Fitness and classes · County · California
Gyms in San Luis Obispo County, CA
The gyms in San Luis Obispo County, CA, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 52 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #831 of 1,792 scored counties
#39 of 51 scored counties in California
- Listings
- 120
- 28 chain locations (23%)
- Official establishments
- 44
- All fitness and recreational sports centers · −10.2% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $148.2M
- On memberships, classes and admissions · $1,354 a household
- Spending per listing
- $1.2M
- 5% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 11.0
- 45% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 282,367
- 0.0% since 2020
See the gyms around any address in San Luis Obispo 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 Luis Obispo 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 Luis Obispo County spend about $148.2M a year on memberships, classes and admissions, or $1,354 per household, 38% above the U.S. average. Spread across 120 gyms, that is $1.2M per gym, 5% below the U.S. figure of $1.3M. The spending figure covers all memberships, classes and admissions, not only gyms.
San Luis Obispo County has 120 gyms on map listings as of September 2026. 28 of them (23%) are chain locations, against 28% across the U.S. That comes to 11.0 for every 10,000 households, 45% above the U.S. rate of 7.6.
In 2023, official counts showed 44 businesses with payroll in San Luis Obispo County classed as fitness and recreational sports centers, down 10.2% from 2019. That is one for every 2,489 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, 3 SBA-backed loans worth $1.6M have gone to businesses classed as fitness and recreational sports centers in San Luis Obispo County.
Population estimates put the population change in San Luis Obispo County from 2020 to 2025 at 0.0%, against +3.1% for the U.S. San Luis Obispo County scores 52 (upper middle) on the Groundwork market score for gyms, ranking #831 of 1,792 scored counties and #39 of 51 scored counties in California.
How San Luis Obispo 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 Luis Obispo County | California | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 11.0 | 7.9 | 7.6 |
| Spending per listing | $1.2M | $1.8M | $1.3M |
| Households per official establishment (all fitness and recreational sports centers) | 2,489 | 2,522 | 3,109 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | −10.2% | +9.4% | +5.8% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | 0.0% | −0.4% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on memberships, classes and admissions | $1,354 | $1,435 | $983 |
| Median household income | $97,446 | $99,122 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 52 | 60 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 49 → 44All fitness and recreational sports centers · −10.2% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 695
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $10.5M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- Not publishedNot published for this business type
- Map listings, September 2026
- 12028 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 114The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 3
- Amount
- $1.6M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as fitness and recreational sports centers in San Luis Obispo 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 Luis Obispo County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 282,3670.0% since 2020
- Households
- 109,503
- Median age
- 42.3
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 62%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.1
- Land area
- 3,301 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 85
- Median household income
- $97,446+32.6% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $132,001
- Median home value
- $824,700
- Jobs located here
- 112,621
- Daytime population
- 276,085Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in San Luis Obispo 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 Luis Obispo 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 Luis Obispo 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 |
| 39San Luis Obispo County, CA | 52 | 120 | 11.0 | $1.2M | 0.0% | #831 of 1,792 |
Other business types in San Luis Obispo 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 Luis Obispo County, CA?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 120 gyms in San Luis Obispo County. 28 of them (23%) are chain locations. The listings count gyms and fitness centers. Official counts show 44 businesses with payroll classed as fitness and recreational sports centers in 2023, down 10.2% 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 Luis Obispo County, CA spend on memberships, classes and admissions?
About $148.2M a year, or $1,354 per household. That is 38% above the U.S. average (an index of 138, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 120 gyms on map listings, it comes to $1.2M 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 109,503 households in San Luis Obispo County and national spending patterns by income.
How does San Luis Obispo County, CA compare with the U.S. for gyms?
San Luis Obispo County has 11.0 gyms per 10,000 households, 45% above the U.S. rate of 7.6. Spending per gym is $1.2M, 5% below the U.S. figure of $1.3M. At the U.S. ratio of gyms to household spending, San Luis Obispo County would have about 114, against 120 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 2,489 households, against one for every 3,109 across the U.S. The official count fell 10.2% from 2019 to 2023, against +5.8% for the U.S.
How fast is San Luis Obispo County, CA growing?
Population estimates put San Luis Obispo County at 282,367 people in 2025, unchanged since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 109,503 households. Median household income in San Luis Obispo County is $97,446, 21% above the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 32.6%, 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 Luis Obispo County scores 52 for gyms (upper middle), #831 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 Luis Obispo 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 Luis Obispo County
Screening a site or an acquisition in San Luis Obispo 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 Luis Obispo 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.