Market rankings · California
Gyms in California
Every metro area, small-town market and county in California, ranked by the Groundwork market score for gyms, with competitor counts and household spending for each.
- Listings
- 10,768
- 2,901 chain locations (27%)
- Official establishments
- 5,371
- All fitness and recreational sports centers · +9.4% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $19.4B
- On memberships, classes and admissions
- Listings per 10k households
- 7.9
- 4% above the U.S.
- Spending per listing
- $1.8M
- 39% above the U.S.
- Rank among states
- #11 of 51
- Market score 60 · Upper middle
A site report maps the gyms on map listings around any address in California by name and distance, and the spending within reach.
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
There are 10,768 gyms on map listings in California as of September 2026. 2,901 of them (27%) are chain locations, against 28% across the U.S. That is 7.9 per 10,000 households, 4% above the U.S. rate of 7.6.
At $1,435 per household (46% above the U.S. average), households in California spend about $19.4B a year on memberships, classes and admissions. That works out to $1.8M per gym, 39% above the U.S. figure of $1.3M. The spending figure covers all memberships, classes and admissions, not only gyms.
Official counts show 5,371 businesses with payroll classed as fitness and recreational sports centers in California in 2023, up 9.4% from 2019. That is one for every 2,522 households, against one for every 3,109 across the U.S. Across the U.S., the count rose 5.8% over the same years. That count covers all fitness and recreational sports centers (yoga, Pilates and fitness studios included), not only gyms. Since fiscal 2022, 579 SBA-backed loans worth $283.7M have gone to businesses classed as fitness and recreational sports centers in California.
Among the 50 states and DC, California ranks #11 for gyms, with a Groundwork market score of 60 (upper middle). Of the 25 scored metro areas in or partly in California, the Stockton-Lodi metro area scores highest (88). Of the 10 scored small-town markets in or partly in California, the Red Bluff area scores highest (79).
Every market in California for gyms
Download the ranking (CSV)Numbered by Groundwork market score among the markets based in California, highest first; the U.S. rank compares each market with every other of its kind. A metro area that crosses a state line is listed in each state it reaches, and numbered only in the state its page is under. How the score works.
Metro areas
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Stockton-Lodi, CA | 88 | 173 | 7.1 | $1.8M | +5.5% | #2 of 387 |
| 2Yuba City, CA | 82 | 37 | 6.0 | $1.8M | +3.3% | #6 of 387 |
| 3Visalia, CA | 78 | 84 | 5.9 | $1.7M | +2.4% | #15 of 387 |
| 4Fresno, CA | 76 | 234 | 6.3 | $1.7M | +3.2% | #19 of 387 |
| 5Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA | 73 | 1,009 | 7.0 | $1.8M | +3.5% | #26 of 387 |
| 6Merced, CA | 72 | 59 | 6.9 | $1.3M | +5.1% | #32 of 387 |
| 7Bakersfield-Delano, CA | 71 | 184 | 6.5 | $1.5M | +2.3% | #35 of 387 |
| 8Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA | 68 | 704 | 8.0 | $1.7M | +3.2% | #44 of 387 |
| 9Hanford-Corcoran, CA | 67 | 28 | 6.4 | $1.5M | +1.0% | #55 of 387 |
| 10Vallejo, CA | 66 | 124 | 7.9 | $1.7M | +0.6% | #58 of 387 |
| 11Modesto, CA | 62 | 139 | 7.8 | $1.4M | +0.7% | #87 of 387 |
| 12San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | 60 | 531 | 7.8 | $2.7M | −0.6% | #97 of 387 |
| 13San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | 57 | 1,445 | 8.3 | $2.3M | −2.4% | #120 of 387 |
| 14Santa Rosa-Petaluma, CA | 57 | 158 | 8.3 | $1.8M | −0.4% | #121 of 387 |
| 15Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | 56 | 3,505 | 7.8 | $1.8M | −2.6% | #127 of 387 |
| 16Salinas, CA | 56 | 103 | 7.8 | $1.7M | −1.5% | #128 of 387 |
| 17Napa, CA | 54 | 43 | 8.6 | $1.8M | −3.3% | #148 of 387 |
| 18Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura, CA | 53 | 278 | 9.9 | $1.5M | −1.5% | #154 of 387 |
| 19San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA | 53 | 1,134 | 9.7 | $1.5M | −0.6% | #155 of 387 |
| 20Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA | 50 | 101 | 10.4 | $1.5M | −4.7% | #188 of 387 |
| 21Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA | 48 | 153 | 10.2 | $1.4M | −1.4% | #208 of 387 |
| 22San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles, CA | 48 | 120 | 11.0 | $1.2M | 0.0% | #209 of 387 |
| 23Redding, CA | 46 | 56 | 7.9 | $1.3M | −0.3% | #232 of 387 |
| 24Chico, CA | 41 | 75 | 9.0 | $1.1M | −0.5% | #270 of 387 |
| 25El Centro, CA | 37 | 44 | 8.9 | $928K | +1.1% | #309 of 387 |
Small-town markets
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Red Bluff, CA | 79 | 9 | 3.6 | $2.5M | −1.7% | #15 of 506 |
| 2Crescent City, CA | 68 | 5 | 5.3 | $1.7M | −4.4% | #58 of 506 |
| 3Clearlake, CA | 66 | 15 | 5.6 | $1.6M | −0.6% | #76 of 506 |
| Gardnerville Ranchos, NV-CA | 65 | 16 | 7.4 | $1.7M | +0.9% | #87 of 506 |
| 4Sonora, CA | 60 | 22 | 9.7 | $1.1M | −4.0% | #151 of 506 |
| 5Susanville, CA | 58 | 6 | 6.5 | $1.3M | −13.1% | #171 of 506 |
| 6Truckee-Grass Valley, CA | 52 | 45 | 10.5 | $1.2M | −0.4% | #233 of 506 |
| 7Ukiah, CA | 50 | 26 | 7.5 | $1.3M | −3.5% | #250 of 506 |
| 8Bishop, CA | 50 | 8 | 10.0 | $1.1M | −4.4% | #252 of 506 |
| 9Eureka-Arcata, CA | 49 | 40 | 7.3 | $1.2M | −3.4% | #259 of 506 |
Counties
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Yuba County, CA | 90 | 13 | 4.5 | $2.2M | +8.2% | #13 of 1,792 |
| 2San Joaquin County, CA | 85 | 173 | 7.1 | $1.8M | +5.5% | #34 of 1,792 |
| 3San Benito County, CA | 84 | 9 | 4.4 | $3.6M | +8.6% | #37 of 1,792 |
| 4Madera County, CA | 82 | 35 | 7.7 | $1.4M | +7.4% | #51 of 1,792 |
| 5Tulare County, CA | 79 | 84 | 5.9 | $1.7M | +2.4% | #80 of 1,792 |
| 6Amador County, CA | 77 | 13 | 8.1 | $1.4M | +3.2% | #111 of 1,792 |
| 7Calaveras County, CA | 77 | 16 | 8.7 | $1.3M | +2.8% | #113 of 1,792 |
| 8Tehama County, CA | 75 | 9 | 3.6 | $2.5M | −1.7% | #129 of 1,792 |
| 9Riverside County, CA | 74 | 563 | 7.3 | $1.8M | +5.0% | #144 of 1,792 |
| 10Fresno County, CA | 74 | 199 | 6.1 | $1.7M | +2.6% | #145 of 1,792 |
| 11Merced County, CA | 73 | 59 | 6.9 | $1.3M | +5.1% | #173 of 1,792 |
| 12Kern County, CA | 72 | 184 | 6.5 | $1.5M | +2.3% | #187 of 1,792 |
| 13Sacramento County, CA | 71 | 395 | 6.9 | $1.8M | +2.0% | #199 of 1,792 |
| 14San Bernardino County, CA | 71 | 446 | 6.6 | $1.7M | +1.9% | #203 of 1,792 |
| 15Kings County, CA | 69 | 28 | 6.4 | $1.5M | +1.0% | #251 of 1,792 |
| 16Yolo County, CA | 67 | 57 | 7.4 | $1.8M | +3.1% | #281 of 1,792 |
| 17Solano County, CA | 67 | 124 | 7.9 | $1.7M | +0.6% | #282 of 1,792 |
| 18Placer County, CA | 67 | 179 | 11.3 | $1.4M | +8.9% | #299 of 1,792 |
| 19Contra Costa County, CA | 65 | 321 | 7.7 | $2.3M | +0.3% | #342 of 1,792 |
| 20Lake County, CA | 64 | 15 | 5.6 | $1.6M | −0.6% | #385 of 1,792 |
| 21Stanislaus County, CA | 64 | 139 | 7.8 | $1.4M | +0.7% | #394 of 1,792 |
| 22Santa Clara County, CA | 62 | 522 | 7.9 | $2.7M | −0.9% | #443 of 1,792 |
| 23Del Norte County, CA | 62 | 5 | 5.3 | $1.7M | −4.4% | #445 of 1,792 |
| 24Alameda County, CA | 61 | 444 | 7.4 | $2.5M | −2.6% | #475 of 1,792 |
| 25Sutter County, CA | 61 | 24 | 7.2 | $1.5M | −0.7% | #483 of 1,792 |
Show all 58 counties
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 26El Dorado County, CA | 60 | 73 | 9.6 | $1.6M | +0.6% | #511 of 1,792 |
| 27San Mateo County, CA | 59 | 230 | 8.7 | $2.4M | −2.5% | #542 of 1,792 |
| 28Los Angeles County, CA | 59 | 2,438 | 7.1 | $1.8M | −3.0% | #545 of 1,792 |
| 29Monterey County, CA | 59 | 103 | 7.8 | $1.7M | −1.5% | #546 of 1,792 |
| 30Sonoma County, CA | 58 | 158 | 8.3 | $1.8M | −0.4% | #591 of 1,792 |
| 31San Francisco County, CA | 57 | 336 | 9.2 | $2.1M | −5.6% | #633 of 1,792 |
| 32Tuolumne County, CA | 57 | 22 | 9.7 | $1.1M | −4.0% | #663 of 1,792 |
| 33Orange County, CA | 56 | 1,067 | 9.9 | $1.7M | −1.1% | #672 of 1,792 |
| 34Siskiyou County, CA | 56 | 10 | 5.2 | $1.6M | −4.5% | #674 of 1,792 |
| 35Ventura County, CA | 56 | 278 | 9.9 | $1.5M | −1.5% | #677 of 1,792 |
| 36San Diego County, CA | 56 | 1,134 | 9.7 | $1.5M | −0.6% | #678 of 1,792 |
| 37Napa County, CA | 55 | 43 | 8.6 | $1.8M | −3.3% | #713 of 1,792 |
| 38Marin County, CA | 54 | 114 | 11.1 | $1.8M | −2.9% | #748 of 1,792 |
| 39San Luis Obispo County, CA | 52 | 120 | 11.0 | $1.2M | 0.0% | #831 of 1,792 |
| 40Santa Cruz County, CA | 51 | 101 | 10.4 | $1.5M | −4.7% | #863 of 1,792 |
| 41Santa Barbara County, CA | 51 | 153 | 10.2 | $1.4M | −1.4% | #864 of 1,792 |
| 42Lassen County, CA | 51 | 6 | 6.5 | $1.3M | −13.1% | #866 of 1,792 |
| 43Shasta County, CA | 50 | 56 | 7.9 | $1.3M | −0.3% | #905 of 1,792 |
| 44Nevada County, CA | 48 | 45 | 10.5 | $1.2M | −0.4% | #979 of 1,792 |
| 45Mendocino County, CA | 47 | 26 | 7.5 | $1.3M | −3.5% | #1,016 of 1,792 |
| 46Butte County, CA | 47 | 75 | 9.0 | $1.1M | −0.5% | #1,024 of 1,792 |
| 47Humboldt County, CA | 45 | 40 | 7.3 | $1.2M | −3.4% | #1,088 of 1,792 |
| 48Inyo County, CA | 44 | 8 | 10.0 | $1.1M | −4.4% | #1,129 of 1,792 |
| 49Imperial County, CA | 43 | 44 | 8.9 | $928K | +1.1% | #1,167 of 1,792 |
| 50Glenn County, CA | 37 | 9 | 9.2 | $949K | −2.6% | #1,321 of 1,792 |
| 51Plumas County, CA | 35 | 9 | 11.2 | $894K | −5.9% | #1,388 of 1,792 |
| Colusa County, CA | Not scored | 4 | 5.3 | $1.9M | −0.1% | |
| Mariposa County, CA | Not scored | 3 | 4.0 | $2.5M | −1.2% | |
| Trinity County, CA | Not scored | 3 | 5.4 | $1.5M | −2.3% | |
| Mono County, CA | Not scored | 3 | 5.2 | $2.6M | −5.4% | |
| Modoc County, CA | Not scored | 1 | 3.1 | $2.6M | −2.9% | |
| Sierra County, CA | Not scored | 0 | 0.0 | n/a | −4.0% | |
| Alpine County, CA | Not scored | 0 | 0.0 | n/a | −11.6% |
Markets with fewer than 5 gyms on map listings, and counties under 10,000 people, aren’t scored; they’re listed last in each table.
Questions
How many gyms are in California?
As of September 2026, map listings count 10,768 gyms in California. 2,901 of them (27%) are chain locations. The listings count gyms and fitness centers. Official counts show 5,371 businesses with payroll classed as fitness and recreational sports centers in 2023, up 9.4% 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 California spend on memberships, classes and admissions?
About $19.4B a year, or $1,435 per household. That is 46% above the U.S. average (an index of 146, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 10,768 gyms on map listings, it comes to $1.8M 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 13,548,091 households in California and national spending patterns by income.
How does California compare with the U.S. for gyms?
California has 7.9 gyms per 10,000 households, 4% above the U.S. rate of 7.6. Spending per gym is $1.8M, 39% above the U.S. figure of $1.3M. At the U.S. ratio of gyms to household spending, California would have about 14,944, against 10,768 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 2,522 households, against one for every 3,109 across the U.S. The official count rose 9.4% from 2019 to 2023, against +5.8% for the U.S.
Which market in California has the highest market score for gyms?
Among 25 scored metro areas in or partly in California, the Stockton-Lodi metro area scores highest, at 88 (high). Among 10 scored small-town markets in or partly in California, the Red Bluff area scores highest, at 79 (high). Among 51 scored counties in California, Yuba County scores highest, at 90 (very high). Scores compare each market with others of its kind across the U.S.
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. California scores 60 for gyms (upper middle), #11 of the 50 states and DC.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in California. 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.
Gyms in other states
All 51 states
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Top markets for gyms across the U.S. · All business types in California
Related business types in California
- Gyms, studios and classes23,229 listings
- Yoga, Pilates and fitness studios4,579 listings
- Martial arts and dance studios7,882 listings
Screening a site or an acquisition in California?
A site report maps the competitors on map listings near an address and sizes the households and spending around it.
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.