Fitness and classes · Small-town market · Ohio
Gyms and studios in the Athens, OH area
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for gyms and studios in the Athens, OH area, set against other small-town markets and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 51 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #274 of 535 scored small-town markets
#23 of 29 scored small-town markets based in Ohio
- Listings
- 27
- 2 chain locations (7%)
- Official establishments
- n/a
- Fewer than 3, or not published
- Household spending a year
- $16.2M
- On memberships, classes and admissions · $706 a household
- Spending per listing
- $601K
- 9% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 11.7
- 21% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 63,197
- +1.3% since 2020
See the gyms and studios around any address in the Athens 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 Athens 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
As of September 2026, map listings count 27 gyms and studios in the Athens area. Chain locations make up 7% of them, against 20% across the U.S. That is 11.7 per 10,000 households, 21% below the U.S. rate of 14.9.
At $706 per household (28% below the U.S. average), households in the Athens area spend about $16.2M a year on memberships, classes and admissions. That is about $601K of household spending for each location on map listings, 9% below the U.S. figure of $662K.
There is no official count of businesses with payroll classed as fitness centers and recreation instruction in the Athens area: counts under 3 aren’t published.
Population estimates put the population change in the Athens area from 2020 to 2025 at +1.3%, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). The Groundwork market score for gyms and studios in the Athens area is 51 (upper middle), #274 of 535 scored small-town markets and #23 of 29 scored small-town markets based in Ohio.
How the Athens area compares
The same measures for Ohio 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 | Athens area | Ohio | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 11.7 | 12.7 | 14.9 |
| Spending per listing | $601K | $697K | $662K |
| Households per official establishment | n/a | 2,215 | 1,641 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +8.7% | +8.2% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +1.3% | +0.9% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on memberships, classes and admissions | $706 | $884 | $983 |
| Median household income | $56,001 | $71,389 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 51 | 57 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- n/a
- Employees, 2023
- n/a
- Annual payroll, 2023
- n/a
- One-person businesses, 2023
- Not publishedNot published for this business type
- Map listings, September 2026
- 272 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 25The 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 Athens 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 Athens area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 63,197+1.3% since 2020
- Households
- 23,014
- Median age
- 37.4
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 60%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 504 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 122
- Median household income
- $56,001+36.9% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $77,858
- Median home value
- $185,000
- Jobs located here
- 18,702
- Daytime population
- 59,780Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Athens 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 Athens 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 Ohio
Every Ohio market ranked →The highest-scoring small-town markets in Ohio for gyms and studios, numbered among those based in Ohio, with the Athens area marked.
Top small-town markets in Ohio
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Mount Vernon, OH | 78 | 28 | 11.9 | $719K | +1.9% | #20 of 535 |
| 2New Philadelphia-Dover, OH | 71 | 32 | 8.3 | $870K | −0.9% | #44 of 535 |
| 3Defiance, OH | 71 | 14 | 9.1 | $838K | +0.1% | #45 of 535 |
| 4Findlay, OH | 70 | 35 | 11.1 | $769K | +0.1% | #51 of 535 |
| 5Greenville, OH | 67 | 20 | 9.4 | $800K | −0.7% | #77 of 535 |
| 6Gallipolis, OH | 66 | 6 | 5.2 | $1.3M | −0.5% | #83 of 535 |
| 7Bucyrus, OH | 65 | 7 | 3.9 | $1.7M | −0.3% | #88 of 535 |
| 8Coshocton, OH | 65 | 12 | 8.1 | $813K | +1.6% | #94 of 535 |
| 9Sidney, OH | 64 | 17 | 9.0 | $946K | −0.2% | #100 of 535 |
| 10Bellefontaine, OH | 63 | 18 | 9.2 | $872K | +0.4% | #118 of 535 |
| 23Athens, OH | 51 | 27 | 11.7 | $601K | +1.3% | #274 of 535 |
Other business types in the Athens 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 classes51
- Gyms61
- Yoga, Pilates and fitness studios38
- Martial arts and dance studios63
Health care
Child care
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many gyms and studios are in the Athens, OH area?
The Athens area has 27 gyms and studios on map listings as of September 2026. 2 of them (7%) are chain locations. The listings count gyms, fitness studios, martial arts and dance studios. No official count is published for fitness centers and recreation instruction in the Athens area: counts under 3 are left out.
How much do households in the Athens, OH area spend on memberships, classes and admissions?
About $16.2M a year, or $706 per household. That is 28% below the U.S. average (an index of 72, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 27 gyms and studios on map listings, it comes to $601K per location. It is estimated from the incomes of the 23,014 households in the Athens area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Athens, OH area compare with the U.S. for gyms and studios?
The Athens area has 11.7 gyms and studios per 10,000 households, 21% below the U.S. rate of 14.9. Spending per location is $601K, 9% below the U.S. figure of $662K. At the national ratio of gyms and studios to household spending, the Athens area would have about 25, against 27 on map listings.
How fast is the Athens, OH area growing?
Population estimates put the Athens area at 63,197 people in 2025, up 1.3% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 23,014 households. Median household income in the Athens area is $56,001, 31% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 36.9%, 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. 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 Athens area scores 51 for gyms and studios (upper middle), #274 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 Athens 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 Athens area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Athens 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 Athens 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.