Groundwork

Fitness and classes · County · California

Gyms in San Francisco County, CA

Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for gyms in San Francisco County, CA, set against other counties and the U.S.

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 57 out of 100: Upper middle

Ranked #633 of 1,792 scored counties
#31 of 51 scored counties in California

Listings
336
86 chain locations (26%)
Official establishments
173
All fitness and recreational sports centers · +1.2% since 2019
Household spending a year
$703.4M
On memberships, classes and admissions · $1,933 a household
Spending per listing
$2.1M
61% above the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
9.2
21% above the U.S.
Population, 2025
826,079
−5.6% since 2020

See the gyms around any address in San Francisco 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 Francisco 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

At $1,933 per household (97% above the U.S. average), households in San Francisco County spend about $703.4M a year on memberships, classes and admissions. That works out to $2.1M per gym, 61% above the U.S. figure of $1.3M. The spending figure covers all memberships, classes and admissions, not only gyms.

San Francisco County has 336 gyms on map listings as of September 2026. 86 of them (26%) are chain locations, against 28% across the U.S. That is 9.2 per 10,000 households, 21% above the U.S. rate of 7.6.

The official count of businesses with payroll classed as fitness and recreational sports centers in San Francisco County was 173 in 2023, up 1.2% from 2019. That is one for every 2,104 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, 14 SBA-backed loans worth $6.4M have gone to businesses classed as fitness and recreational sports centers in San Francisco County.

Between 2020 and 2025, the population of San Francisco County declined 5.6%, against +3.1% for the U.S. For gyms, San Francisco County has a Groundwork market score of 57 (upper middle): #633 of 1,792 scored counties and #31 of 51 scored counties in California.

How San Francisco 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 San Francisco County, CA compared with California and the U.S.
MeasureSan Francisco CountyCaliforniaU.S.
Listings per 10k households9.27.97.6
Spending per listing$2.1M$1.8M$1.3M
Households per official establishment (all fitness and recreational sports centers)2,1042,5223,109
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023+1.2%+9.4%+5.8%
Population growth, 2020–2025−5.6%−0.4%+3.1%
Spending per household on memberships, classes and admissions$1,933$1,435$983
Median household income$140,970$99,122$80,734
Groundwork market score5760

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
171 → 173All fitness and recreational sports centers · +1.2% over the period
Employees, 2023
4,071
Annual payroll, 2023
$142.4M
One-person businesses, 2023
Not publishedNot published for this business type
Map listings, September 2026
33686 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
541The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here

SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022

Loans
14
Amount
$6.4M

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

Population, 2025 estimate
826,079−5.6% since 2020
Households
363,970
Median age
41.4
Homes lived in by their owners
38%
Vehicles per household
1.1
Land area
47 sq. mi.
People per square mile
17,777
Median household income
$140,970+25.4% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$206,854
Median home value
$1,394,500
Jobs located here
747,999
Daytime population
1,133,228Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in San Francisco 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 Francisco 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 San Francisco 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
31San Francisco County, CA573369.2$2.1M−5.6%#633 of 1,792

Other business types in San Francisco County

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

Questions

How many gyms are in San Francisco County, CA?

Map listings as of September 2026 show 336 gyms in San Francisco County. 86 of them (26%) are chain locations. The listings count gyms and fitness centers. Official counts show 173 businesses with payroll classed as fitness and recreational sports centers in 2023, up 1.2% 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 Francisco County, CA spend on memberships, classes and admissions?

About $703.4M a year, or $1,933 per household. That is 97% above the U.S. average (an index of 197, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 336 gyms on map listings, it comes to $2.1M 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 363,970 households in San Francisco County and national spending patterns by income.

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

San Francisco County has 9.2 gyms per 10,000 households, 21% above the U.S. rate of 7.6. Spending per gym is $2.1M, 61% above the U.S. figure of $1.3M. At the U.S. ratio of gyms to household spending, San Francisco County would have about 541, against 336 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 2,104 households, against one for every 3,109 across the U.S. The official count rose 1.2% from 2019 to 2023, against +5.8% for the U.S.

How fast is San Francisco County, CA growing?

Population estimates put San Francisco County at 826,079 people in 2025, down 5.6% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 363,970 households. Median household income in San Francisco County is $140,970, 75% above the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 25.4%, 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 Francisco County scores 57 for gyms (upper middle), #633 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 Francisco 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 Francisco County

Screening a site or an acquisition in San Francisco 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 Francisco 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.