Groundwork

Fitness and classes · Metro area · Arizona

Gyms in the Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ metro area

Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for gyms in the Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ metro area, set against other metro areas and the U.S.

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 76 out of 100: High

Ranked #20 of 387 scored metro areas
#3 of 7 scored metro areas based in Arizona

Listings
1,454
466 chain locations (32%)
Official establishments
572
All fitness and recreational sports centers · +5.5% since 2019
Household spending a year
$2.3B
On memberships, classes and admissions · $1,216 a household
Spending per listing
$1.6M
22% above the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
7.7
In line with the U.S.
Population, 2025
5,228,938
+7.3% since 2020

See the gyms around any address in the Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler 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 Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler 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 Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler metro area scores 76 (high) on the Groundwork market score for gyms, ranking #20 of 387 scored metro areas and #3 of 7 scored metro areas based in Arizona. That puts it in the top 10% of metro areas for gyms.

Households in the Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler metro area spend about $2.3B a year on memberships, classes and admissions, or $1,216 per household, 24% above the U.S. average. That is about $1.6M of household spending for each gym on map listings, 22% above the U.S. figure of $1.3M. The spending figure covers all memberships, classes and admissions, not only gyms.

There are 1,454 gyms on map listings in the Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler metro area as of September 2026. 466 of them (32%) are chain locations, against 28% across the U.S. That comes to 7.7 for every 10,000 households, in line with the U.S. rate of 7.6.

The official count of businesses with payroll classed as fitness and recreational sports centers in the Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler metro area was 572 in 2023, up 5.5% from 2019. That is one for every 3,309 households, against one for every 3,109 across the U.S. That count covers all fitness and recreational sports centers (yoga, Pilates and fitness studios included), not only gyms. Since fiscal 2022, 114 SBA-backed loans worth $57.8M have gone to businesses classed as fitness and recreational sports centers in the Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler metro area. Population estimates show the Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler metro area grew 7.3% from 2020 to 2025, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%).

How the Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler metro area compares

The same measures for Arizona 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 Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ metro area compared with Arizona and the U.S.
MeasurePhoenix-Mesa-Chandler metro areaArizonaU.S.
Listings per 10k households7.77.27.6
Spending per listing$1.6M$1.6M$1.3M
Households per official establishment (all fitness and recreational sports centers)3,3093,5133,109
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023+5.5%+7.3%+5.8%
Population growth, 2020–2025+7.3%+6.1%+3.1%
Spending per household on memberships, classes and admissions$1,216$1,114$983
Median household income$88,301$79,964$80,734
Groundwork market score7678

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
572All fitness and recreational sports centers · +5.5% over the period
Employees, 2023
13,020
Annual payroll, 2023
$226.6M
One-person businesses, 2023
Not publishedNot published for this business type
Map listings, September 2026
1,454466 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
1,769The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here

SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022

Loans
114
Amount
$57.8M

SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as fitness and recreational sports centers in the Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler 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 Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler metro area

Population, 2025 estimate
5,228,938+7.3% since 2020
Households
1,892,613
Median age
39.3
Homes lived in by their owners
67%
Vehicles per household
1.9
Land area
14,569 sq. mi.
People per square mile
345
Median household income
$88,301+38.2% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$118,261
Median home value
$440,900
Jobs located here
2,390,924
Daytime population
5,104,371Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in the Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler 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.

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The highest-scoring metro areas in Arizona for gyms, numbered among those based in Arizona, with the Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler metro area marked.

Top metro areas in Arizona

Metro areas in Arizona ranked for gyms by Groundwork market score
MarketScoreListingsPer 10k householdsSpending per listingPopulation growthU.S. rank
1Prescott Valley-Prescott, AZ81706.3$1.5M+6.5%#9 of 387
2Lake Havasu City-Kingman, AZ78535.2$1.5M+6.5%#16 of 387
3Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ761,4547.7$1.6M+7.3%#20 of 387
4Yuma, AZ71506.3$1.3M+9.2%#36 of 387
5Tucson, AZ642796.4$1.6M+2.8%#68 of 387
6Sierra Vista-Douglas, AZ63295.7$1.4M+0.6%#77 of 387
7Flagstaff, AZ50417.4$1.4M−0.6%#189 of 387

Other business types in the Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler metro area

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

Questions

How many gyms are in the Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ metro area?

As of September 2026, map listings count 1,454 gyms in the Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler metro area. 466 of them (32%) are chain locations. The listings count gyms and fitness centers. Official counts show 572 businesses with payroll classed as fitness and recreational sports centers in 2023, up 5.5% from 2019. The official count takes in all fitness and recreational sports centers, not only gyms: yoga, Pilates and fitness studios are counted too.

How much do households in the Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ metro area spend on memberships, classes and admissions?

About $2.3B a year, or $1,216 per household. That is 24% above the U.S. average (an index of 124, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 1,454 gyms on map listings, it comes to $1.6M per gym. That spending covers all memberships, classes and admissions, which gyms share with other businesses in the trade. It is estimated from the incomes of the 1,892,613 households in the Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler metro area and national spending patterns by income.

How does the Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ metro area compare with the U.S. for gyms?

The Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler metro area has 7.7 gyms per 10,000 households, in line with the U.S. rate of 7.6. Spending per gym is $1.6M, 22% above the U.S. figure of $1.3M. At the U.S. ratio of gyms to household spending, the Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler metro area would have about 1,769, against 1,454 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 3,309 households, against one for every 3,109 across the U.S. The official count rose 5.5% from 2019 to 2023, against +5.8% for the U.S.

How fast is the Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ metro area growing?

Population estimates put the Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler metro area at 5,228,938 people in 2025, up 7.3% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 1,892,613 households. Median household income in the Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler metro area is $88,301, 9% above the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 38.2%, 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 Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler metro area scores 76 for gyms (high), #20 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 Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler 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 Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler metro area

Screening a site or an acquisition in the Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler 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 Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler 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.