Fitness and classes · County · California
Gyms in San Diego County, CA
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for gyms in San Diego County, CA, set against other counties and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 56 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #678 of 1,792 scored counties
#36 of 51 scored counties in California
- Listings
- 1,134
- 291 chain locations (26%)
- Official establishments
- 578
- All fitness and recreational sports centers · +20.9% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $1.7B
- On memberships, classes and admissions · $1,490 a household
- Spending per listing
- $1.5M
- 18% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 9.7
- 28% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 3,282,248
- −0.6% since 2020
See the gyms around any address in San Diego 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 San Diego 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
Households in San Diego County spend about $1.7B a year on memberships, classes and admissions, or $1,490 per household, 52% above the U.S. average. That works out to $1.5M per gym, 18% above the U.S. figure of $1.3M. The spending figure covers all memberships, classes and admissions, not only gyms.
There are 1,134 gyms on map listings in San Diego County as of September 2026. Chain locations make up 26% of them, against 28% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 9.7, 28% above the U.S. rate of 7.6.
In 2023, official counts showed 578 businesses with payroll in San Diego County classed as fitness and recreational sports centers, up 20.9% from 2019. That is one for every 2,026 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, 69 SBA-backed loans worth $22.8M have gone to businesses classed as fitness and recreational sports centers in San Diego County.
Between 2020 and 2025, the population of San Diego County declined 0.6%, against +3.1% for the U.S. For gyms, San Diego County has a Groundwork market score of 56 (upper middle): #678 of 1,792 scored counties and #36 of 51 scored counties in California.
How San Diego 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 | San Diego County | California | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 9.7 | 7.9 | 7.6 |
| Spending per listing | $1.5M | $1.8M | $1.3M |
| Households per official establishment (all fitness and recreational sports centers) | 2,026 | 2,522 | 3,109 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +20.9% | +9.4% | +5.8% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −0.6% | −0.4% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on memberships, classes and admissions | $1,490 | $1,435 | $983 |
| Median household income | $106,268 | $99,122 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 56 | 60 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 478 → 578All fitness and recreational sports centers · +20.9% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 10,555
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $252.4M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- Not publishedNot published for this business type
- Map listings, September 2026
- 1,134291 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 1,342The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 69
- Amount
- $22.8M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as fitness and recreational sports centers in San Diego 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 San Diego County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 3,282,248−0.6% since 2020
- Households
- 1,171,278
- Median age
- 38.9
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 55%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 4,211 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 781
- Median household income
- $106,268+34.6% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $141,250
- Median home value
- $854,700
- Jobs located here
- 1,516,991
- Daytime population
- 3,269,716Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in San Diego 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 San Diego 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 San Diego 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 |
| 36San Diego County, CA | 56 | 1,134 | 9.7 | $1.5M | −0.6% | #678 of 1,792 |
Other business types in San Diego 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 San Diego County, CA?
As of September 2026, map listings count 1,134 gyms in San Diego County. 291 of them (26%) are chain locations. The listings count gyms and fitness centers. Official counts show 578 businesses with payroll classed as fitness and recreational sports centers in 2023, up 20.9% 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 San Diego County, CA spend on memberships, classes and admissions?
About $1.7B a year, or $1,490 per household. That is 52% above the U.S. average (an index of 152, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 1,134 gyms on map listings, it comes to $1.5M 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 1,171,278 households in San Diego County and national spending patterns by income.
How does San Diego County, CA compare with the U.S. for gyms?
San Diego County has 9.7 gyms per 10,000 households, 28% above the U.S. rate of 7.6. Spending per gym is $1.5M, 18% above the U.S. figure of $1.3M. At the U.S. ratio of gyms to household spending, San Diego County would have about 1,342, against 1,134 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 2,026 households, against one for every 3,109 across the U.S. The official count rose 20.9% from 2019 to 2023, against +5.8% for the U.S.
How fast is San Diego County, CA growing?
Population estimates put San Diego County at 3,282,248 people in 2025, down 0.6% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 1,171,278 households. Median household income in San Diego County is $106,268, 32% above the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 34.6%, 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. San Diego County scores 56 for gyms (upper middle), #678 of 1,792 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in San Diego 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 San Diego County
Screening a site or an acquisition in San Diego 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 San Diego 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.