Groundwork

Fitness and classes · County · Colorado

Gyms in Boulder County, CO

How Boulder County, CO compares with other counties and the U.S. for gyms: competitors, household spending, official counts and growth.

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 49 out of 100: Lower middle

Ranked #943 of 1,792 scored counties
#24 of 32 scored counties in Colorado

Listings
158
43 chain locations (27%)
Official establishments
87
All fitness and recreational sports centers · +10.1% since 2019
Household spending a year
$210.2M
On memberships, classes and admissions · $1,535 a household
Spending per listing
$1.3M
2% above the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
11.5
51% above the U.S.
Population, 2025
328,560
−0.7% since 2020

See the gyms around any address in Boulder 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 Boulder 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

Households in Boulder County spend about $210.2M a year on memberships, classes and admissions, or $1,535 per household, 56% above the U.S. average. That is about $1.3M of household spending for each gym on map listings, 2% above the U.S. figure of $1.3M. The spending figure covers all memberships, classes and admissions, not only gyms.

There are 158 gyms on map listings in Boulder County as of September 2026. Of those, 43 are chain locations, or 27%, against 28% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 11.5, 51% above the U.S. rate of 7.6.

Official counts show 87 businesses with payroll classed as fitness and recreational sports centers in Boulder County in 2023, up 10.1% from 2019. That is one for every 1,575 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, 16 SBA-backed loans worth $5.6M have gone to businesses classed as fitness and recreational sports centers in Boulder County.

Population estimates put the population change in Boulder County from 2020 to 2025 at −0.7%, against +3.1% for the U.S. For gyms, Boulder County has a Groundwork market score of 49 (lower middle): #943 of 1,792 scored counties and #24 of 32 scored counties in Colorado.

How Boulder County compares

The same measures for Colorado 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 Boulder County, CO compared with Colorado and the U.S.
MeasureBoulder CountyColoradoU.S.
Listings per 10k households11.58.57.6
Spending per listing$1.3M$1.6M$1.3M
Households per official establishment (all fitness and recreational sports centers)1,5752,4433,109
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023+10.1%+10.5%+5.8%
Population growth, 2020–2025−0.7%+3.9%+3.1%
Spending per household on memberships, classes and admissions$1,535$1,337$983
Median household income$103,994$95,470$80,734
Groundwork market score4965

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
79 → 87All fitness and recreational sports centers · +10.1% over the period
Employees, 2023
1,500
Annual payroll, 2023
$24.4M
One-person businesses, 2023
Not publishedNot published for this business type
Map listings, September 2026
15843 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
162The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here

SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022

Loans
16
Amount
$5.6M

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

Population, 2025 estimate
328,560−0.7% since 2020
Households
137,008
Median age
39.9
Homes lived in by their owners
62%
Vehicles per household
1.8
Land area
726 sq. mi.
People per square mile
453
Median household income
$103,994+25.3% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$148,846
Median home value
$756,300
Jobs located here
190,563
Daytime population
376,803Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in Boulder 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 Boulder 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 Colorado for gyms, numbered among those based in Colorado, with Boulder County marked.

Top counties in Colorado

Counties in Colorado ranked for gyms by Groundwork market score
MarketScoreListingsPer 10k householdsSpending per listingPopulation growthU.S. rank
1Elbert County, CO9966.0$2.9M+16.5%#1 of 1,792
2Weld County, CO87786.3$2M+14.2%#26 of 1,792
3Adams County, CO841115.9$2.1M+6.6%#40 of 1,792
4Montrose County, CO79105.5$1.7M+4.1%#79 of 1,792
5Douglas County, CO741158.2$2.4M+10.9%#139 of 1,792
6Grand County, CO7379.4$1.2M+4.8%#175 of 1,792
7El Paso County, CO712227.7$1.6M+3.2%#205 of 1,792
8Montezuma County, CO7176.2$1.4M+3.0%#211 of 1,792
9Pueblo County, CO68456.6$1.3M+0.6%#277 of 1,792
10Delta County, CO6686.2$1.3M+3.6%#326 of 1,792
24Boulder County, CO4915811.5$1.3M−0.7%#943 of 1,792

Other business types in Boulder County

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

Questions

How many gyms are in Boulder County, CO?

As of September 2026, map listings count 158 gyms in Boulder County. 43 of them (27%) are chain locations. The listings count gyms and fitness centers. Official counts show 87 businesses with payroll classed as fitness and recreational sports centers in 2023, up 10.1% 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 Boulder County, CO spend on memberships, classes and admissions?

About $210.2M a year, or $1,535 per household. That is 56% above the U.S. average (an index of 156, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 158 gyms on map listings, it comes to $1.3M 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 137,008 households in Boulder County and national spending patterns by income.

How does Boulder County, CO compare with the U.S. for gyms?

Boulder County has 11.5 gyms per 10,000 households, 51% above the U.S. rate of 7.6. Spending per gym is $1.3M, 2% above the U.S. figure of $1.3M. At the U.S. ratio of gyms to household spending, Boulder County would have about 162, against 158 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,575 households, against one for every 3,109 across the U.S. The official count rose 10.1% from 2019 to 2023, against +5.8% for the U.S.

How fast is Boulder County, CO growing?

Population estimates put Boulder County at 328,560 people in 2025, down 0.7% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 137,008 households. Median household income in Boulder County is $103,994, 29% above the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 25.3%, 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. Boulder County scores 49 for gyms (lower middle), #943 of 1,792 scored counties.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Boulder 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 Boulder County

Screening a site or an acquisition in Boulder 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 Boulder 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.