Fitness and classes · Metro area · Connecticut
Gyms in the Waterbury-Shelton, CT metro area
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for gyms in the Waterbury-Shelton, CT metro area, set against other metro areas and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 72 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #31 of 387 scored metro areas
#1 of 5 scored metro areas based in Connecticut
- Listings
- 126
- 28 chain locations (22%)
- Official establishments
- 44
- All fitness and recreational sports centers
- Household spending a year
- $183.6M
- On memberships, classes and admissions · $1,020 a household
- Spending per listing
- $1.5M
- 12% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 7.0
- 8% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 463,349
- +3.2% since 2020
See the gyms around any address in the Waterbury-Shelton 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 Waterbury-Shelton 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
The Waterbury-Shelton metro area scores 72 (upper middle) on the Groundwork market score for gyms, ranking #31 of 387 scored metro areas and #1 of 5 scored metro areas based in Connecticut. That puts it in the top 10% of metro areas for gyms.
Households in the Waterbury-Shelton metro area spend about $183.6M a year on memberships, classes and admissions, or $1,020 per household, 4% above the U.S. average. Spread across 126 gyms, that is $1.5M per gym, 12% above the U.S. figure of $1.3M. The spending figure covers all memberships, classes and admissions, not only gyms.
There are 126 gyms on map listings in the Waterbury-Shelton metro area as of September 2026. Of those, 28 are chain locations, or 22%, against 28% across the U.S. That comes to 7.0 for every 10,000 households, 8% below the U.S. rate of 7.6.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as fitness and recreational sports centers in the Waterbury-Shelton metro area was 44 in 2023. That is one for every 4,094 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, 1 SBA-backed loan worth $150K has gone to businesses classed as fitness and recreational sports centers in the Waterbury-Shelton metro area. Population estimates put the population change in the Waterbury-Shelton metro area from 2020 to 2025 at +3.2%, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%).
How the Waterbury-Shelton metro area 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 | Waterbury-Shelton metro area | Connecticut | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 7.0 | 9.1 | 7.6 |
| Spending per listing | $1.5M | $1.3M | $1.3M |
| Households per official establishment (all fitness and recreational sports centers) | 4,094 | 2,481 | 3,109 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | −7.2% | +5.8% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +3.2% | +3.0% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on memberships, classes and admissions | $1,020 | $1,158 | $983 |
| Median household income | $86,191 | $95,781 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 72 | 52 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 44All fitness and recreational sports centers
- Employees, 2023
- 765
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $15.2M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- Not publishedNot published for this business type
- Map listings, September 2026
- 12628 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 141The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 1
- Amount
- $150K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as fitness and recreational sports centers in the Waterbury-Shelton 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 Waterbury-Shelton metro area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 463,349+3.2% since 2020
- Households
- 180,116
- Median age
- 42.6
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 69%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.7
- Land area
- 413 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 1,102
- Median household income
- $86,191
- Average household income
- $114,324
- Median home value
- $317,700
- Jobs located here
- 164,434
- Daytime population
- 395,318Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Waterbury-Shelton 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 Waterbury-Shelton 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 Connecticut
Every Connecticut market ranked →The highest-scoring metro areas in Connecticut for gyms, numbered among those based in Connecticut, with the Waterbury-Shelton metro area marked.
Top metro areas in Connecticut
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Waterbury-Shelton, CT | 72 | 126 | 7.0 | $1.5M | +3.2% | #31 of 387 |
| 2Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford, CT | 55 | 408 | 8.8 | $1.3M | +3.0% | #141 of 387 |
| 3Bridgeport-Stamford-Danbury, CT | 55 | 390 | 11.0 | $1.3M | +3.7% | #142 of 387 |
| 4Norwich-New London-Willimantic, CT | 54 | 99 | 8.6 | $1.2M | +2.0% | #152 of 387 |
| 5New Haven, CT | 44 | 225 | 9.8 | $1.1M | +2.5% | #255 of 387 |
Other business types in the Waterbury-Shelton 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 Waterbury-Shelton, CT metro area?
As of September 2026, map listings count 126 gyms in the Waterbury-Shelton metro area. 28 of them (22%) 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. 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 the Waterbury-Shelton, CT metro area spend on memberships, classes and admissions?
About $183.6M a year, or $1,020 per household. That is 4% above the U.S. average (an index of 104, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 126 gyms on map listings, it comes to $1.5M 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 180,116 households in the Waterbury-Shelton metro area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Waterbury-Shelton, CT metro area compare with the U.S. for gyms?
The Waterbury-Shelton metro area has 7.0 gyms per 10,000 households, 8% below the U.S. rate of 7.6. Spending per gym is $1.5M, 12% above the U.S. figure of $1.3M. At the U.S. ratio of gyms to household spending, the Waterbury-Shelton metro area would have about 141, against 126 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 4,094 households, against one for every 3,109 across the U.S.
How fast is the Waterbury-Shelton, CT metro area growing?
Population estimates put the Waterbury-Shelton metro area at 463,349 people in 2025, up 3.2% since 2020, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 180,116 households. Median household income in the Waterbury-Shelton metro area is $86,191, 7% 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 Waterbury-Shelton metro area scores 72 for gyms (upper middle), #31 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 Waterbury-Shelton 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 Waterbury-Shelton metro area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Waterbury-Shelton 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 Waterbury-Shelton 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.