Groundwork

Fitness and classes · County · Tennessee

Gyms and studios in Rutherford County, TN

How Rutherford County, TN 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 50 out of 100: Upper middle

Ranked #1,064 of 2,088 scored counties
#33 of 68 scored counties in Tennessee

Listings
175
43 chain locations (25%)
Official establishments
79
+36.2% since 2019
Household spending a year
$100.9M
On memberships, classes and admissions · $780 a household
Spending per listing
$577K
13% below the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
13.5
9% below the U.S.
Population, 2025
386,352
+12.6% since 2020

See the gyms and studios around any address in Rutherford 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 Rutherford 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

Household spending on memberships, classes and admissions in Rutherford County comes to about $100.9M a year: $780 per household, 21% below the U.S. average. That is about $577K of household spending for each location on map listings, 13% below the U.S. figure of $662K.

There are 175 gyms and studios on map listings in Rutherford County as of September 2026. Of those, 43 are chain locations, or 25%, against 20% across the U.S. That is 13.5 per 10,000 households, 9% below the U.S. rate of 14.9.

The official count of businesses with payroll classed as fitness centers and recreation instruction in Rutherford County was 79 in 2023, up 36.2% from 2019. That is one for every 1,638 households, against one for every 1,641 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 9 SBA-backed loans worth $3M have gone to businesses classed as fitness centers and recreation instruction in Rutherford County.

Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Rutherford County grew 12.6%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). The Groundwork market score for gyms and studios in Rutherford County is 50 (upper middle), #1,064 of 2,088 scored counties and #33 of 68 scored counties in Tennessee.

How Rutherford County 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.

Gyms, studios and classes in Rutherford County, TN compared with Tennessee and the U.S.
MeasureRutherford CountyTennesseeU.S.
Listings per 10k households13.512.314.9
Spending per listing$577K$572K$662K
Households per official establishment1,6382,1081,641
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023+36.2%+18.7%+8.2%
Population growth, 2020–2025+12.6%+5.6%+3.1%
Spending per household on memberships, classes and admissions$780$703$983
Median household income$85,470$69,595$80,734
Groundwork market score5050

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
58 → 79+36.2% over the period
Employees, 2023
982
Annual payroll, 2023
$16.4M
One-person businesses, 2023
Not publishedNot published for this business type
Map listings, September 2026
17543 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
152The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here

SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022

Loans
9
Amount
$3M

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

Population, 2025 estimate
386,352+12.6% since 2020
Households
129,431
Median age
35.1
Homes lived in by their owners
65%
Vehicles per household
2.1
Land area
620 sq. mi.
People per square mile
582
Median household income
$85,470+26.8% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$105,856
Median home value
$382,600
Jobs located here
144,864
Daytime population
329,273Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in Rutherford 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 Rutherford 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 Tennessee

Every Tennessee market ranked →

The highest-scoring counties in Tennessee for gyms and studios, numbered among those based in Tennessee, with Rutherford County marked.

Top counties in Tennessee

Counties in Tennessee ranked for gyms and studios by Groundwork market score
MarketScoreListingsPer 10k householdsSpending per listingPopulation growthU.S. rank
1Fayette County, TN85137.6$1.1M+7.7%#27 of 2,088
2Cheatham County, TN78138.0$950K+4.1%#92 of 2,088
3Bedford County, TN76115.6$1.1M+9.7%#123 of 2,088
4Roane County, TN76198.3$817K+7.0%#131 of 2,088
5Robertson County, TN75289.9$743K+9.9%#142 of 2,088
6Loudon County, TN752711.2$710K+15.6%#143 of 2,088
7Tipton County, TN74146.2$1.1M+2.0%#154 of 2,088
8Marshall County, TN72118.1$841K+10.5%#206 of 2,088
9Hickman County, TN7155.3$1.1M+5.0%#219 of 2,088
10Lincoln County, TN70106.7$928K+4.3%#245 of 2,088
33Rutherford County, TN5017513.5$577K+12.6%#1,064 of 2,088

Other business types in Rutherford County

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

Questions

How many gyms and studios are in Rutherford County, TN?

As of September 2026, map listings count 175 gyms and studios in Rutherford County. 43 of them (25%) are chain locations. The listings count gyms, fitness studios, martial arts and dance studios. Official counts show 79 businesses with payroll classed as fitness centers and recreation instruction in 2023, up 36.2% from 2019.

How much do households in Rutherford County, TN spend on memberships, classes and admissions?

About $100.9M a year, or $780 per household. That is 21% below the U.S. average (an index of 79, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 175 gyms and studios on map listings, it comes to $577K per location. It is estimated from the incomes of the 129,431 households in Rutherford County and national spending patterns by income.

How does Rutherford County, TN compare with the U.S. for gyms and studios?

Rutherford County has 13.5 gyms and studios per 10,000 households, 9% below the U.S. rate of 14.9. Spending per location is $577K, 13% below the U.S. figure of $662K. At the U.S. ratio of gyms and studios to household spending, Rutherford County would have about 152, against 175 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,638 households, against one for every 1,641 across the U.S. The official count rose 36.2% from 2019 to 2023, against +8.2% for the U.S.

How fast is Rutherford County, TN growing?

Population estimates put Rutherford County at 386,352 people in 2025, up 12.6% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 129,431 households. The median household income in Rutherford County is $85,470 a year, 6% above the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 26.8% 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. Rutherford County scores 50 for gyms and studios (upper middle), #1,064 of 2,088 scored counties.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

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

Screening a site or an acquisition in Rutherford 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 Rutherford 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.