Groundwork

Fitness and classes · County · North Carolina

Gyms and studios in Rowan County, NC

Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for gyms and studios in Rowan County, NC, set against other counties and the U.S.

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 65 out of 100: Upper middle

Ranked #406 of 2,088 scored counties
#9 of 88 scored counties in North Carolina

Listings
43
9 chain locations (21%)
Official establishments
22
+4.8% since 2019
Household spending a year
$37.3M
On memberships, classes and admissions · $633 a household
Spending per listing
$867K
31% above the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
7.3
51% below the U.S.
Population, 2025
155,096
+5.6% since 2020

See the gyms and studios around any address in Rowan 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 Rowan 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

Households in Rowan County spend about $37.3M a year on memberships, classes and admissions, or $633 per household, 36% below the U.S. average. Spread across 43 gyms and studios, that is $867K per location, 31% above the U.S. figure of $662K.

There are 43 gyms and studios on map listings in Rowan County as of September 2026. Of those, 9 are chain locations, or 21%, against 20% across the U.S. That comes to 7.3 for every 10,000 households, 51% below the U.S. rate of 14.9.

The official count of businesses with payroll classed as fitness centers and recreation instruction in Rowan County was 22 in 2023, up 4.8% from 2019. That is one for every 2,677 households, against one for every 1,641 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 2 SBA-backed loans worth $382K have gone to businesses classed as fitness centers and recreation instruction in Rowan County.

Population estimates put the population change in Rowan County from 2020 to 2025 at +5.6%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). Rowan County scores 65 (upper middle) on the Groundwork market score for gyms and studios, ranking #406 of 2,088 scored counties and #9 of 88 scored counties in North Carolina. That puts it in the top quarter of counties.

How Rowan 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 Rowan County, NC compared with North Carolina and the U.S.
MeasureRowan CountyNorth CarolinaU.S.
Listings per 10k households7.314.014.9
Spending per listing$867K$531K$662K
Households per official establishment2,6771,6751,641
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023+4.8%+6.5%+8.2%
Population growth, 2020–2025+5.6%+7.2%+3.1%
Spending per household on memberships, classes and admissions$633$743$983
Median household income$65,725$72,388$80,734
Groundwork market score6540

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
21 → 22+4.8% over the period
Employees, 2023
185
Annual payroll, 2023
$3.1M
One-person businesses, 2023
Not publishedNot published for this business type
Map listings, September 2026
439 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
56The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here

SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022

Loans
2
Amount
$382K

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

Population, 2025 estimate
155,096+5.6% since 2020
Households
58,899
Median age
40.8
Homes lived in by their owners
72%
Vehicles per household
2.1
Land area
512 sq. mi.
People per square mile
293
Median household income
$65,725+31.9% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$84,650
Median home value
$238,400
Jobs located here
54,409
Daytime population
138,541Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in Rowan 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 Rowan 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 Rowan 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

Other business types in Rowan County

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

Questions

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

As of September 2026, map listings count 43 gyms and studios in Rowan County. 9 of them (21%) are chain locations. The listings count gyms, fitness studios, martial arts and dance studios. Official counts show 22 businesses with payroll classed as fitness centers and recreation instruction in 2023, up 4.8% from 2019.

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

About $37.3M a year, or $633 per household. That is 36% below the U.S. average (an index of 64, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 43 gyms and studios on map listings, it comes to $867K per location. It is estimated from the incomes of the 58,899 households in Rowan County and national spending patterns by income.

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

Rowan County has 7.3 gyms and studios per 10,000 households, 51% below the U.S. rate of 14.9. Spending per location is $867K, 31% above the U.S. figure of $662K. At the U.S. ratio of gyms and studios to household spending, Rowan County would have about 56, against 43 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 2,677 households, against one for every 1,641 across the U.S. The official count rose 4.8% from 2019 to 2023, against +8.2% for the U.S.

How fast is Rowan County, NC growing?

Population estimates put Rowan County at 155,096 people in 2025, up 5.6% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 58,899 households. The median household income in Rowan County is $65,725 a year, 19% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 31.9% 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. Rowan County scores 65 for gyms and studios (upper middle), #406 of 2,088 scored counties.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

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

Screening a site or an acquisition in Rowan 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 Rowan 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.