Groundwork

Fitness and classes · County · Florida

Gyms in Sarasota County, FL

The gyms in Sarasota County, FL, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 51 out of 100: Upper middle

Ranked #891 of 1,792 scored counties
#27 of 50 scored counties in Florida

Listings
185
54 chain locations (29%)
Official establishments
75
All fitness and recreational sports centers · +21.0% since 2019
Household spending a year
$179.9M
On memberships, classes and admissions · $848 a household
Spending per listing
$973K
25% below the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
8.7
14% above the U.S.
Population, 2025
479,958
+10.0% since 2020

See the gyms around any address in Sarasota 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 Sarasota 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

At $848 per household (14% below the U.S. average), households in Sarasota County spend about $179.9M a year on memberships, classes and admissions. That works out to $973K per gym, 25% below the U.S. figure of $1.3M. The spending figure covers all memberships, classes and admissions, not only gyms.

There are 185 gyms on map listings in Sarasota County as of September 2026. Chain locations make up 29% of them, against 28% across the U.S. That comes to 8.7 for every 10,000 households, 14% above the U.S. rate of 7.6.

The official count of businesses with payroll classed as fitness and recreational sports centers in Sarasota County was 75 in 2023, up 21.0% from 2019. That is one for every 2,829 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, 14 SBA-backed loans worth $6.7M have gone to businesses classed as fitness and recreational sports centers in Sarasota County.

Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Sarasota County grew 10.0%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). Sarasota County scores 51 (upper middle) on the Groundwork market score for gyms, ranking #891 of 1,792 scored counties and #27 of 50 scored counties in Florida.

How Sarasota 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.

Gyms in Sarasota County, FL compared with Florida and the U.S.
MeasureSarasota CountyFloridaU.S.
Listings per 10k households8.78.07.6
Spending per listing$973K$951K$1.3M
Households per official establishment (all fitness and recreational sports centers)2,8293,1363,109
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023+21.0%+10.4%+5.8%
Population growth, 2020–2025+10.0%+8.7%+3.1%
Spending per household on memberships, classes and admissions$848$764$983
Median household income$83,416$74,568$80,734
Groundwork market score5140

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
62 → 75All fitness and recreational sports centers · +21.0% over the period
Employees, 2023
936
Annual payroll, 2023
$17.4M
One-person businesses, 2023
Not publishedNot published for this business type
Map listings, September 2026
18554 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
138The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here

SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022

Loans
14
Amount
$6.7M

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

Population, 2025 estimate
479,958+10.0% since 2020
Households
212,204
Median age
54.6
Homes lived in by their owners
77%
Vehicles per household
1.7
Land area
556 sq. mi.
People per square mile
826
Median household income
$83,416+34.0% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$124,732
Median home value
$411,800
Jobs located here
194,397
Daytime population
481,661Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

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

Top counties in Florida

Counties in Florida ranked for gyms by Groundwork market score
MarketScoreListingsPer 10k householdsSpending per listingPopulation growthU.S. rank
1Sumter County, FL87172.4$2.9M+21.1%#22 of 1,792
2Citrus County, FL78243.4$1.7M+11.1%#90 of 1,792
3Flagler County, FL75275.1$1.5M+21.0%#136 of 1,792
4Charlotte County, FL74455.0$1.3M+15.5%#154 of 1,792
5Polk County, FL701424.9$1.3M+19.8%#237 of 1,792
6Clay County, FL69516.1$1.3M+9.4%#258 of 1,792
7Nassau County, FL69317.9$1.1M+17.4%#260 of 1,792
8Lake County, FL67965.8$1.2M+18.1%#304 of 1,792
9Collier County, FL661247.5$1.3M+10.6%#331 of 1,792
10Bay County, FL66476.0$1.2M+17.2%#333 of 1,792
27Sarasota County, FL511858.7$973K+10.0%#891 of 1,792

Other business types in Sarasota County

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

Questions

How many gyms are in Sarasota County, FL?

As of September 2026, map listings count 185 gyms in Sarasota County. 54 of them (29%) are chain locations. The listings count gyms and fitness centers. Official counts show 75 businesses with payroll classed as fitness and recreational sports centers in 2023, up 21.0% 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 Sarasota County, FL spend on memberships, classes and admissions?

About $179.9M a year, or $848 per household. That is 14% below the U.S. average (an index of 86, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 185 gyms on map listings, it comes to $973K 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 212,204 households in Sarasota County and national spending patterns by income.

How does Sarasota County, FL compare with the U.S. for gyms?

Sarasota County has 8.7 gyms per 10,000 households, 14% above the U.S. rate of 7.6. Spending per gym is $973K, 25% below the U.S. figure of $1.3M. At the U.S. ratio of gyms to household spending, Sarasota County would have about 138, against 185 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 2,829 households, against one for every 3,109 across the U.S. The official count rose 21.0% from 2019 to 2023, against +5.8% for the U.S.

How fast is Sarasota County, FL growing?

Population estimates put Sarasota County at 479,958 people in 2025, up 10.0% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 212,204 households. Median household income in Sarasota County is $83,416, 3% above the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 34.0%, 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. Sarasota County scores 51 for gyms (upper middle), #891 of 1,792 scored counties.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

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

Screening a site or an acquisition in Sarasota 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 Sarasota 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.