Fitness and classes · County · California
Gyms in Kern County, CA
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for gyms in Kern County, CA, set against other counties and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 72 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #187 of 1,792 scored counties
#12 of 51 scored counties in California
- Listings
- 184
- 46 chain locations (25%)
- Official establishments
- 66
- All fitness and recreational sports centers · +6.5% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $279.7M
- On memberships, classes and admissions · $982 a household
- Spending per listing
- $1.5M
- 17% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 6.5
- 14% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 927,068
- +2.3% since 2020
See the gyms around any address in Kern 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 Kern 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
Map listings as of September 2026 show 184 gyms in Kern County. Of those, 46 are chain locations, or 25%, against 28% across the U.S. That is 6.5 per 10,000 households, 14% below the U.S. rate of 7.6.
Household spending on memberships, classes and admissions in Kern County comes to about $279.7M a year: $982 per household, in line with the U.S. average. Spread across 184 gyms, that is $1.5M per gym, 17% above 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 Kern County was 66 in 2023, up 6.5% from 2019. That is one for every 4,317 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, 7 SBA-backed loans worth $2.6M have gone to businesses classed as fitness and recreational sports centers in Kern County.
Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Kern County grew 2.3%, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). The Groundwork market score for gyms in Kern County is 72 (upper middle), #187 of 1,792 scored counties and #12 of 51 scored counties in California. That puts it in the top quarter of counties.
How Kern 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.
| Measure | Kern County | California | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 6.5 | 7.9 | 7.6 |
| Spending per listing | $1.5M | $1.8M | $1.3M |
| Households per official establishment (all fitness and recreational sports centers) | 4,317 | 2,522 | 3,109 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +6.5% | +9.4% | +5.8% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +2.3% | −0.4% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on memberships, classes and admissions | $982 | $1,435 | $983 |
| Median household income | $70,210 | $99,122 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 72 | 60 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 62 → 66All fitness and recreational sports centers · +6.5% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 898
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $16.8M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- Not publishedNot published for this business type
- Map listings, September 2026
- 18446 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 215The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 7
- Amount
- $2.6M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as fitness and recreational sports centers in Kern 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 Kern County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 927,068+2.3% since 2020
- Households
- 284,931
- Median age
- 33.6
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 60%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 8,135 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 112
- Median household income
- $70,210+31.6% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $93,147
- Median home value
- $338,300
- Jobs located here
- 302,967
- Daytime population
- 882,683Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Kern 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 Kern County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.
Free10 actions over 3 days, no cardGyms across California
Every California market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in California for gyms, numbered among those based in California, with Kern County marked.
Top counties in California
| 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 |
| 12Kern County, CA | 72 | 184 | 6.5 | $1.5M | +2.3% | #187 of 1,792 |
Other business types in Kern 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 Kern County, CA?
There are 184 gyms on map listings in Kern County as of September 2026. 46 of them (25%) are chain locations. The listings count gyms and fitness centers. Official counts show 66 businesses with payroll classed as fitness and recreational sports centers in 2023, up 6.5% 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 Kern County, CA spend on memberships, classes and admissions?
About $279.7M a year, or $982 per household. That is in line with the U.S. average (an index of 100, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 184 gyms on map listings, it comes to $1.5M per gym. The spending figure covers all memberships, classes and admissions, not only gyms. It is estimated from the incomes of the 284,931 households in Kern County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Kern County, CA compare with the U.S. for gyms?
Kern County has 6.5 gyms per 10,000 households, 14% below the U.S. rate of 7.6. Spending per gym is $1.5M, 17% above the U.S. figure of $1.3M. At the national ratio of gyms to household spending, Kern County would have about 215, against 184 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 4,317 households, against one for every 3,109 across the U.S. The official count rose 6.5% from 2019 to 2023, against +5.8% for the U.S.
How fast is Kern County, CA growing?
Population estimates put Kern County at 927,068 people in 2025, up 2.3% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 284,931 households. The median household income in Kern County is $70,210 a year, 13% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 31.6% 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. Kern County scores 72 for gyms (upper middle), #187 of 1,792 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Kern 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 Kern County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Kern 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 Kern 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.