Vehicles per household
1.9
Land area
516 sq. mi.
People per square mile
74
Median household income
$59,061+29.8% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$82,980
Median home value
$251,900
Jobs located here
12,682
Daytime population
35,660Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in Macon 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 Macon 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 Macon 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
46Macon County, NC472513.6$457K+5.8%#1,236 of 2,088

Other business types in Macon County

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

Questions

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

Map listings as of September 2026 show 25 gyms and studios in Macon County. None of them are chain locations. The listings count gyms, fitness studios, martial arts and dance studios. Official counts show 4 businesses with payroll classed as fitness centers and recreation instruction in 2023.

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

About $11.4M a year, or $620 per household. That is 37% below the U.S. average (an index of 63, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 25 gyms and studios on map listings, it comes to $457K per location. It is estimated from the incomes of the 18,406 households in Macon County and national spending patterns by income.

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

Macon County has 13.6 gyms and studios per 10,000 households, 9% below the U.S. rate of 14.9. Spending per location is $457K, 31% below the U.S. figure of $662K. At the U.S. ratio of gyms and studios to household spending, Macon County would have about 17, against 25 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 4,602 households, against one for every 1,641 across the U.S.

How fast is Macon County, NC growing?

Population estimates put Macon County at 39,232 people in 2025, up 5.8% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 18,406 households. The median household income in Macon County is $59,061 a year, 27% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 29.8% 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. Macon County scores 47 for gyms and studios (lower middle), #1,236 of 2,088 scored counties.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

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

Screening a site or an acquisition in Macon 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 Macon 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.