Fitness and classes · County · Florida
Gyms in Polk County, FL
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for gyms in Polk County, FL, set against other counties and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 70 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #237 of 1,792 scored counties
#5 of 50 scored counties in Florida
- Listings
- 142
- 47 chain locations (33%)
- Official establishments
- 44
- All fitness and recreational sports centers · +7.3% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $183.6M
- On memberships, classes and admissions · $634 a household
- Spending per listing
- $1.3M
- In line with the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 4.9
- 36% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 874,790
- +19.8% since 2020
See the gyms around any address in Polk 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 Polk 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
As of September 2026, map listings count 142 gyms in Polk County. Chain locations make up 33% of them, against 28% across the U.S. That is 4.9 per 10,000 households, 36% below the U.S. rate of 7.6.
At $634 per household (35% below the U.S. average), households in Polk County spend about $183.6M a year on memberships, classes and admissions. That is about $1.3M of household spending for each gym on map listings, in line with the U.S. figure of $1.3M. That spending covers all memberships, classes and admissions, which gyms share with other businesses in the trade.
In 2023, official counts showed 44 businesses with payroll in Polk County classed as fitness and recreational sports centers, up 7.3% from 2019. That is one for every 6,578 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, 11 SBA-backed loans worth $9.6M have gone to businesses classed as fitness and recreational sports centers in Polk County.
Population estimates show Polk County grew 19.8% from 2020 to 2025, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). For gyms, Polk County has a Groundwork market score of 70 (upper middle): #237 of 1,792 scored counties and #5 of 50 scored counties in Florida. That puts it in the top quarter of counties.
How Polk County compares
The same measures for Florida 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 | Polk County | Florida | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 4.9 | 8.0 | 7.6 |
| Spending per listing | $1.3M | $951K | $1.3M |
| Households per official establishment (all fitness and recreational sports centers) | 6,578 | 3,136 | 3,109 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +7.3% | +10.4% | +5.8% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +19.8% | +8.7% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on memberships, classes and admissions | $634 | $764 | $983 |
| Median household income | $65,978 | $74,568 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 70 | 40 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 41 → 44All fitness and recreational sports centers · +7.3% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 601
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $10.6M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- Not publishedNot published for this business type
- Map listings, September 2026
- 14247 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
- 11
- Amount
- $9.6M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as fitness and recreational sports centers in Polk 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 Polk County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 874,790+19.8% since 2020
- Households
- 289,425
- Median age
- 40.5
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 70%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.8
- Land area
- 1,799 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 440
- Median household income
- $65,978+30.4% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $87,487
- Median home value
- $266,500
- Jobs located here
- 284,856
- Daytime population
- 728,367Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Polk 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 Polk County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.
Free10 actions over 3 days, no cardGyms across Florida
Every Florida market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in Florida for gyms, numbered among those based in Florida, with Polk County marked.
Top counties in Florida
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Sumter County, FL | 87 | 17 | 2.4 | $2.9M | +21.1% | #22 of 1,792 |
| 2Citrus County, FL | 78 | 24 | 3.4 | $1.7M | +11.1% | #90 of 1,792 |
| 3Flagler County, FL | 75 | 27 | 5.1 | $1.5M | +21.0% | #136 of 1,792 |
| 4Charlotte County, FL | 74 | 45 | 5.0 | $1.3M | +15.5% | #154 of 1,792 |
| 5Polk County, FL | 70 | 142 | 4.9 | $1.3M | +19.8% | #237 of 1,792 |
| 6Clay County, FL | 69 | 51 | 6.1 | $1.3M | +9.4% | #258 of 1,792 |
| 7Nassau County, FL | 69 | 31 | 7.9 | $1.1M | +17.4% | #260 of 1,792 |
| 8Lake County, FL | 67 | 96 | 5.8 | $1.2M | +18.1% | #304 of 1,792 |
| 9Collier County, FL | 66 | 124 | 7.5 | $1.3M | +10.6% | #331 of 1,792 |
| 10Bay County, FL | 66 | 47 | 6.0 | $1.2M | +17.2% | #333 of 1,792 |
Other business types in Polk 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 Polk County, FL?
Polk County has 142 gyms on map listings as of September 2026. 47 of them (33%) 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, up 7.3% 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 Polk County, FL spend on memberships, classes and admissions?
About $183.6M a year, or $634 per household. That is 35% below the U.S. average (an index of 65, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 142 gyms on map listings, it comes to $1.3M per gym. The spending figure covers all memberships, classes and admissions, not only gyms. It is estimated from the incomes of the 289,425 households in Polk County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Polk County, FL compare with the U.S. for gyms?
Polk County has 4.9 gyms per 10,000 households, 36% below the U.S. rate of 7.6. Spending per gym is $1.3M, in line with the U.S. figure of $1.3M. At the national ratio of gyms to household spending, Polk County would have about 141, against 142 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 6,578 households, against one for every 3,109 across the U.S. The official count rose 7.3% from 2019 to 2023, against +5.8% for the U.S.
How fast is Polk County, FL growing?
Population estimates put Polk County at 874,790 people in 2025, up 19.8% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 289,425 households. The median household income in Polk County is $65,978 a year, 18% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 30.4% 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. Polk County scores 70 for gyms (upper middle), #237 of 1,792 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Polk 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 Polk County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Polk 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 Polk 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.