Fitness and classes · County · South Carolina
Gyms and studios in Dorchester County, SC
How Dorchester County, SC compares with other counties and the U.S. for gyms and studios: competitors, household spending, official counts and growth.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 60 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #611 of 2,088 scored counties
#9 of 37 scored counties in South Carolina
- Listings
- 78
- 18 chain locations (23%)
- Official establishments
- 22
- +4.8% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $47.8M
- On memberships, classes and admissions · $756 a household
- Spending per listing
- $613K
- 7% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 12.3
- 17% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 178,397
- +10.1% since 2020
See the gyms and studios around any address in Dorchester 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 Dorchester 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
At $756 per household (23% below the U.S. average), households in Dorchester County spend about $47.8M a year on memberships, classes and admissions. Spread across 78 gyms and studios, that is $613K per location, 7% below the U.S. figure of $662K.
Dorchester County has 78 gyms and studios on map listings as of September 2026. 18 of them (23%) are chain locations, against 20% across the U.S. That comes to 12.3 for every 10,000 households, 17% below the U.S. rate of 14.9.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as fitness centers and recreation instruction in Dorchester County was 22 in 2023, up 4.8% from 2019. That is one for every 2,872 households, against one for every 1,641 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 2 SBA-backed loans worth $913K have gone to businesses classed as fitness centers and recreation instruction in Dorchester County.
Population estimates put the population change in Dorchester County from 2020 to 2025 at +10.1%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). Dorchester County scores 60 (upper middle) on the Groundwork market score for gyms and studios, ranking #611 of 2,088 scored counties and #9 of 37 scored counties in South Carolina.
How Dorchester County compares
The same measures for South 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 | Dorchester County | South Carolina | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 12.3 | 13.3 | 14.9 |
| Spending per listing | $613K | $528K | $662K |
| Households per official establishment | 2,872 | 2,190 | 1,641 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +4.8% | +5.9% | +8.2% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +10.1% | +8.5% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on memberships, classes and admissions | $756 | $700 | $983 |
| Median household income | $78,198 | $69,324 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 60 | 49 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 21 → 22+4.8% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 376
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $5.4M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- Not publishedNot published for this business type
- Map listings, September 2026
- 7818 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 72The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 2
- Amount
- $913K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as fitness centers and recreation instruction in Dorchester 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 Dorchester County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 178,397+10.1% since 2020
- Households
- 63,179
- Median age
- 38.4
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 76%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 568 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 294
- Median household income
- $78,198+24.0% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $100,220
- Median home value
- $329,300
- Jobs located here
- 39,777
- Daytime population
- 129,933Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Dorchester 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 Dorchester 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 South Carolina
Every South Carolina market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in South Carolina for gyms and studios, numbered among those based in South Carolina, with Dorchester County marked.
Top counties in South Carolina
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Laurens County, SC | 71 | 15 | 5.6 | $956K | +6.2% | #223 of 2,088 |
| 2Berkeley County, SC | 66 | 113 | 12.1 | $634K | +18.7% | #389 of 2,088 |
| 3Jasper County, SC | 65 | 11 | 8.4 | $739K | +32.2% | #419 of 2,088 |
| 4Georgetown County, SC | 65 | 27 | 10.0 | $720K | +3.8% | #421 of 2,088 |
| 5Kershaw County, SC | 65 | 28 | 10.4 | $621K | +11.6% | #427 of 2,088 |
| 6Oconee County, SC | 64 | 34 | 9.9 | $661K | +6.3% | #469 of 2,088 |
| 7Edgefield County, SC | 63 | 9 | 9.2 | $705K | +16.1% | #499 of 2,088 |
| 8Lancaster County, SC | 60 | 51 | 12.7 | $621K | +18.3% | #609 of 2,088 |
| 9Dorchester County, SC | 60 | 78 | 12.3 | $613K | +10.1% | #611 of 2,088 |
| 10Saluda County, SC | 59 | 5 | 6.5 | $822K | +4.1% | #625 of 2,088 |
Other business types in Dorchester 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 classes60
- Gyms71
- Yoga, Pilates and fitness studios71
- Martial arts and dance studios56
Health care
Child care
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many gyms and studios are in Dorchester County, SC?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 78 gyms and studios in Dorchester County. 18 of them (23%) 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 Dorchester County, SC spend on memberships, classes and admissions?
About $47.8M a year, or $756 per household. That is 23% below the U.S. average (an index of 77, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 78 gyms and studios on map listings, it comes to $613K per location. It is estimated from the incomes of the 63,179 households in Dorchester County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Dorchester County, SC compare with the U.S. for gyms and studios?
Dorchester County has 12.3 gyms and studios per 10,000 households, 17% below the U.S. rate of 14.9. Spending per location is $613K, 7% below the U.S. figure of $662K. At the U.S. ratio of gyms and studios to household spending, Dorchester County would have about 72, against 78 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 2,872 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 Dorchester County, SC growing?
Population estimates put Dorchester County at 178,397 people in 2025, up 10.1% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 63,179 households. The median household income in Dorchester County is $78,198 a year, 3% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 24.0% 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. Dorchester County scores 60 for gyms and studios (upper middle), #611 of 2,088 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Dorchester 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 Dorchester County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Dorchester 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 Dorchester 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.