Groundwork

Fitness and classes · Metro area · Virginia

Gyms and studios in the Charlottesville, VA metro area

The gyms and studios in the Charlottesville, VA metro area, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other metro areas.

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 38 out of 100: Lower middle

Ranked #301 of 387 scored metro areas
#7 of 9 scored metro areas based in Virginia

Listings
156
29 chain locations (19%)
Official establishments
78
+9.0% since 2019
Household spending a year
$85.8M
On memberships, classes and admissions · $949 a household
Spending per listing
$550K
17% below the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
17.2
15% above the U.S.
Population, 2025
228,597
+3.1% since 2020

See the gyms and studios around any address in the Charlottesville 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 Charlottesville 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

The Charlottesville metro area scores 38 (lower middle) on the Groundwork market score for gyms and studios, ranking #301 of 387 scored metro areas and #7 of 9 scored metro areas based in Virginia. That puts it in the bottom quarter of metro areas.

Map listings as of September 2026 show 156 gyms and studios in the Charlottesville metro area. Chain locations make up 19% of them, against 20% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 17.2, 15% above the U.S. rate of 14.9.

At $949 per household (4% below the U.S. average), households in the Charlottesville metro area spend about $85.8M a year on memberships, classes and admissions. That works out to $550K per location, 17% below the U.S. figure of $662K.

In 2023, official counts showed 78 businesses with payroll in the Charlottesville metro area classed as fitness centers and recreation instruction, up 9.0% from 2019. That is one for every 1,160 households, against one for every 1,641 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 2 SBA-backed loans worth $794K have gone to businesses classed as fitness centers and recreation instruction in the Charlottesville metro area. Between 2020 and 2025, the population of the Charlottesville metro area grew 3.1%, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%).

How the Charlottesville metro area compares

The same measures for Virginia 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 Charlottesville, VA metro area compared with Virginia and the U.S.
MeasureCharlottesville metro areaVirginiaU.S.
Listings per 10k households17.214.214.9
Spending per listing$550K$674K$662K
Households per official establishment1,1601,4781,641
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023+9.0%+6.7%+8.2%
Population growth, 2020–2025+3.1%+2.8%+3.1%
Spending per household on memberships, classes and admissions$949$960$983
Median household income$93,598$93,170$80,734
Groundwork market score3850

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
78+9.0% over the period
Employees, 2023
767
Annual payroll, 2023
$12.3M
One-person businesses, 2023
Not publishedNot published for this business type
Map listings, September 2026
15629 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
130The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here

SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022

Loans
2
Amount
$794K

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

Population, 2025 estimate
228,597+3.1% since 2020
Households
90,452
Median age
41.6
Homes lived in by their owners
66%
Vehicles per household
1.9
Land area
1,644 sq. mi.
People per square mile
136
Median household income
$93,598+28.8% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$130,972
Median home value
$430,300
Jobs located here
108,968
Daytime population
237,767Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in the Charlottesville 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.

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Gyms, studios and classes across Virginia

Every Virginia market ranked →

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

Top metro areas in Virginia

Metro areas in Virginia ranked for gyms and studios by Groundwork market score
MarketScoreListingsPer 10k householdsSpending per listingPopulation growthU.S. rank
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV633,73315.7$796K+3.3%#76 of 387
1Staunton-Stuarts Draft, VA55448.4$784K+3.2%#131 of 387
2Richmond, VA5569713.1$669K+5.5%#134 of 387
3Winchester, VA-WV537814.0$588K+6.5%#156 of 387
4Harrisonburg, VA466312.6$564K+3.5%#234 of 387
Kingsport-Bristol, TN-VA4513410.2$568K+2.3%#248 of 387
5Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk, VA-NC4097513.8$587K+0.9%#286 of 387
6Lynchburg, VA3812011.6$558K+2.9%#300 of 387
7Charlottesville, VA3815617.2$550K+3.1%#301 of 387
8Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford, VA329112.9$529K−0.1%#345 of 387

Other business types in the Charlottesville metro area

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

Fitness and classes

Funeral services

Questions

How many gyms and studios are in the Charlottesville, VA metro area?

There are 156 gyms and studios on map listings in the Charlottesville metro area as of September 2026. 29 of them (19%) are chain locations. The listings count gyms, fitness studios, martial arts and dance studios. Official counts show 78 businesses with payroll classed as fitness centers and recreation instruction in 2023, up 9.0% from 2019.

How much do households in the Charlottesville, VA metro area spend on memberships, classes and admissions?

About $85.8M a year, or $949 per household. That is 4% below the U.S. average (an index of 96, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 156 gyms and studios on map listings, it comes to $550K per location. It is estimated from the incomes of the 90,452 households in the Charlottesville metro area and national spending patterns by income.

How does the Charlottesville, VA metro area compare with the U.S. for gyms and studios?

The Charlottesville metro area has 17.2 gyms and studios per 10,000 households, 15% above the U.S. rate of 14.9. Spending per location is $550K, 17% below the U.S. figure of $662K. At the national ratio of gyms and studios to household spending, the Charlottesville metro area would have about 130, against 156 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,160 households, against one for every 1,641 across the U.S. The official count rose 9.0% from 2019 to 2023, against +8.2% for the U.S.

How fast is the Charlottesville, VA metro area growing?

Population estimates put the Charlottesville metro area at 228,597 people in 2025, up 3.1% since 2020, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 90,452 households. Median household income in the Charlottesville metro area is $93,598, 16% above the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 28.8%, 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. The Charlottesville metro area scores 38 for gyms and studios (lower middle), #301 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 Charlottesville 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 Charlottesville metro area

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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.