Groundwork

Fitness and classes · Metro area · Alabama

Gyms in the Mobile, AL metro area

The gyms in the Mobile, AL metro area, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other metro areas.

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 23 out of 100: Low

Ranked #375 of 387 scored metro areas
#12 of 12 scored metro areas based in Alabama

Listings
113
33 chain locations (29%)
Official establishments
46
All fitness and recreational sports centers · +24.3% since 2019
Household spending a year
$97.5M
On memberships, classes and admissions · $603 a household
Spending per listing
$863K
34% below the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
7.0
8% below the U.S.
Population, 2025
411,658
−0.7% since 2020

See the gyms around any address in the Mobile metro area

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 the Mobile metro area. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

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Survey 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 the Mobile metro area is 23 (low), #375 of 387 scored metro areas and #12 of 12 scored metro areas based in Alabama. That puts it in the bottom quarter of metro areas.

As of September 2026, map listings count 113 gyms in the Mobile metro area. Of those, 33 are chain locations, or 29%, against 28% across the U.S. That comes to 7.0 for every 10,000 households, 8% below the U.S. rate of 7.6.

At $603 per household (39% below the U.S. average), households in the Mobile metro area spend about $97.5M a year on memberships, classes and admissions. That is about $863K of household spending for each gym on map listings, 34% 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.

The official count of businesses with payroll classed as fitness and recreational sports centers in the Mobile metro area was 46 in 2023, up 24.3% from 2019. That is one for every 3,514 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, 1 SBA-backed loan worth $326K has gone to businesses classed as fitness and recreational sports centers in the Mobile metro area. Population estimates put the population change in the Mobile metro area from 2020 to 2025 at −0.7%, against +3.1% for the U.S.

How the Mobile metro area 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.

Gyms in Mobile, AL metro area compared with Alabama and the U.S.
MeasureMobile metro areaAlabamaU.S.
Listings per 10k households7.07.07.6
Spending per listing$863K$936K$1.3M
Households per official establishment (all fitness and recreational sports centers)3,5144,0353,109
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023+24.3%+10.7%+5.8%
Population growth, 2020–2025−0.7%+3.2%+3.1%
Spending per household on memberships, classes and admissions$603$656$983
Median household income$58,880$63,999$80,734
Groundwork market score2339

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
46All fitness and recreational sports centers · +24.3% over the period
Employees, 2023
565
Annual payroll, 2023
$7.6M
One-person businesses, 2023
Not publishedNot published for this business type
Map listings, September 2026
11333 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
75The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here

SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022

Loans
1
Amount
$326K

SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as fitness and recreational sports centers in the Mobile 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. These official figures cover all fitness and recreational sports centers, not only gyms.

Population and households in the Mobile metro area

Population, 2025 estimate
411,658−0.7% since 2020
Households
161,665
Median age
39.0
Homes lived in by their owners
66%
Vehicles per household
1.8
Land area
1,229 sq. mi.
People per square mile
336
Median household income
$58,880
Average household income
$81,726
Median home value
$190,700
Jobs located here
181,672
Daytime population
421,837Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in the Mobile 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 on map listings by name and distance.

Or open the report at the center of the Mobile metro area. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

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The highest-scoring metro areas in Alabama for gyms, numbered among those based in Alabama, with the Mobile metro area marked.

Top metro areas in Alabama

Metro areas in Alabama ranked for gyms by Groundwork market score
MarketScoreListingsPer 10k householdsSpending per listingPopulation growthU.S. rank
1Huntsville, AL521547.5$1.1M+12.5%#172 of 387
2Decatur, AL51386.1$1.1M+2.5%#185 of 387
3Tuscaloosa, AL50565.3$1.2M+2.9%#192 of 387
4Auburn-Opelika, AL41476.1$1.1M+7.1%#272 of 387
5Daphne-Fairhope-Foley, AL4110710.9$703K+14.8%#276 of 387
6Gadsden, AL36205.1$1M+0.4%#315 of 387
7Dothan, AL36386.2$933K+3.4%#317 of 387
8Anniston-Oxford, AL32286.2$859K−0.3%#342 of 387
9Florence-Muscle Shoals, AL32497.7$783K+3.5%#343 of 387
10Birmingham, AL303738.0$918K+1.4%#348 of 387
12Mobile, AL231137.0$863K−0.7%#375 of 387

Other business types in the Mobile metro area

Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.

Questions

How many gyms are in the Mobile, AL metro area?

The Mobile metro area has 113 gyms on map listings as of September 2026. 33 of them (29%) are chain locations. The listings count gyms and fitness centers. Official counts show 46 businesses with payroll classed as fitness and recreational sports centers in 2023, up 24.3% 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 the Mobile, AL metro area spend on memberships, classes and admissions?

About $97.5M a year, or $603 per household. That is 39% below the U.S. average (an index of 61, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 113 gyms on map listings, it comes to $863K per gym. The spending figure covers all memberships, classes and admissions, not only gyms. It is estimated from the incomes of the 161,665 households in the Mobile metro area and national spending patterns by income.

How does the Mobile, AL metro area compare with the U.S. for gyms?

The Mobile metro area has 7.0 gyms per 10,000 households, 8% below the U.S. rate of 7.6. Spending per gym is $863K, 34% below the U.S. figure of $1.3M. At the national ratio of gyms to household spending, the Mobile metro area would have about 75, against 113 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 3,514 households, against one for every 3,109 across the U.S. The official count rose 24.3% from 2019 to 2023, against +5.8% for the U.S.

How fast is the Mobile, AL metro area growing?

Population estimates put the Mobile metro area at 411,658 people in 2025, down 0.7% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 161,665 households. The median household income in the Mobile metro area is $58,880 a year, 27% below the U.S. median of $80,734.

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 Mobile metro area scores 23 for gyms (low), #375 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 Mobile metro area. 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 the Mobile metro area

Screening a site or an acquisition in the Mobile 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 Mobile 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.