Fitness and classes · Metro area · Virginia
Gyms and studios in the Richmond, VA metro area
How the Richmond, VA 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 55 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #134 of 387 scored metro areas
#2 of 9 scored metro areas based in Virginia
- Listings
- 697
- 148 chain locations (21%)
- Official establishments
- 355
- +3.4% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $466.3M
- On memberships, classes and admissions · $874 a household
- Spending per listing
- $669K
- In line with the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 13.1
- 12% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 1,389,338
- +5.5% since 2020
See the gyms and studios around any address in the Richmond 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 Richmond 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
Household spending on memberships, classes and admissions in the Richmond metro area comes to about $466.3M a year: $874 per household, 11% below the U.S. average. That works out to $669K per location, in line with the U.S. figure of $662K.
The Richmond metro area has 697 gyms and studios on map listings as of September 2026. Chain locations make up 21% of them, against 20% across the U.S. That comes to 13.1 for every 10,000 households, 12% below the U.S. rate of 14.9.
Official counts show 355 businesses with payroll classed as fitness centers and recreation instruction in the Richmond metro area in 2023, up 3.4% from 2019. That is one for every 1,503 households, against one for every 1,641 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 22 SBA-backed loans worth $4.3M have gone to businesses classed as fitness centers and recreation instruction in the Richmond metro area.
Between 2020 and 2025, the population of the Richmond metro area grew 5.5%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). For gyms and studios, the Richmond metro area has a Groundwork market score of 55 (upper middle): #134 of 387 scored metro areas and #2 of 9 scored metro areas based in Virginia.
How the Richmond 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.
| Measure | Richmond metro area | Virginia | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 13.1 | 14.2 | 14.9 |
| Spending per listing | $669K | $674K | $662K |
| Households per official establishment | 1,503 | 1,478 | 1,641 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +3.4% | +6.7% | +8.2% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +5.5% | +2.8% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on memberships, classes and admissions | $874 | $960 | $983 |
| Median household income | $86,679 | $93,170 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 55 | 50 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 355+3.4% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 5,831
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $95.7M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- Not publishedNot published for this business type
- Map listings, September 2026
- 697148 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 704The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 22
- Amount
- $4.3M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as fitness centers and recreation instruction in the Richmond 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 Richmond metro area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 1,389,338+5.5% since 2020
- Households
- 533,430
- Median age
- 40.2
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 67%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 4,368 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 307
- Median household income
- $86,679+26.5% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $117,479
- Median home value
- $353,500
- Jobs located here
- 693,750
- Daytime population
- 1,389,666Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Richmond 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 Richmond 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 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 Richmond metro area marked.
Top metro areas in Virginia
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV | 63 | 3,733 | 15.7 | $796K | +3.3% | #76 of 387 |
| 1Staunton-Stuarts Draft, VA | 55 | 44 | 8.4 | $784K | +3.2% | #131 of 387 |
| 2Richmond, VA | 55 | 697 | 13.1 | $669K | +5.5% | #134 of 387 |
| 3Winchester, VA-WV | 53 | 78 | 14.0 | $588K | +6.5% | #156 of 387 |
| 4Harrisonburg, VA | 46 | 63 | 12.6 | $564K | +3.5% | #234 of 387 |
| Kingsport-Bristol, TN-VA | 45 | 134 | 10.2 | $568K | +2.3% | #248 of 387 |
| 5Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk, VA-NC | 40 | 975 | 13.8 | $587K | +0.9% | #286 of 387 |
| 6Lynchburg, VA | 38 | 120 | 11.6 | $558K | +2.9% | #300 of 387 |
| 7Charlottesville, VA | 38 | 156 | 17.2 | $550K | +3.1% | #301 of 387 |
| 8Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford, VA | 32 | 91 | 12.9 | $529K | −0.1% | #345 of 387 |
Other business types in the Richmond 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 classes55
- Gyms60
- Yoga, Pilates and fitness studios52
- Martial arts and dance studios47
Health care
Child care
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many gyms and studios are in the Richmond, VA metro area?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 697 gyms and studios in the Richmond metro area. 148 of them (21%) are chain locations. The listings count gyms, fitness studios, martial arts and dance studios. Official counts show 355 businesses with payroll classed as fitness centers and recreation instruction in 2023, up 3.4% from 2019.
How much do households in the Richmond, VA metro area spend on memberships, classes and admissions?
About $466.3M a year, or $874 per household. That is 11% below the U.S. average (an index of 89, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 697 gyms and studios on map listings, it comes to $669K per location. It is estimated from the incomes of the 533,430 households in the Richmond metro area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Richmond, VA metro area compare with the U.S. for gyms and studios?
The Richmond metro area has 13.1 gyms and studios per 10,000 households, 12% below the U.S. rate of 14.9. Spending per location is $669K, in line with the U.S. figure of $662K. At the U.S. ratio of gyms and studios to household spending, the Richmond metro area would have about 704, against 697 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,503 households, against one for every 1,641 across the U.S. The official count rose 3.4% from 2019 to 2023, against +8.2% for the U.S.
How fast is the Richmond, VA metro area growing?
Population estimates put the Richmond metro area at 1,389,338 people in 2025, up 5.5% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 533,430 households. The median household income in the Richmond metro area is $86,679 a year, 7% above the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 26.5% 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. The Richmond metro area scores 55 for gyms and studios (upper middle), #134 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 Richmond 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 Richmond metro area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Richmond 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 Richmond 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.