Groundwork

Fitness and classes · Metro area · Ohio

Gyms and studios in the Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN metro area

The gyms and studios in the Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN metro area, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other metro areas.

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 64 out of 100: Upper middle

Ranked #70 of 387 scored metro areas
#4 of 12 scored metro areas based in Ohio

Listings
1,200
247 chain locations (21%)
Official establishments
459
+0.4% since 2019
Household spending a year
$877.3M
On memberships, classes and admissions · $968 a household
Spending per listing
$731K
10% above the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
13.2
11% below the U.S.
Population, 2025
2,312,858
+2.7% since 2020

See the gyms and studios around any address in the Cincinnati 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 Cincinnati metro area. 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

Map listings as of September 2026 show 1,200 gyms and studios in the Cincinnati metro area. 247 of them (21%) are chain locations, against 20% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 13.2, 11% below the U.S. rate of 14.9.

Household spending on memberships, classes and admissions in the Cincinnati metro area comes to about $877.3M a year: $968 per household, 2% below the U.S. average. That is about $731K of household spending for each location on map listings, 10% above the U.S. figure of $662K.

In 2023, official counts showed 459 businesses with payroll in the Cincinnati metro area classed as fitness centers and recreation instruction, up 0.4% from 2019. That is one for every 1,975 households, against one for every 1,641 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 66 SBA-backed loans worth $22.3M have gone to businesses classed as fitness centers and recreation instruction in the Cincinnati metro area.

Between 2020 and 2025, the population of the Cincinnati metro area grew 2.7%, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%). For gyms and studios, the Cincinnati metro area has a Groundwork market score of 64 (upper middle): #70 of 387 scored metro areas and #4 of 12 scored metro areas based in Ohio. That puts it in the top quarter of metro areas.

How the Cincinnati metro 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.

Gyms, studios and classes in Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN metro area compared with Ohio and the U.S.
MeasureCincinnati metro areaOhioU.S.
Listings per 10k households13.212.714.9
Spending per listing$731K$697K$662K
Households per official establishment1,9752,2151,641
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023+0.4%+8.7%+8.2%
Population growth, 2020–2025+2.7%+0.9%+3.1%
Spending per household on memberships, classes and admissions$968$884$983
Median household income$81,120$71,389$80,734
Groundwork market score6457

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
459+0.4% over the period
Employees, 2023
7,550
Annual payroll, 2023
$127.4M
One-person businesses, 2023
Not publishedNot published for this business type
Map listings, September 2026
1,200247 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
1,325The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here

SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022

Loans
66
Amount
$22.3M

SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as fitness centers and recreation instruction in the Cincinnati 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 Cincinnati metro area

Population, 2025 estimate
2,312,858+2.7% since 2020
Households
906,675
Median age
39.5
Homes lived in by their owners
68%
Vehicles per household
1.8
Land area
4,385 sq. mi.
People per square mile
518
Median household income
$81,120
Average household income
$110,407
Median home value
$258,600
Jobs located here
1,109,713
Daytime population
2,288,397Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in the Cincinnati 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 Cincinnati metro area. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

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Gyms, studios and classes across Ohio

Every Ohio market ranked →

The highest-scoring metro areas in Ohio for gyms and studios, numbered among those based in Ohio (a market based in another state is listed without a number), with the Cincinnati metro area marked.

Top metro areas in Ohio

Metro areas in Ohio ranked for gyms and studios by Groundwork market score
MarketScoreListingsPer 10k householdsSpending per listingPopulation growthU.S. rank
1Springfield, OH70427.5$978K−0.4%#32 of 387
2Columbus, OH671,24414.4$713K+4.7%#53 of 387
3Dayton-Kettering-Beavercreek, OH6540211.7$745K+1.5%#65 of 387
4Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN641,20013.2$731K+2.7%#70 of 387
5Lima, OH55368.7$857K−1.2%#130 of 387
Wheeling, WV-OH54447.6$842K−3.6%#142 of 387
6Cleveland, OH521,22413.1$686K−0.8%#162 of 387
7Mansfield, OH515410.8$635K−0.1%#180 of 387
8Toledo, OH4931412.3$662K−1.0%#195 of 387
Huntington-Ashland, WV-KY-OH481449.5$653K−2.6%#206 of 387

Other business types in the Cincinnati metro area

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

Questions

How many gyms and studios are in the Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN metro area?

There are 1,200 gyms and studios on map listings in the Cincinnati metro area as of September 2026. 247 of them (21%) are chain locations. The listings count gyms, fitness studios, martial arts and dance studios. Official counts show 459 businesses with payroll classed as fitness centers and recreation instruction in 2023, up 0.4% from 2019.

How much do households in the Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN metro area spend on memberships, classes and admissions?

About $877.3M a year, or $968 per household. That is 2% below the U.S. average (an index of 98, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 1,200 gyms and studios on map listings, it comes to $731K per location. It is estimated from the incomes of the 906,675 households in the Cincinnati metro area and national spending patterns by income.

How does the Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN metro area compare with the U.S. for gyms and studios?

The Cincinnati metro area has 13.2 gyms and studios per 10,000 households, 11% below the U.S. rate of 14.9. Spending per location is $731K, 10% above the U.S. figure of $662K. At the national ratio of gyms and studios to household spending, the Cincinnati metro area would have about 1,325, against 1,200 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,975 households, against one for every 1,641 across the U.S. The official count rose 0.4% from 2019 to 2023, against +8.2% for the U.S.

How fast is the Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN metro area growing?

Population estimates put the Cincinnati metro area at 2,312,858 people in 2025, up 2.7% since 2020, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 906,675 households. Median household income in the Cincinnati metro area is $81,120, in line with the U.S. median of $80,734.

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 Cincinnati metro area scores 64 for gyms and studios (upper middle), #70 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 Cincinnati 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 Cincinnati metro area

Screening a site or an acquisition in the Cincinnati 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 Cincinnati 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.