Fitness and classes · Metro area · West Virginia
Gyms and studios in the Wheeling, WV-OH metro area
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for gyms and studios in the Wheeling, WV-OH metro area, set against other metro areas and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 54 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #142 of 387 scored metro areas
#1 of 7 scored metro areas based in West Virginia
- Listings
- 44
- 8 chain locations (18%)
- Official establishments
- 22
- Businesses with payroll, 2023
- Household spending a year
- $37M
- On memberships, classes and admissions · $639 a household
- Spending per listing
- $842K
- 27% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 7.6
- 49% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 134,089
- −3.6% since 2020
See the gyms and studios around any address in the Wheeling 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 Wheeling 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
Map listings as of September 2026 show 44 gyms and studios in the Wheeling metro area. 8 of them (18%) are chain locations, against 20% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 7.6, 49% below the U.S. rate of 14.9.
Households in the Wheeling metro area spend about $37M a year on memberships, classes and admissions, or $639 per household, 35% below the U.S. average. Spread across 44 gyms and studios, that is $842K per location, 27% above the U.S. figure of $662K.
In 2023, official counts showed 22 businesses with payroll in the Wheeling metro area classed as fitness centers and recreation instruction. That is one for every 2,637 households, against one for every 1,641 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 3 SBA-backed loans worth $45K have gone to businesses classed as fitness centers and recreation instruction in the Wheeling metro area.
Population estimates show the Wheeling metro area declined 3.6% from 2020 to 2025, against +3.1% for the U.S. The Groundwork market score for gyms and studios in the Wheeling metro area is 54 (upper middle), #142 of 387 scored metro areas and #1 of 7 scored metro areas based in West Virginia.
How the Wheeling metro area 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 | Wheeling metro area | West Virginia | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 7.6 | 9.7 | 14.9 |
| Spending per listing | $842K | $614K | $662K |
| Households per official establishment | 2,637 | 3,554 | 1,641 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | −6.8% | +8.2% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −3.6% | −1.4% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on memberships, classes and admissions | $639 | $595 | $983 |
| Median household income | $57,418 | $59,608 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 54 | 38 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 22
- Employees, 2023
- 159
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $2.1M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- Not publishedNot published for this business type
- Map listings, September 2026
- 448 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 56The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 3
- Amount
- $45K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as fitness centers and recreation instruction in the Wheeling 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 Wheeling metro area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 134,089−3.6% since 2020
- Households
- 58,024
- Median age
- 44.8
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 72%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.7
- Land area
- 944 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 145
- Median household income
- $57,418+14.0% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $79,303
- Median home value
- $156,600
- Jobs located here
- 58,297
- Daytime population
- 134,771Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Wheeling 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 Wheeling 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 West Virginia
Every West Virginia market ranked →The highest-scoring metro areas in West Virginia for gyms and studios, numbered among those based in West Virginia (a market based in another state is listed without a number), with the Wheeling metro area marked.
Top metro areas in West Virginia
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hagerstown-Martinsburg, MD-WV | 78 | 97 | 8.2 | $901K | +7.1% | #11 of 387 |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV | 63 | 3,733 | 15.7 | $796K | +3.3% | #76 of 387 |
| 1Wheeling, WV-OH | 54 | 44 | 7.6 | $842K | −3.6% | #142 of 387 |
| Winchester, VA-WV | 53 | 78 | 14.0 | $588K | +6.5% | #156 of 387 |
| 2Huntington-Ashland, WV-KY-OH | 48 | 144 | 9.5 | $653K | −2.6% | #206 of 387 |
| 3Weirton-Steubenville, WV-OH | 39 | 56 | 11.3 | $552K | −3.6% | #295 of 387 |
| 4Parkersburg-Vienna, WV | 36 | 40 | 10.6 | $536K | −2.3% | #316 of 387 |
| 5Charleston, WV | 33 | 98 | 11.2 | $526K | −4.7% | #336 of 387 |
| 6Beckley, WV | 31 | 45 | 10.0 | $510K | −4.3% | #350 of 387 |
| 7Morgantown, WV | 26 | 90 | 15.7 | $446K | +1.3% | #375 of 387 |
Other business types in the Wheeling 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 classes54
- Gyms52
- Yoga, Pilates and fitness studios
- Martial arts and dance studios45
Health care
Child care
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many gyms and studios are in the Wheeling, WV-OH metro area?
There are 44 gyms and studios on map listings in the Wheeling metro area as of September 2026. 8 of them (18%) are chain locations. The listings count gyms, fitness studios, martial arts and dance studios. Official counts show 22 businesses with payroll classed as fitness centers and recreation instruction in 2023.
How much do households in the Wheeling, WV-OH metro area spend on memberships, classes and admissions?
About $37M a year, or $639 per household. That is 35% below the U.S. average (an index of 65, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 44 gyms and studios on map listings, it comes to $842K per location. It is estimated from the incomes of the 58,024 households in the Wheeling metro area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Wheeling, WV-OH metro area compare with the U.S. for gyms and studios?
The Wheeling metro area has 7.6 gyms and studios per 10,000 households, 49% below the U.S. rate of 14.9. Spending per location is $842K, 27% above the U.S. figure of $662K. At the national ratio of gyms and studios to household spending, the Wheeling metro area would have about 56, against 44 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 2,637 households, against one for every 1,641 across the U.S.
How fast is the Wheeling, WV-OH metro area growing?
Population estimates put the Wheeling metro area at 134,089 people in 2025, down 3.6% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 58,024 households. Median household income in the Wheeling metro area is $57,418, 29% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 14.0%, 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 Wheeling metro area scores 54 for gyms and studios (upper middle), #142 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 Wheeling 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 Wheeling metro area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Wheeling 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 Wheeling 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.