Fitness and classes · Small-town market · North Carolina
Gyms and studios in the Sanford, NC area
How the Sanford, NC area compares with other small-town markets and the U.S. for gyms and studios: competitors, household spending, official counts and growth.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 37 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #421 of 535 scored small-town markets
#18 of 23 scored small-town markets based in North Carolina
- Listings
- 35
- 3 chain locations (9%)
- Official establishments
- 12
- Businesses with payroll, 2023
- Household spending a year
- $15.2M
- On memberships, classes and admissions · $604 a household
- Spending per listing
- $434K
- 35% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 13.9
- 7% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 70,258
- +10.8% since 2020
See the gyms and studios around any address in the Sanford 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 Sanford 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
The Sanford area scores 37 (lower middle) on the Groundwork market score for gyms and studios, ranking #421 of 535 scored small-town markets and #18 of 23 scored small-town markets based in North Carolina. That puts it in the bottom quarter of small-town markets.
Map listings as of September 2026 show 35 gyms and studios in the Sanford area. Of those, 3 are chain locations, or 9%, against 20% across the U.S. That is 13.9 per 10,000 households, 7% below the U.S. rate of 14.9.
At $604 per household (39% below the U.S. average), households in the Sanford area spend about $15.2M a year on memberships, classes and admissions. Spread across 35 gyms and studios, that is $434K per location, 35% below the U.S. figure of $662K.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as fitness centers and recreation instruction in the Sanford area was 12 in 2023. That is one for every 2,095 households, against one for every 1,641 across the U.S. Between 2020 and 2025, the population of the Sanford area grew 10.8%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%).
How the Sanford 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 | Sanford area | North Carolina | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 13.9 | 14.0 | 14.9 |
| Spending per listing | $434K | $531K | $662K |
| Households per official establishment | 2,095 | 1,675 | 1,641 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +6.5% | +8.2% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +10.8% | +7.2% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on memberships, classes and admissions | $604 | $743 | $983 |
| Median household income | $65,387 | $72,388 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 37 | 40 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 12
- Employees, 2023
- 133
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $2.4M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- Not publishedNot published for this business type
- Map listings, September 2026
- 353 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 23The 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 the Sanford 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 Sanford area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 70,258+10.8% since 2020
- Households
- 25,145
- Median age
- 39.7
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 67%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.1
- Land area
- 255 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 258
- Median household income
- $65,387+30.8% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $81,746
- Median home value
- $240,200
- Jobs located here
- 27,081
- Daytime population
- 64,849Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Sanford area?
These figures cover the whole small-town market. 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 Sanford 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 small-town markets in North Carolina for gyms and studios, numbered among those based in North Carolina, with the Sanford area marked.
Top small-town markets in North Carolina
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Anderson Creek, NC | 70 | 44 | 8.8 | $744K | +12.3% | #53 of 535 |
| 2Forest City, NC | 66 | 19 | 7.1 | $722K | +2.1% | #86 of 535 |
| 3Henderson, NC | 65 | 7 | 4.3 | $1.2M | +0.2% | #89 of 535 |
| 4Lumberton, NC | 59 | 27 | 6.3 | $699K | +3.4% | #161 of 535 |
| 5Mount Airy, NC | 57 | 26 | 8.7 | $623K | +1.3% | #188 of 535 |
| 6Wilson, NC | 54 | 27 | 8.2 | $687K | +1.7% | #222 of 535 |
| 7Shelby-Kings Mountain, NC | 52 | 31 | 8.0 | $707K | +3.4% | #246 of 535 |
| 8Elizabeth City, NC | 51 | 18 | 11.4 | $535K | +4.5% | #278 of 535 |
| 9Rockingham, NC | 50 | 11 | 6.5 | $701K | −1.6% | #282 of 535 |
| 10Washington, NC | 45 | 19 | 9.8 | $593K | 0.0% | #337 of 535 |
| 18Sanford, NC | 37 | 35 | 13.9 | $434K | +10.8% | #421 of 535 |
Other business types in the Sanford 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 classes37
- Gyms42
- Yoga, Pilates and fitness studios
- Martial arts and dance studios43
Health care
Child care
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many gyms and studios are in the Sanford, NC area?
There are 35 gyms and studios on map listings in the Sanford area as of September 2026. 3 of them (9%) are chain locations. The listings count gyms, fitness studios, martial arts and dance studios. Official counts show 12 businesses with payroll classed as fitness centers and recreation instruction in 2023.
How much do households in the Sanford, NC area spend on memberships, classes and admissions?
About $15.2M a year, or $604 per household. That is 39% below the U.S. average (an index of 61, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 35 gyms and studios on map listings, it comes to $434K per location. It is estimated from the incomes of the 25,145 households in the Sanford area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Sanford, NC area compare with the U.S. for gyms and studios?
The Sanford area has 13.9 gyms and studios per 10,000 households, 7% below the U.S. rate of 14.9. Spending per location is $434K, 35% below the U.S. figure of $662K. At the national ratio of gyms and studios to household spending, the Sanford area would have about 23, against 35 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 2,095 households, against one for every 1,641 across the U.S.
How fast is the Sanford, NC area growing?
Population estimates put the Sanford area at 70,258 people in 2025, up 10.8% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 25,145 households. Median household income in the Sanford area is $65,387, 19% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 30.8%, 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. A small-town market is a town of 10,000 to 50,000 people and the county or counties tied to it by commuting. 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 Sanford area scores 37 for gyms and studios (lower middle), #421 of 535 scored small-town markets.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in the Sanford 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 Sanford area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Sanford 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 Sanford 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.