Fitness and classes · County · Virginia
Gyms and studios in Nelson County, VA
How Nelson County, VA 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 65 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #411 of 2,088 scored counties
#26 of 95 scored counties in Virginia
- Listings
- 6
- 1 chain location (17%)
- Official establishments
- n/a
- Fewer than 3, or not published
- Household spending a year
- $5.1M
- On memberships, classes and admissions · $796 a household
- Spending per listing
- $844K
- 28% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 9.4
- 37% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 14,920
- +1.2% since 2020
See the gyms and studios around any address in Nelson 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 Nelson 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
Map listings as of September 2026 show 6 gyms and studios in Nelson County. One of them (17%) is a chain location, against 20% across the U.S. That is 9.4 per 10,000 households, 37% below the U.S. rate of 14.9.
Household spending on memberships, classes and admissions in Nelson County comes to about $5.1M a year: $796 per household, 19% below the U.S. average. Spread across 6 gyms and studios, that is $844K per location, 28% above the U.S. figure of $662K.
There is no official count of businesses with payroll classed as fitness centers and recreation instruction in Nelson County: counts under 3 aren’t published.
Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Nelson County grew 1.2%, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). For gyms and studios, Nelson County has a Groundwork market score of 65 (upper middle): #411 of 2,088 scored counties and #26 of 95 scored counties in Virginia. That puts it in the top quarter of counties.
How Nelson County 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.
| Measure | Nelson County | Virginia | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 9.4 | 14.2 | 14.9 |
| Spending per listing | $844K | $674K | $662K |
| Households per official establishment | n/a | 1,478 | 1,641 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +6.7% | +8.2% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +1.2% | +2.8% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on memberships, classes and admissions | $796 | $960 | $983 |
| Median household income | $72,589 | $93,170 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 65 | 50 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- n/a
- Employees, 2023
- n/a
- Annual payroll, 2023
- n/a
- One-person businesses, 2023
- Not publishedNot published for this business type
- Map listings, September 2026
- 61 chain location
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 8The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 0
- Amount
- $0
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as fitness centers and recreation instruction in Nelson 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 Nelson County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 14,920+1.2% since 2020
- Households
- 6,364
- Median age
- 49.5
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 80%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.1
- Land area
- 471 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 31
- Median household income
- $72,589+12.9% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $104,122
- Median home value
- $321,700
- Jobs located here
- 3,841
- Daytime population
- 12,142Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Nelson 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 Nelson 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 Virginia
Every Virginia market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in Virginia for gyms and studios, numbered among those based in Virginia, with Nelson County marked.
Top counties in Virginia
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Greene County, VA | 87 | 5 | 6.2 | $1.4M | +6.6% | #20 of 2,088 |
| 2Louisa County, VA | 86 | 6 | 3.9 | $2.1M | +13.6% | #21 of 2,088 |
| 3Poquoson city, VA | 84 | 6 | 12.7 | $847K | +6.6% | #37 of 2,088 |
| 4Frederick County, VA | 83 | 28 | 7.9 | $1.2M | +8.8% | #39 of 2,088 |
| 5Caroline County, VA | 83 | 10 | 8.3 | $972K | +11.3% | #40 of 2,088 |
| 6New Kent County, VA | 83 | 13 | 14.0 | $756K | +21.2% | #43 of 2,088 |
| 7Spotsylvania County, VA | 81 | 71 | 13.5 | $770K | +10.5% | #62 of 2,088 |
| 8Rockingham County, VA | 80 | 26 | 8.0 | $953K | +6.6% | #69 of 2,088 |
| 9Suffolk city, VA | 78 | 33 | 8.7 | $999K | +10.4% | #91 of 2,088 |
| 10King George County, VA | 78 | 15 | 14.8 | $715K | +10.5% | #99 of 2,088 |
| 26Nelson County, VA | 65 | 6 | 9.4 | $844K | +1.2% | #411 of 2,088 |
Other business types in Nelson 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 classes65
- Gyms44
- Yoga, Pilates and fitness studios
- Martial arts and dance studios
Health care
Child care
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many gyms and studios are in Nelson County, VA?
There are 6 gyms and studios on map listings in Nelson County as of September 2026. One of them (17%) is a chain location. The listings count gyms, fitness studios, martial arts and dance studios. No official count is published for fitness centers and recreation instruction in Nelson County: counts under 3 are left out.
How much do households in Nelson County, VA spend on memberships, classes and admissions?
About $5.1M a year, or $796 per household. That is 19% below the U.S. average (an index of 81, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 6 gyms and studios on map listings, it comes to $844K per location. It is estimated from the incomes of the 6,364 households in Nelson County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Nelson County, VA compare with the U.S. for gyms and studios?
Nelson County has 9.4 gyms and studios per 10,000 households, 37% below the U.S. rate of 14.9. Spending per location is $844K, 28% above the U.S. figure of $662K. At the national ratio of gyms and studios to household spending, Nelson County would have about 8, against 6 on map listings.
How fast is Nelson County, VA growing?
Population estimates put Nelson County at 14,920 people in 2025, up 1.2% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 6,364 households. Median household income in Nelson County is $72,589, 10% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 12.9%, 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. Nelson County scores 65 for gyms and studios (upper middle), #411 of 2,088 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Nelson 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 Nelson County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Nelson 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 Nelson 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.