Fitness and classes · County · Connecticut
Gyms in the South Central Connecticut Planning Region, CT
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for gyms in the South Central Connecticut Planning Region, CT, set against other counties and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 52 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #845 of 1,792 scored counties
#9 of 9 scored counties in Connecticut
- Listings
- 225
- 47 chain locations (21%)
- Official establishments
- 89
- All fitness and recreational sports centers
- Household spending a year
- $246.4M
- On memberships, classes and admissions · $1,068 a household
- Spending per listing
- $1.1M
- 16% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 9.8
- 29% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 578,741
- +2.5% since 2020
See the gyms around any address in the South Central Connecticut Planning Region
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 South Central Connecticut Planning Region. 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
As of September 2026, map listings count 225 gyms in the South Central Connecticut Planning Region. Of those, 47 are chain locations, or 21%, against 28% across the U.S. That is 9.8 per 10,000 households, 29% above the U.S. rate of 7.6.
Household spending on memberships, classes and admissions in the South Central Connecticut Planning Region comes to about $246.4M a year: $1,068 per household, 9% above the U.S. average. That works out to $1.1M per gym, 16% below 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 South Central Connecticut Planning Region was 89 in 2023. That is one for every 2,592 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, 8 SBA-backed loans worth $2M have gone to businesses classed as fitness and recreational sports centers in the South Central Connecticut Planning Region.
Between 2020 and 2025, the population of the South Central Connecticut Planning Region grew 2.5%, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). The South Central Connecticut Planning Region scores 52 (upper middle) on the Groundwork market score for gyms, ranking #845 of 1,792 scored counties and #9 of 9 scored counties in Connecticut.
How the South Central Connecticut Planning Region compares
The same measures for Connecticut 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 | South Central Connecticut Planning Region | Connecticut | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 9.8 | 9.1 | 7.6 |
| Spending per listing | $1.1M | $1.3M | $1.3M |
| Households per official establishment (all fitness and recreational sports centers) | 2,592 | 2,481 | 3,109 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | −7.2% | +5.8% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +2.5% | +3.0% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on memberships, classes and admissions | $1,068 | $1,158 | $983 |
| Median household income | $88,197 | $95,781 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 52 | 52 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 89All fitness and recreational sports centers
- Employees, 2023
- 1,651
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $36.5M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- Not publishedNot published for this business type
- Map listings, September 2026
- 22547 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 189The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 8
- Amount
- $2M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as fitness and recreational sports centers in the South Central Connecticut Planning Region, 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 South Central Connecticut Planning Region
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 578,741+2.5% since 2020
- Households
- 230,673
- Median age
- 41.7
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 61%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.6
- Land area
- 367 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 1,554
- Median household income
- $88,197
- Average household income
- $121,518
- Median home value
- $353,100
- Jobs located here
- 298,580
- Daytime population
- 597,614Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the South Central Connecticut Planning Region?
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 the South Central Connecticut Planning Region. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.
Free10 actions over 3 days, no cardGyms across Connecticut
Every Connecticut market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in Connecticut for gyms, numbered among those based in Connecticut, with the South Central Connecticut Planning Region marked.
Top counties in Connecticut
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Northeastern Connecticut Planning Region, CT | 76 | 25 | 6.3 | $1.6M | +3.0% | #122 of 1,792 |
| 2Naugatuck Valley Planning Region, CT | 73 | 126 | 7.0 | $1.5M | +3.2% | #169 of 1,792 |
| 3Greater Bridgeport Planning Region, CT | 71 | 93 | 7.8 | $1.5M | +4.1% | #208 of 1,792 |
| 4Northwest Hills Planning Region, CT | 67 | 31 | 6.5 | $1.7M | +2.2% | #283 of 1,792 |
| 5Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region, CT | 62 | 68 | 9.2 | $1.3M | +2.3% | #458 of 1,792 |
| 6Capitol Planning Region, CT | 59 | 340 | 8.7 | $1.3M | +3.1% | #568 of 1,792 |
| 7Southeastern Connecticut Planning Region, CT | 58 | 99 | 8.6 | $1.2M | +2.0% | #619 of 1,792 |
| 8Western Connecticut Planning Region, CT | 54 | 297 | 12.6 | $1.2M | +3.5% | #762 of 1,792 |
| 9South Central Connecticut Planning Region, CT | 52 | 225 | 9.8 | $1.1M | +2.5% | #845 of 1,792 |
Other business types in the South Central Connecticut Planning Region
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 South Central Connecticut Planning Region, CT?
The South Central Connecticut Planning Region has 225 gyms on map listings as of September 2026. 47 of them (21%) are chain locations. The listings count gyms and fitness centers. Official counts show 89 businesses with payroll classed as fitness and recreational sports centers in 2023. That count covers all fitness and recreational sports centers (yoga, Pilates and fitness studios included), not only gyms.
How much do households in the South Central Connecticut Planning Region, CT spend on memberships, classes and admissions?
About $246.4M a year, or $1,068 per household. That is 9% above the U.S. average (an index of 109, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 225 gyms on map listings, it comes to $1.1M per gym. The spending figure covers all memberships, classes and admissions, not only gyms. It is estimated from the incomes of the 230,673 households in the South Central Connecticut Planning Region and national spending patterns by income.
How does the South Central Connecticut Planning Region, CT compare with the U.S. for gyms?
The South Central Connecticut Planning Region has 9.8 gyms per 10,000 households, 29% above the U.S. rate of 7.6. Spending per gym is $1.1M, 16% below the U.S. figure of $1.3M. At the national ratio of gyms to household spending, the South Central Connecticut Planning Region would have about 189, against 225 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 2,592 households, against one for every 3,109 across the U.S.
How fast is the South Central Connecticut Planning Region, CT growing?
Population estimates put the South Central Connecticut Planning Region at 578,741 people in 2025, up 2.5% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 230,673 households. The median household income in the South Central Connecticut Planning Region is $88,197 a year, 9% above the U.S. median of $80,734.
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 South Central Connecticut Planning Region scores 52 for gyms (upper middle), #845 of 1,792 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in the South Central Connecticut Planning Region. 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 South Central Connecticut Planning Region
Screening a site or an acquisition in the South Central Connecticut Planning Region?
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 South Central Connecticut Planning Region. 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.