Fitness and classes · Metro area · North Carolina
Gyms and studios in the Raleigh-Cary, NC metro area
The gyms and studios in the Raleigh-Cary, NC metro area, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other metro areas.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 48 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #209 of 387 scored metro areas
#4 of 15 scored metro areas based in North Carolina
- Listings
- 1,010
- 229 chain locations (23%)
- Official establishments
- 541
- +16.0% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $573.3M
- On memberships, classes and admissions · $998 a household
- Spending per listing
- $568K
- 14% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 17.6
- 18% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 1,595,720
- +12.6% since 2020
See the gyms and studios around any address in the Raleigh-Cary 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 Raleigh-Cary 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
Map listings as of September 2026 show 1,010 gyms and studios in the Raleigh-Cary metro area. Chain locations make up 23% of them, against 20% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 17.6, 18% above the U.S. rate of 14.9.
Household spending on memberships, classes and admissions in the Raleigh-Cary metro area comes to about $573.3M a year: $998 per household, 2% above the U.S. average. Spread across 1,010 gyms and studios, that is $568K per location, 14% below the U.S. figure of $662K.
In 2023, official counts showed 541 businesses with payroll in the Raleigh-Cary metro area classed as fitness centers and recreation instruction, up 16.0% from 2019. That is one for every 1,062 households, against one for every 1,641 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 52 SBA-backed loans worth $36.2M have gone to businesses classed as fitness centers and recreation instruction in the Raleigh-Cary metro area.
Population estimates show the Raleigh-Cary metro area grew 12.6% from 2020 to 2025, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). The Raleigh-Cary metro area scores 48 (lower middle) on the Groundwork market score for gyms and studios, ranking #209 of 387 scored metro areas and #4 of 15 scored metro areas based in North Carolina.
How the Raleigh-Cary metro area 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 | Raleigh-Cary metro area | North Carolina | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 17.6 | 14.0 | 14.9 |
| Spending per listing | $568K | $531K | $662K |
| Households per official establishment | 1,062 | 1,675 | 1,641 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +16.0% | +6.5% | +8.2% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +12.6% | +7.2% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on memberships, classes and admissions | $998 | $743 | $983 |
| Median household income | $100,103 | $72,388 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 48 | 40 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 541+16.0% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 8,205
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $147.4M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- Not publishedNot published for this business type
- Map listings, September 2026
- 1,010229 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 866The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 52
- Amount
- $36.2M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as fitness centers and recreation instruction in the Raleigh-Cary 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 Raleigh-Cary metro area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 1,595,720+12.6% since 2020
- Households
- 574,295
- Median age
- 38.4
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 67%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 2,119 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 702
- Median household income
- $100,103+32.0% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $131,869
- Median home value
- $418,400
- Jobs located here
- 759,538
- Daytime population
- 1,525,914Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Raleigh-Cary 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 Raleigh-Cary 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 North Carolina
Every North Carolina market ranked →The highest-scoring metro areas in North Carolina for gyms and studios, numbered among those based in North Carolina (a market based in another state is listed without a number), with the Raleigh-Cary metro area marked.
Top metro areas in North Carolina
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Rocky Mount, NC | 62 | 47 | 8.0 | $718K | +2.8% | #86 of 387 |
| 2Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton, NC | 51 | 153 | 10.2 | $585K | +3.2% | #183 of 387 |
| 3Goldsboro, NC | 49 | 50 | 10.5 | $552K | +3.8% | #202 of 387 |
| 4Raleigh-Cary, NC | 48 | 1,010 | 17.6 | $568K | +12.6% | #209 of 387 |
| 5Winston-Salem, NC | 47 | 321 | 11.4 | $580K | +5.3% | #220 of 387 |
| 6Durham-Chapel Hill, NC | 45 | 387 | 15.6 | $574K | +7.5% | #247 of 387 |
| 7Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC | 43 | 1,695 | 15.7 | $545K | +10.1% | #261 of 387 |
| 8Burlington, NC | 43 | 90 | 12.8 | $491K | +8.5% | #265 of 387 |
| 9Pinehurst-Southern Pines, NC | 41 | 78 | 17.7 | $459K | +10.3% | #284 of 387 |
| Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk, VA-NC | 40 | 975 | 13.8 | $587K | +0.9% | #286 of 387 |
Other business types in the Raleigh-Cary 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 classes48
- Gyms54
- Yoga, Pilates and fitness studios42
- Martial arts and dance studios45
Health care
Child care
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many gyms and studios are in the Raleigh-Cary, NC metro area?
There are 1,010 gyms and studios on map listings in the Raleigh-Cary metro area as of September 2026. 229 of them (23%) are chain locations. The listings count gyms, fitness studios, martial arts and dance studios. Official counts show 541 businesses with payroll classed as fitness centers and recreation instruction in 2023, up 16.0% from 2019.
How much do households in the Raleigh-Cary, NC metro area spend on memberships, classes and admissions?
About $573.3M a year, or $998 per household. That is 2% above the U.S. average (an index of 102, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 1,010 gyms and studios on map listings, it comes to $568K per location. It is estimated from the incomes of the 574,295 households in the Raleigh-Cary metro area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Raleigh-Cary, NC metro area compare with the U.S. for gyms and studios?
The Raleigh-Cary metro area has 17.6 gyms and studios per 10,000 households, 18% above the U.S. rate of 14.9. Spending per location is $568K, 14% below the U.S. figure of $662K. At the national ratio of gyms and studios to household spending, the Raleigh-Cary metro area would have about 866, against 1,010 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,062 households, against one for every 1,641 across the U.S. The official count rose 16.0% from 2019 to 2023, against +8.2% for the U.S.
How fast is the Raleigh-Cary, NC metro area growing?
Population estimates put the Raleigh-Cary metro area at 1,595,720 people in 2025, up 12.6% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 574,295 households. Median household income in the Raleigh-Cary metro area is $100,103, 24% above the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 32.0%, 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 Raleigh-Cary metro area scores 48 for gyms and studios (lower middle), #209 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 Raleigh-Cary 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 Raleigh-Cary metro area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Raleigh-Cary 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 Raleigh-Cary 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.