Fitness and classes · Metro area · California
Gyms in the Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA metro area
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for gyms in the Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA metro area, set against other metro areas and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 48 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #208 of 387 scored metro areas
#21 of 25 scored metro areas based in California
- Listings
- 153
- 30 chain locations (20%)
- Official establishments
- 76
- All fitness and recreational sports centers · +5.6% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $212.3M
- On memberships, classes and admissions · $1,419 a household
- Spending per listing
- $1.4M
- 7% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 10.2
- 34% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 442,065
- −1.4% since 2020
See the gyms around any address in the Santa Maria-Santa Barbara metro area
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 the Santa Maria-Santa Barbara metro area. 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 153 gyms in the Santa Maria-Santa Barbara metro area. Of those, 30 are chain locations, or 20%, against 28% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 10.2, 34% above the U.S. rate of 7.6.
At $1,419 per household (44% above the U.S. average), households in the Santa Maria-Santa Barbara metro area spend about $212.3M a year on memberships, classes and admissions. That works out to $1.4M per gym, 7% 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 the Santa Maria-Santa Barbara metro area was 76 in 2023, up 5.6% from 2019. That is one for every 1,969 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, 5 SBA-backed loans worth $5.2M have gone to businesses classed as fitness and recreational sports centers in the Santa Maria-Santa Barbara metro area.
Population estimates show the Santa Maria-Santa Barbara metro area declined 1.4% from 2020 to 2025, against +3.1% for the U.S. The Santa Maria-Santa Barbara metro area scores 48 (lower middle) on the Groundwork market score for gyms, ranking #208 of 387 scored metro areas and #21 of 25 scored metro areas based in California.
How the Santa Maria-Santa Barbara metro area 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 | Santa Maria-Santa Barbara metro area | California | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 10.2 | 7.9 | 7.6 |
| Spending per listing | $1.4M | $1.8M | $1.3M |
| Households per official establishment (all fitness and recreational sports centers) | 1,969 | 2,522 | 3,109 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +5.6% | +9.4% | +5.8% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −1.4% | −0.4% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on memberships, classes and admissions | $1,419 | $1,435 | $983 |
| Median household income | $98,161 | $99,122 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 48 | 60 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 76All fitness and recreational sports centers · +5.6% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 747
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $16.1M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- Not publishedNot published for this business type
- Map listings, September 2026
- 15330 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 163The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 5
- Amount
- $5.2M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as fitness and recreational sports centers in the Santa Maria-Santa Barbara metro area, 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 the Santa Maria-Santa Barbara metro area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 442,065−1.4% since 2020
- Households
- 149,608
- Median age
- 37.4
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 52%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.0
- Land area
- 2,734 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 162
- Median household income
- $98,161+31.5% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $140,895
- Median home value
- $790,700
- Jobs located here
- 193,212
- Daytime population
- 452,081Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Santa Maria-Santa Barbara metro area?
These figures cover the whole metro area. 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 the Santa Maria-Santa Barbara metro area. 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 metro areas in California for gyms, numbered among those based in California, with the Santa Maria-Santa Barbara metro area marked.
Top metro areas in California
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Stockton-Lodi, CA | 88 | 173 | 7.1 | $1.8M | +5.5% | #2 of 387 |
| 2Yuba City, CA | 82 | 37 | 6.0 | $1.8M | +3.3% | #6 of 387 |
| 3Visalia, CA | 78 | 84 | 5.9 | $1.7M | +2.4% | #15 of 387 |
| 4Fresno, CA | 76 | 234 | 6.3 | $1.7M | +3.2% | #19 of 387 |
| 5Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA | 73 | 1,009 | 7.0 | $1.8M | +3.5% | #26 of 387 |
| 6Merced, CA | 72 | 59 | 6.9 | $1.3M | +5.1% | #32 of 387 |
| 7Bakersfield-Delano, CA | 71 | 184 | 6.5 | $1.5M | +2.3% | #35 of 387 |
| 8Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA | 68 | 704 | 8.0 | $1.7M | +3.2% | #44 of 387 |
| 9Hanford-Corcoran, CA | 67 | 28 | 6.4 | $1.5M | +1.0% | #55 of 387 |
| 10Vallejo, CA | 66 | 124 | 7.9 | $1.7M | +0.6% | #58 of 387 |
| 21Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA | 48 | 153 | 10.2 | $1.4M | −1.4% | #208 of 387 |
Other business types in the Santa Maria-Santa Barbara metro area
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 the Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA metro area?
There are 153 gyms on map listings in the Santa Maria-Santa Barbara metro area as of September 2026. 30 of them (20%) are chain locations. The listings count gyms and fitness centers. Official counts show 76 businesses with payroll classed as fitness and recreational sports centers in 2023, up 5.6% 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 the Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA metro area spend on memberships, classes and admissions?
About $212.3M a year, or $1,419 per household. That is 44% above the U.S. average (an index of 144, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 153 gyms on map listings, it comes to $1.4M per gym. The spending figure covers all memberships, classes and admissions, not only gyms. It is estimated from the incomes of the 149,608 households in the Santa Maria-Santa Barbara metro area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA metro area compare with the U.S. for gyms?
The Santa Maria-Santa Barbara metro area has 10.2 gyms per 10,000 households, 34% above the U.S. rate of 7.6. Spending per gym is $1.4M, 7% above the U.S. figure of $1.3M. At the national ratio of gyms to household spending, the Santa Maria-Santa Barbara metro area would have about 163, against 153 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,969 households, against one for every 3,109 across the U.S. The official count rose 5.6% from 2019 to 2023, against +5.8% for the U.S.
How fast is the Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA metro area growing?
Population estimates put the Santa Maria-Santa Barbara metro area at 442,065 people in 2025, down 1.4% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 149,608 households. The median household income in the Santa Maria-Santa Barbara metro area is $98,161 a year, 22% above the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 31.5% 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. The Santa Maria-Santa Barbara metro area scores 48 for gyms (lower middle), #208 of 387 scored metro areas.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in the Santa Maria-Santa Barbara metro area. 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 the Santa Maria-Santa Barbara metro area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Santa Maria-Santa Barbara metro area?
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 the Santa Maria-Santa Barbara metro area. 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.