Groundwork

Fitness and classes · County · California

Gyms in Humboldt County, CA

How Humboldt County, CA compares with other counties and the U.S. for gyms: competitors, household spending, official counts and growth.

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 45 out of 100: Lower middle

Ranked #1,088 of 1,792 scored counties
#47 of 51 scored counties in California

Listings
40
6 chain locations (15%)
Official establishments
19
All fitness and recreational sports centers · −5.0% since 2019
Household spending a year
$49.7M
On memberships, classes and admissions · $904 a household
Spending per listing
$1.2M
5% below the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
7.3
4% below the U.S.
Population, 2025
131,647
−3.4% since 2020

See the gyms around any address in Humboldt 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 Humboldt County. 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

As of September 2026, map listings count 40 gyms in Humboldt County. Of those, 6 are chain locations, or 15%, against 28% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 7.3, 4% below the U.S. rate of 7.6.

At $904 per household (8% below the U.S. average), households in Humboldt County spend about $49.7M a year on memberships, classes and admissions. That is about $1.2M of household spending for each gym on map listings, 5% 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 Humboldt County was 19 in 2023, down 5.0% from 2019. That is one for every 2,891 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 $50K has gone to businesses classed as fitness and recreational sports centers in Humboldt County.

Population estimates put the population change in Humboldt County from 2020 to 2025 at −3.4%, against +3.1% for the U.S. For gyms, Humboldt County has a Groundwork market score of 45 (lower middle): #1,088 of 1,792 scored counties and #47 of 51 scored counties in California.

How Humboldt County compares

The same measures for California 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 Humboldt County, CA compared with California and the U.S.
MeasureHumboldt CountyCaliforniaU.S.
Listings per 10k households7.37.97.6
Spending per listing$1.2M$1.8M$1.3M
Households per official establishment (all fitness and recreational sports centers)2,8912,5223,109
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023−5.0%+9.4%+5.8%
Population growth, 2020–2025−3.4%−0.4%+3.1%
Spending per household on memberships, classes and admissions$904$1,435$983
Median household income$61,160$99,122$80,734
Groundwork market score4560

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
20 → 19All fitness and recreational sports centers · −5.0% over the period
Employees, 2023
294
Annual payroll, 2023
$5M
One-person businesses, 2023
Not publishedNot published for this business type
Map listings, September 2026
406 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
38The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here

SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022

Loans
1
Amount
$50K

SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as fitness and recreational sports centers in Humboldt 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 Humboldt County

Population, 2025 estimate
131,647−3.4% since 2020
Households
54,922
Median age
40.4
Homes lived in by their owners
57%
Vehicles per household
1.9
Land area
3,568 sq. mi.
People per square mile
38
Median household income
$61,160+27.3% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$86,194
Median home value
$446,900
Jobs located here
48,178
Daytime population
133,286Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in Humboldt 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 Humboldt County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

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The highest-scoring counties in California for gyms, numbered among those based in California, with Humboldt County marked.

Top counties in California

Counties in California ranked for gyms by Groundwork market score
MarketScoreListingsPer 10k householdsSpending per listingPopulation growthU.S. rank
1Yuba County, CA90134.5$2.2M+8.2%#13 of 1,792
2San Joaquin County, CA851737.1$1.8M+5.5%#34 of 1,792
3San Benito County, CA8494.4$3.6M+8.6%#37 of 1,792
4Madera County, CA82357.7$1.4M+7.4%#51 of 1,792
5Tulare County, CA79845.9$1.7M+2.4%#80 of 1,792
6Amador County, CA77138.1$1.4M+3.2%#111 of 1,792
7Calaveras County, CA77168.7$1.3M+2.8%#113 of 1,792
8Tehama County, CA7593.6$2.5M−1.7%#129 of 1,792
9Riverside County, CA745637.3$1.8M+5.0%#144 of 1,792
10Fresno County, CA741996.1$1.7M+2.6%#145 of 1,792
47Humboldt County, CA45407.3$1.2M−3.4%#1,088 of 1,792

Other business types in Humboldt County

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

Questions

How many gyms are in Humboldt County, CA?

Humboldt County has 40 gyms on map listings as of September 2026. 6 of them (15%) are chain locations. The listings count gyms and fitness centers. Official counts show 19 businesses with payroll classed as fitness and recreational sports centers in 2023, down 5.0% 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 Humboldt County, CA spend on memberships, classes and admissions?

About $49.7M a year, or $904 per household. That is 8% below the U.S. average (an index of 92, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 40 gyms on map listings, it comes to $1.2M per gym. The spending figure covers all memberships, classes and admissions, not only gyms. It is estimated from the incomes of the 54,922 households in Humboldt County and national spending patterns by income.

How does Humboldt County, CA compare with the U.S. for gyms?

Humboldt County has 7.3 gyms per 10,000 households, 4% below the U.S. rate of 7.6. Spending per gym is $1.2M, 5% below the U.S. figure of $1.3M. At the national ratio of gyms to household spending, Humboldt County would have about 38, against 40 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 2,891 households, against one for every 3,109 across the U.S. The official count fell 5.0% from 2019 to 2023, against +5.8% for the U.S.

How fast is Humboldt County, CA growing?

Population estimates put Humboldt County at 131,647 people in 2025, down 3.4% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 54,922 households. The median household income in Humboldt County is $61,160 a year, 24% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 27.3% 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. Humboldt County scores 45 for gyms (lower middle), #1,088 of 1,792 scored counties.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Humboldt 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 Humboldt County

Screening a site or an acquisition in Humboldt 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 Humboldt 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.