Fitness and classes · Metro area · Tennessee
Gyms and studios in the Knoxville, TN metro area
How the Knoxville, TN metro area compares with other metro areas and the U.S. for gyms and studios: competitors, household spending, official counts and growth.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 50 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #193 of 387 scored metro areas
#3 of 10 scored metro areas based in Tennessee
- Listings
- 476
- 110 chain locations (23%)
- Official establishments
- 183
- +17.7% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $271.9M
- On memberships, classes and admissions · $719 a household
- Spending per listing
- $571K
- 14% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 12.6
- 15% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 968,137
- +6.9% since 2020
See the gyms and studios around any address in the Knoxville 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 Knoxville metro 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 476 gyms and studios in the Knoxville metro area. Of those, 110 are chain locations, or 23%, against 20% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 12.6, 15% below the U.S. rate of 14.9.
At $719 per household (27% below the U.S. average), households in the Knoxville metro area spend about $271.9M a year on memberships, classes and admissions. Spread across 476 gyms and studios, that is $571K per location, 14% below the U.S. figure of $662K.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as fitness centers and recreation instruction in the Knoxville metro area was 183 in 2023, up 17.7% from 2019. That is one for every 2,067 households, against one for every 1,641 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 15 SBA-backed loans worth $9.3M have gone to businesses classed as fitness centers and recreation instruction in the Knoxville metro area.
Population estimates put the population change in the Knoxville metro area from 2020 to 2025 at +6.9%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). The Knoxville metro area scores 50 (upper middle) on the Groundwork market score for gyms and studios, ranking #193 of 387 scored metro areas and #3 of 10 scored metro areas based in Tennessee.
How the Knoxville metro area compares
The same measures for Tennessee 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 | Knoxville metro area | Tennessee | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 12.6 | 12.3 | 14.9 |
| Spending per listing | $571K | $572K | $662K |
| Households per official establishment | 2,067 | 2,108 | 1,641 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +17.7% | +18.7% | +8.2% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +6.9% | +5.6% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on memberships, classes and admissions | $719 | $703 | $983 |
| Median household income | $72,422 | $69,595 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 50 | 50 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 183+17.7% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 2,304
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $39.1M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- Not publishedNot published for this business type
- Map listings, September 2026
- 476110 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 411The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 15
- Amount
- $9.3M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as fitness centers and recreation instruction in the Knoxville 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 Knoxville metro area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 968,137+6.9% since 2020
- Households
- 378,234
- Median age
- 41.5
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 70%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.0
- Land area
- 3,501 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 266
- Median household income
- $72,422
- Average household income
- $98,653
- Median home value
- $290,200
- Jobs located here
- 432,193
- Daytime population
- 955,487Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Knoxville 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 Knoxville metro 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 Tennessee
Every Tennessee market ranked →The highest-scoring metro areas in Tennessee for gyms and studios, numbered among those based in Tennessee, with the Knoxville metro area marked.
Top metro areas in Tennessee
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Morristown, TN | 61 | 46 | 9.6 | $613K | +7.9% | #94 of 387 |
| 2Clarksville, TN-KY | 51 | 144 | 11.5 | $546K | +8.5% | #184 of 387 |
| 3Knoxville, TN | 50 | 476 | 12.6 | $571K | +6.9% | #193 of 387 |
| 4Memphis, TN-MS-AR | 47 | 551 | 10.5 | $658K | −0.3% | #213 of 387 |
| 5Nashville-Davidson–Murfreesboro–Franklin, TN | 46 | 1,244 | 15.0 | $569K | +8.7% | #232 of 387 |
| 6Kingsport-Bristol, TN-VA | 45 | 134 | 10.2 | $568K | +2.3% | #248 of 387 |
| 7Chattanooga, TN-GA | 43 | 324 | 14.0 | $519K | +5.3% | #263 of 387 |
| 8Cleveland, TN | 42 | 69 | 13.8 | $450K | +6.1% | #275 of 387 |
| 9Jackson, TN | 39 | 80 | 11.0 | $526K | +2.2% | #296 of 387 |
| 10Johnson City, TN | 34 | 116 | 13.0 | $446K | +4.3% | #332 of 387 |
Other business types in the Knoxville metro 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 classes50
- Gyms49
- Yoga, Pilates and fitness studios62
- Martial arts and dance studios46
Health care
Child care
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many gyms and studios are in the Knoxville, TN metro area?
The Knoxville metro area has 476 gyms and studios on map listings as of September 2026. 110 of them (23%) are chain locations. The listings count gyms, fitness studios, martial arts and dance studios. Official counts show 183 businesses with payroll classed as fitness centers and recreation instruction in 2023, up 17.7% from 2019.
How much do households in the Knoxville, TN metro area spend on memberships, classes and admissions?
About $271.9M a year, or $719 per household. That is 27% below the U.S. average (an index of 73, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 476 gyms and studios on map listings, it comes to $571K per location. It is estimated from the incomes of the 378,234 households in the Knoxville metro area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Knoxville, TN metro area compare with the U.S. for gyms and studios?
The Knoxville metro area has 12.6 gyms and studios per 10,000 households, 15% below the U.S. rate of 14.9. Spending per location is $571K, 14% below the U.S. figure of $662K. At the national ratio of gyms and studios to household spending, the Knoxville metro area would have about 411, against 476 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 2,067 households, against one for every 1,641 across the U.S. The official count rose 17.7% from 2019 to 2023, against +8.2% for the U.S.
How fast is the Knoxville, TN metro area growing?
Population estimates put the Knoxville metro area at 968,137 people in 2025, up 6.9% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 378,234 households. Median household income in the Knoxville metro area is $72,422, 10% below 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 Knoxville metro area scores 50 for gyms and studios (upper middle), #193 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 Knoxville 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 Knoxville metro area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Knoxville 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 Knoxville 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.