Fitness and classes · County · Alabama
Gyms in Jefferson County, AL
How Jefferson County, AL compares with other counties and the U.S. for gyms: competitors, household spending, official counts and growth.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 28 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,531 of 1,792 scored counties
#35 of 45 scored counties in Alabama
- Listings
- 223
- 69 chain locations (31%)
- Official establishments
- 95
- All fitness and recreational sports centers · +8.0% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $194.4M
- On memberships, classes and admissions · $720 a household
- Spending per listing
- $872K
- 33% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 8.3
- 9% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 665,742
- −1.3% since 2020
See the gyms around any address in Jefferson County
The site report maps the gyms 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 Jefferson 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 in Jefferson County is 28 (lower middle), #1,531 of 1,792 scored counties and #35 of 45 scored counties in Alabama. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.
Map listings as of September 2026 show 223 gyms in Jefferson County. Of those, 69 are chain locations, or 31%, against 28% across the U.S. That comes to 8.3 for every 10,000 households, 9% above the U.S. rate of 7.6.
Household spending on memberships, classes and admissions in Jefferson County comes to about $194.4M a year: $720 per household, 27% below the U.S. average. That is about $872K of household spending for each gym on map listings, 33% below the U.S. figure of $1.3M. That spending covers all memberships, classes and admissions, which gyms share with other businesses in the trade.
In 2023, official counts showed 95 businesses with payroll in Jefferson County classed as fitness and recreational sports centers, up 8.0% from 2019. That is one for every 2,841 households, against one for every 3,109 across the U.S. The official count takes in all fitness and recreational sports centers, not only gyms: yoga, Pilates and fitness studios are counted too. Since fiscal 2022, 15 SBA-backed loans worth $11M have gone to businesses classed as fitness and recreational sports centers in Jefferson County. Population estimates put the population change in Jefferson County from 2020 to 2025 at −1.3%, against +3.1% for the U.S.
How Jefferson County compares
The same measures for Alabama and the whole U.S. Spending per listing divides a year of household spending on all memberships, classes and admissions by the gyms 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 | Jefferson County | Alabama | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 8.3 | 7.0 | 7.6 |
| Spending per listing | $872K | $936K | $1.3M |
| Households per official establishment (all fitness and recreational sports centers) | 2,841 | 4,035 | 3,109 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +8.0% | +10.7% | +5.8% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −1.3% | +3.2% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on memberships, classes and admissions | $720 | $656 | $983 |
| Median household income | $66,388 | $63,999 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 28 | 39 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 88 → 95All fitness and recreational sports centers · +8.0% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 1,956
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $31.2M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- Not publishedNot published for this business type
- Map listings, September 2026
- 22369 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 149The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 15
- Amount
- $11M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as fitness and recreational sports centers in Jefferson 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. These official figures cover all fitness and recreational sports centers, not only gyms.
Population and households in Jefferson County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 665,742−1.3% since 2020
- Households
- 269,883
- Median age
- 39.1
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 64%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.8
- Land area
- 1,112 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 601
- Median household income
- $66,388+23.2% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $99,697
- Median home value
- $240,000
- Jobs located here
- 395,444
- Daytime population
- 777,965Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Jefferson 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 on map listings by name and distance.
Or open the report at the center of Jefferson County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.
Free10 actions over 3 days, no cardGyms across Alabama
Every Alabama market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in Alabama for gyms, numbered among those based in Alabama, with Jefferson County marked.
Top counties in Alabama
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Limestone County, AL | 87 | 20 | 4.9 | $1.7M | +18.0% | #28 of 1,792 |
| 2Chilton County, AL | 64 | 7 | 3.9 | $1.5M | +5.9% | #392 of 1,792 |
| 3Dale County, AL | 59 | 5 | 2.5 | $2.1M | +1.3% | #544 of 1,792 |
| 4Blount County, AL | 59 | 9 | 4.1 | $1.5M | +1.8% | #553 of 1,792 |
| 5Elmore County, AL | 55 | 22 | 6.7 | $1M | +4.2% | #739 of 1,792 |
| 6Morgan County, AL | 55 | 32 | 6.5 | $1M | +2.6% | #740 of 1,792 |
| 7Lawrence County, AL | 54 | 6 | 4.4 | $1.4M | +2.3% | #753 of 1,792 |
| 8Tuscaloosa County, AL | 54 | 51 | 5.7 | $1.2M | +3.8% | #767 of 1,792 |
| 9Cullman County, AL | 54 | 24 | 6.8 | $906K | +6.7% | #778 of 1,792 |
| 10Madison County, AL | 52 | 134 | 8.1 | $1.1M | +11.0% | #851 of 1,792 |
| 35Jefferson County, AL | 28 | 223 | 8.3 | $872K | −1.3% | #1,531 of 1,792 |
Other business types in Jefferson 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
Health care
Child care
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many gyms are in Jefferson County, AL?
There are 223 gyms on map listings in Jefferson County as of September 2026. 69 of them (31%) are chain locations. The listings count gyms and fitness centers. Official counts show 95 businesses with payroll classed as fitness and recreational sports centers in 2023, up 8.0% from 2019. That count covers all fitness and recreational sports centers (yoga, Pilates and fitness studios included), not only gyms.
How much do households in Jefferson County, AL spend on memberships, classes and admissions?
About $194.4M a year, or $720 per household. That is 27% below the U.S. average (an index of 73, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 223 gyms on map listings, it comes to $872K per gym. The spending figure covers all memberships, classes and admissions, not only gyms. It is estimated from the incomes of the 269,883 households in Jefferson County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Jefferson County, AL compare with the U.S. for gyms?
Jefferson County has 8.3 gyms per 10,000 households, 9% above the U.S. rate of 7.6. Spending per gym is $872K, 33% below the U.S. figure of $1.3M. At the national ratio of gyms to household spending, Jefferson County would have about 149, against 223 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 2,841 households, against one for every 3,109 across the U.S. The official count rose 8.0% from 2019 to 2023, against +5.8% for the U.S.
How fast is Jefferson County, AL growing?
Population estimates put Jefferson County at 665,742 people in 2025, down 1.3% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 269,883 households. The median household income in Jefferson County is $66,388 a year, 18% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 23.2% 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. Jefferson County scores 28 for gyms (lower middle), #1,531 of 1,792 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Jefferson County. It maps the gyms 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 · All 56 business types in Jefferson County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Jefferson 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 Jefferson 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.