Fitness and classes · County · North Carolina
Gyms and studios in Polk County, NC
The gyms and studios in Polk County, NC, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 37 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,591 of 2,088 scored counties
#72 of 88 scored counties in North Carolina
- Listings
- 13
- 1 chain location (8%)
- Official establishments
- 6
- Businesses with payroll, 2023
- Household spending a year
- $6.4M
- On memberships, classes and admissions · $710 a household
- Spending per listing
- $491K
- 26% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 14.5
- 3% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 20,533
- +6.0% since 2020
See the gyms and studios around any address in Polk 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 Polk 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 Polk County is 37 (lower middle), #1,591 of 2,088 scored counties and #72 of 88 scored counties in North Carolina. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.
As of September 2026, map listings count 13 gyms and studios in Polk County. One of them (8%) is a chain location, against 20% across the U.S. That is 14.5 per 10,000 households, 3% below the U.S. rate of 14.9.
Household spending on memberships, classes and admissions in Polk County comes to about $6.4M a year: $710 per household, 28% below the U.S. average. That works out to $491K per location, 26% below the U.S. figure of $662K.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as fitness centers and recreation instruction in Polk County was 6 in 2023. That is one for every 1,496 households, against one for every 1,641 across the U.S. Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Polk County grew 6.0%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%).
How Polk 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 | Polk County | North Carolina | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 14.5 | 14.0 | 14.9 |
| Spending per listing | $491K | $531K | $662K |
| Households per official establishment | 1,496 | 1,675 | 1,641 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +6.5% | +8.2% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +6.0% | +7.2% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on memberships, classes and admissions | $710 | $743 | $983 |
| Median household income | $67,758 | $72,388 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 37 | 40 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 3 → 6
- Employees, 2023
- 29
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $456K
- One-person businesses, 2023
- Not publishedNot published for this business type
- Map listings, September 2026
- 131 chain location
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 10The 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 Polk 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 Polk County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 20,533+6.0% since 2020
- Households
- 8,976
- Median age
- 53.6
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 77%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.0
- Land area
- 238 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 84
- Median household income
- $67,758+38.9% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $96,279
- Median home value
- $315,000
- Jobs located here
- 5,495
- Daytime population
- 17,071Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Polk 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 Polk 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 Polk 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 |
| 72Polk County, NC | 37 | 13 | 14.5 | $491K | +6.0% | #1,591 of 2,088 |
Other business types in Polk 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 classes37
- Gyms55
- Yoga, Pilates and fitness studios32
- Martial arts and dance studios
Health care
Child care
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many gyms and studios are in Polk County, NC?
Polk County has 13 gyms and studios on map listings as of September 2026. One of them (8%) is a chain location. The listings count gyms, fitness studios, martial arts and dance studios. Official counts show 6 businesses with payroll classed as fitness centers and recreation instruction in 2023.
How much do households in Polk County, NC spend on memberships, classes and admissions?
About $6.4M a year, or $710 per household. That is 28% below the U.S. average (an index of 72, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 13 gyms and studios on map listings, it comes to $491K per location. It is estimated from the incomes of the 8,976 households in Polk County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Polk County, NC compare with the U.S. for gyms and studios?
Polk County has 14.5 gyms and studios per 10,000 households, 3% below the U.S. rate of 14.9. Spending per location is $491K, 26% below the U.S. figure of $662K. At the national ratio of gyms and studios to household spending, Polk County would have about 10, against 13 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,496 households, against one for every 1,641 across the U.S.
How fast is Polk County, NC growing?
Population estimates put Polk County at 20,533 people in 2025, up 6.0% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 8,976 households. Median household income in Polk County is $67,758, 16% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 38.9%, 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. Polk County scores 37 for gyms and studios (lower middle), #1,591 of 2,088 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Polk 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 Polk County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Polk 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 Polk 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.