Groundwork

Fitness and classes · County · South Carolina

Gyms and studios in Horry County, SC

The gyms and studios in Horry County, SC, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 45 out of 100: Lower middle

Ranked #1,328 of 2,088 scored counties
#25 of 37 scored counties in South Carolina

Listings
214
36 chain locations (17%)
Official establishments
67
+24.1% since 2019
Household spending a year
$101.4M
On memberships, classes and admissions · $639 a household
Spending per listing
$474K
28% below the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
13.5
9% below the U.S.
Population, 2025
427,551
+20.9% since 2020

See the gyms and studios around any address in Horry 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 Horry County. 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

At $639 per household (35% below the U.S. average), households in Horry County spend about $101.4M a year on memberships, classes and admissions. That is about $474K of household spending for each location on map listings, 28% below the U.S. figure of $662K.

There are 214 gyms and studios on map listings in Horry County as of September 2026. Chain locations make up 17% of them, against 20% across the U.S. That is 13.5 per 10,000 households, 9% below the U.S. rate of 14.9.

Official counts show 67 businesses with payroll classed as fitness centers and recreation instruction in Horry County in 2023, up 24.1% from 2019. That is one for every 2,370 households, against one for every 1,641 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 6 SBA-backed loans worth $2.3M have gone to businesses classed as fitness centers and recreation instruction in Horry County.

Population estimates show Horry County grew 20.9% from 2020 to 2025, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). Horry County scores 45 (lower middle) on the Groundwork market score for gyms and studios, ranking #1,328 of 2,088 scored counties and #25 of 37 scored counties in South Carolina.

How Horry 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.

Gyms, studios and classes in Horry County, SC compared with South Carolina and the U.S.
MeasureHorry CountySouth CarolinaU.S.
Listings per 10k households13.513.314.9
Spending per listing$474K$528K$662K
Households per official establishment2,3702,1901,641
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023+24.1%+5.9%+8.2%
Population growth, 2020–2025+20.9%+8.5%+3.1%
Spending per household on memberships, classes and admissions$639$700$983
Median household income$66,880$69,324$80,734
Groundwork market score4549

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
54 → 67+24.1% over the period
Employees, 2023
685
Annual payroll, 2023
$12.3M
One-person businesses, 2023
Not publishedNot published for this business type
Map listings, September 2026
21436 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
153The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here

SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022

Loans
6
Amount
$2.3M

SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as fitness centers and recreation instruction in Horry 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 Horry County

Population, 2025 estimate
427,551+20.9% since 2020
Households
158,779
Median age
47.7
Homes lived in by their owners
77%
Vehicles per household
1.8
Land area
1,133 sq. mi.
People per square mile
338
Median household income
$66,880+31.9% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$87,740
Median home value
$287,700
Jobs located here
142,324
Daytime population
375,675Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in Horry 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 Horry County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

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Gyms, 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 Horry County marked.

Top counties in South Carolina

Counties in South Carolina ranked for gyms and studios by Groundwork market score
MarketScoreListingsPer 10k householdsSpending per listingPopulation growthU.S. rank
1Laurens County, SC71155.6$956K+6.2%#223 of 2,088
2Berkeley County, SC6611312.1$634K+18.7%#389 of 2,088
3Jasper County, SC65118.4$739K+32.2%#419 of 2,088
4Georgetown County, SC652710.0$720K+3.8%#421 of 2,088
5Kershaw County, SC652810.4$621K+11.6%#427 of 2,088
6Oconee County, SC64349.9$661K+6.3%#469 of 2,088
7Edgefield County, SC6399.2$705K+16.1%#499 of 2,088
8Lancaster County, SC605112.7$621K+18.3%#609 of 2,088
9Dorchester County, SC607812.3$613K+10.1%#611 of 2,088
10Saluda County, SC5956.5$822K+4.1%#625 of 2,088
25Horry County, SC4521413.5$474K+20.9%#1,328 of 2,088

Other business types in Horry County

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

Questions

How many gyms and studios are in Horry County, SC?

As of September 2026, map listings count 214 gyms and studios in Horry County. 36 of them (17%) are chain locations. The listings count gyms, fitness studios, martial arts and dance studios. Official counts show 67 businesses with payroll classed as fitness centers and recreation instruction in 2023, up 24.1% from 2019.

How much do households in Horry County, SC spend on memberships, classes and admissions?

About $101.4M a year, or $639 per household. That is 35% below the U.S. average (an index of 65, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 214 gyms and studios on map listings, it comes to $474K per location. It is estimated from the incomes of the 158,779 households in Horry County and national spending patterns by income.

How does Horry County, SC compare with the U.S. for gyms and studios?

Horry County has 13.5 gyms and studios per 10,000 households, 9% below the U.S. rate of 14.9. Spending per location is $474K, 28% below the U.S. figure of $662K. At the U.S. ratio of gyms and studios to household spending, Horry County would have about 153, against 214 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 2,370 households, against one for every 1,641 across the U.S. The official count rose 24.1% from 2019 to 2023, against +8.2% for the U.S.

How fast is Horry County, SC growing?

Population estimates put Horry County at 427,551 people in 2025, up 20.9% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 158,779 households. The median household income in Horry County is $66,880 a year, 17% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 31.9% 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. Horry County scores 45 for gyms and studios (lower middle), #1,328 of 2,088 scored counties.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Horry 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 Horry County

Screening a site or an acquisition in Horry 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 Horry 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.