Fitness and classes · County · West Virginia
Gyms and studios in Nicholas County, WV
How Nicholas County, WV 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 28 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,834 of 2,088 scored counties
#17 of 30 scored counties in West Virginia
- Listings
- 8
- 2 chain locations (25%)
- Official establishments
- n/a
- Fewer than 3, or not published
- Household spending a year
- $5M
- On memberships, classes and admissions · $530 a household
- Spending per listing
- $627K
- 5% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 8.5
- 43% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 23,848
- −2.9% since 2020
See the gyms and studios around any address in Nicholas 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 Nicholas 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
The Groundwork market score for gyms and studios in Nicholas County is 28 (lower middle), #1,834 of 2,088 scored counties and #17 of 30 scored counties in West Virginia. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.
Map listings as of September 2026 show 8 gyms and studios in Nicholas County. Chain locations make up 25% of them, against 20% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 8.5, 43% below the U.S. rate of 14.9.
Household spending on memberships, classes and admissions in Nicholas County comes to about $5M a year: $530 per household, 46% below the U.S. average. Spread across 8 gyms and studios, that is $627K per location, 5% below the U.S. figure of $662K.
There is no official count of businesses with payroll classed as fitness centers and recreation instruction in Nicholas County: counts under 3 aren’t published. Population estimates put the population change in Nicholas County from 2020 to 2025 at −2.9%, against +3.1% for the U.S.
How Nicholas County compares
The same measures for West 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 | Nicholas County | West Virginia | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 8.5 | 9.7 | 14.9 |
| Spending per listing | $627K | $614K | $662K |
| Households per official establishment | n/a | 3,554 | 1,641 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | −6.8% | +8.2% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −2.9% | −1.4% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on memberships, classes and admissions | $530 | $595 | $983 |
| Median household income | $54,639 | $59,608 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 28 | 38 |
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
- 82 chain locations
- 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 Nicholas 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 Nicholas County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 23,848−2.9% since 2020
- Households
- 9,466
- Median age
- 45.2
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 82%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 647 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 38
- Median household income
- $54,639+36.3% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $74,713
- Median home value
- $121,600
- Jobs located here
- 6,859
- Daytime population
- 22,538Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Nicholas 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 Nicholas 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 West Virginia
Every West Virginia market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in West Virginia for gyms and studios, numbered among those based in West Virginia, with Nicholas County marked.
Top counties in West Virginia
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Jefferson County, WV | 83 | 24 | 10.5 | $884K | +9.2% | #41 of 2,088 |
| 2Berkeley County, WV | 78 | 33 | 6.5 | $1.1M | +13.7% | #87 of 2,088 |
| 3Preston County, WV | 62 | 7 | 5.5 | $1M | −0.6% | #508 of 2,088 |
| 4Mineral County, WV | 52 | 8 | 7.2 | $852K | −0.4% | #931 of 2,088 |
| 5Putnam County, WV | 51 | 28 | 12.0 | $656K | −1.0% | #999 of 2,088 |
| 6Marshall County, WV | 49 | 6 | 4.8 | $1.1M | −4.4% | #1,076 of 2,088 |
| 7Ohio County, WV | 49 | 17 | 9.3 | $669K | −4.4% | #1,098 of 2,088 |
| 8Mason County, WV | 47 | 5 | 4.9 | $1M | −2.7% | #1,194 of 2,088 |
| 9Lewis County, WV | 36 | 6 | 8.6 | $700K | −3.7% | #1,606 of 2,088 |
| 10Randolph County, WV | 36 | 10 | 9.4 | $591K | −3.6% | #1,609 of 2,088 |
| 17Nicholas County, WV | 28 | 8 | 8.5 | $627K | −2.9% | #1,834 of 2,088 |
Other business types in Nicholas 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 classes28
- Gyms
- 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 Nicholas County, WV?
There are 8 gyms and studios on map listings in Nicholas County as of September 2026. 2 of them (25%) are chain locations. The listings count gyms, fitness studios, martial arts and dance studios. No official count is published for fitness centers and recreation instruction in Nicholas County: counts under 3 are left out.
How much do households in Nicholas County, WV spend on memberships, classes and admissions?
About $5M a year, or $530 per household. That is 46% below the U.S. average (an index of 54, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 8 gyms and studios on map listings, it comes to $627K per location. It is estimated from the incomes of the 9,466 households in Nicholas County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Nicholas County, WV compare with the U.S. for gyms and studios?
Nicholas County has 8.5 gyms and studios per 10,000 households, 43% below the U.S. rate of 14.9. Spending per location is $627K, 5% below the U.S. figure of $662K. The count on map listings matches the U.S. ratio of gyms and studios to household spending.
How fast is Nicholas County, WV growing?
Population estimates put Nicholas County at 23,848 people in 2025, down 2.9% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 9,466 households. Median household income in Nicholas County is $54,639, 32% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 36.3%, 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. Nicholas County scores 28 for gyms and studios (lower middle), #1,834 of 2,088 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Nicholas 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 Nicholas County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Nicholas 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 Nicholas 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.