Fitness and classes · County · North Carolina
Gyms and studios in Wake County, NC
The gyms and studios in Wake County, NC, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 48 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,182 of 2,088 scored counties
#43 of 88 scored counties in North Carolina
- Listings
- 886
- 216 chain locations (24%)
- Official establishments
- 488
- +20.2% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $488M
- On memberships, classes and admissions · $1,060 a household
- Spending per listing
- $551K
- 17% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 19.3
- 30% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 1,257,235
- +11.2% since 2020
See the gyms and studios around any address in Wake 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 Wake 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
Map listings as of September 2026 show 886 gyms and studios in Wake County. Of those, 216 are chain locations, or 24%, against 20% across the U.S. That comes to 19.3 for every 10,000 households, 30% above the U.S. rate of 14.9.
At $1,060 per household (8% above the U.S. average), households in Wake County spend about $488M a year on memberships, classes and admissions. Spread across 886 gyms and studios, that is $551K per location, 17% below the U.S. figure of $662K.
In 2023, official counts showed 488 businesses with payroll in Wake County classed as fitness centers and recreation instruction, up 20.2% from 2019. That is one for every 943 households, against one for every 1,641 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 48 SBA-backed loans worth $35.2M have gone to businesses classed as fitness centers and recreation instruction in Wake County.
Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Wake County grew 11.2%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). For gyms and studios, Wake County has a Groundwork market score of 48 (lower middle): #1,182 of 2,088 scored counties and #43 of 88 scored counties in North Carolina.
How Wake 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 | Wake County | North Carolina | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 19.3 | 14.0 | 14.9 |
| Spending per listing | $551K | $531K | $662K |
| Households per official establishment | 943 | 1,675 | 1,641 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +20.2% | +6.5% | +8.2% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +11.2% | +7.2% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on memberships, classes and admissions | $1,060 | $743 | $983 |
| Median household income | $105,768 | $72,388 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 48 | 40 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 406 → 488+20.2% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 7,796
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $140.2M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- Not publishedNot published for this business type
- Map listings, September 2026
- 886216 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 737The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 48
- Amount
- $35.2M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as fitness centers and recreation instruction in Wake 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 Wake County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 1,257,235+11.2% since 2020
- Households
- 460,175
- Median age
- 38.2
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 64%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.8
- Land area
- 835 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 1,412
- Median household income
- $105,768+31.2% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $139,587
- Median home value
- $461,300
- Jobs located here
- 687,531
- Daytime population
- 1,293,967Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Wake 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 Wake 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 Wake 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 |
| 43Wake County, NC | 48 | 886 | 19.3 | $551K | +11.2% | #1,182 of 2,088 |
Other business types in Wake 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 classes48
- Gyms57
- Yoga, Pilates and fitness studios46
- Martial arts and dance studios48
Health care
Child care
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many gyms and studios are in Wake County, NC?
There are 886 gyms and studios on map listings in Wake County as of September 2026. 216 of them (24%) are chain locations. The listings count gyms, fitness studios, martial arts and dance studios. Official counts show 488 businesses with payroll classed as fitness centers and recreation instruction in 2023, up 20.2% from 2019.
How much do households in Wake County, NC spend on memberships, classes and admissions?
About $488M a year, or $1,060 per household. That is 8% above the U.S. average (an index of 108, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 886 gyms and studios on map listings, it comes to $551K per location. It is estimated from the incomes of the 460,175 households in Wake County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Wake County, NC compare with the U.S. for gyms and studios?
Wake County has 19.3 gyms and studios per 10,000 households, 30% above the U.S. rate of 14.9. Spending per location is $551K, 17% below the U.S. figure of $662K. At the national ratio of gyms and studios to household spending, Wake County would have about 737, against 886 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 943 households, against one for every 1,641 across the U.S. The official count rose 20.2% from 2019 to 2023, against +8.2% for the U.S.
How fast is Wake County, NC growing?
Population estimates put Wake County at 1,257,235 people in 2025, up 11.2% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 460,175 households. Median household income in Wake County is $105,768, 31% above the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 31.2%, 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. Wake County scores 48 for gyms and studios (lower middle), #1,182 of 2,088 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Wake 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 Wake County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Wake 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 Wake 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.