Fitness and classes · Metro area · Georgia
Gyms in the Athens-Clarke County, GA metro area
How the Athens-Clarke County, GA metro area compares with other metro areas and the U.S. for gyms: competitors, household spending, official counts and growth.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 28 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #359 of 387 scored metro areas
#12 of 14 scored metro areas based in Georgia
- Listings
- 64
- 18 chain locations (28%)
- Official establishments
- 41
- All fitness and recreational sports centers · +17.7% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $60.4M
- On memberships, classes and admissions · $701 a household
- Spending per listing
- $943K
- 28% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 7.4
- 3% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 224,148
- +3.9% since 2020
See the gyms around any address in the Athens-Clarke County 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 Athens-Clarke County 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
For gyms, the Athens-Clarke County metro area has a Groundwork market score of 28 (lower middle): #359 of 387 scored metro areas and #12 of 14 scored metro areas based in Georgia. That puts it in the bottom quarter of metro areas.
Households in the Athens-Clarke County metro area spend about $60.4M a year on memberships, classes and admissions, or $701 per household, 29% below the U.S. average. That is about $943K of household spending for each gym on map listings, 28% below the U.S. figure of $1.3M. The spending figure covers all memberships, classes and admissions, not only gyms.
There are 64 gyms on map listings in the Athens-Clarke County metro area as of September 2026. Chain locations make up 28% of them, against 28% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 7.4, 3% below the U.S. rate of 7.6.
In 2023, official counts showed 41 businesses with payroll in the Athens-Clarke County metro area classed as fitness and recreational sports centers, up 17.7% from 2019. That is one for every 2,100 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, 7 SBA-backed loans worth $5.2M have gone to businesses classed as fitness and recreational sports centers in the Athens-Clarke County metro area. Between 2020 and 2025, the population of the Athens-Clarke County metro area grew 3.9%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%).
How the Athens-Clarke County metro area compares
The same measures for Georgia 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 | Athens-Clarke County metro area | Georgia | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 7.4 | 7.9 | 7.6 |
| Spending per listing | $943K | $1M | $1.3M |
| Households per official establishment (all fitness and recreational sports centers) | 2,100 | 3,435 | 3,109 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +17.7% | +5.2% | +5.8% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +3.9% | +5.3% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on memberships, classes and admissions | $701 | $792 | $983 |
| Median household income | $65,608 | $77,353 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 28 | 43 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 41All fitness and recreational sports centers · +17.7% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 540
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $8.1M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- Not publishedNot published for this business type
- Map listings, September 2026
- 6418 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 46The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 7
- Amount
- $5.2M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as fitness and recreational sports centers in the Athens-Clarke County 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 Athens-Clarke County metro area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 224,148+3.9% since 2020
- Households
- 86,101
- Median age
- 36.7
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 56%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.0
- Land area
- 1,025 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 215
- Median household income
- $65,608+39.0% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $94,551
- Median home value
- $310,200
- Jobs located here
- 94,787
- Daytime population
- 224,908Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Athens-Clarke County 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 Athens-Clarke County 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 Georgia
Every Georgia market ranked →The highest-scoring metro areas in Georgia for gyms, numbered among those based in Georgia, with the Athens-Clarke County metro area marked.
Top metro areas in Georgia
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Gainesville, GA | 62 | 51 | 6.9 | $1.2M | +11.4% | #90 of 387 |
| 2Dalton, GA | 60 | 24 | 4.6 | $1.4M | +3.5% | #103 of 387 |
| 3Augusta-Richmond County, GA-SC | 59 | 135 | 5.8 | $1.2M | +4.7% | #111 of 387 |
| 4Hinesville, GA | 53 | 16 | 5.3 | $1M | +12.6% | #164 of 387 |
| 5Warner Robins, GA | 50 | 53 | 7.1 | $1M | +8.2% | #196 of 387 |
| 6Savannah, GA | 48 | 122 | 7.6 | $996K | +8.1% | #217 of 387 |
| 7Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA | 46 | 2,030 | 8.8 | $1M | +5.9% | #240 of 387 |
| 8Valdosta, GA | 40 | 36 | 6.3 | $884K | +3.3% | #285 of 387 |
| 9Brunswick-St. Simons, GA | 38 | 35 | 7.4 | $923K | +4.4% | #303 of 387 |
| 10Macon-Bibb County, GA | 37 | 63 | 7.1 | $875K | +2.1% | #312 of 387 |
| 12Athens-Clarke County, GA | 28 | 64 | 7.4 | $943K | +3.9% | #359 of 387 |
Other business types in the Athens-Clarke County 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 Athens-Clarke County, GA metro area?
As of September 2026, map listings count 64 gyms in the Athens-Clarke County metro area. 18 of them (28%) are chain locations. The listings count gyms and fitness centers. Official counts show 41 businesses with payroll classed as fitness and recreational sports centers in 2023, up 17.7% 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 the Athens-Clarke County, GA metro area spend on memberships, classes and admissions?
About $60.4M a year, or $701 per household. That is 29% below the U.S. average (an index of 71, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 64 gyms on map listings, it comes to $943K 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 86,101 households in the Athens-Clarke County metro area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Athens-Clarke County, GA metro area compare with the U.S. for gyms?
The Athens-Clarke County metro area has 7.4 gyms per 10,000 households, 3% below the U.S. rate of 7.6. Spending per gym is $943K, 28% below the U.S. figure of $1.3M. At the U.S. ratio of gyms to household spending, the Athens-Clarke County metro area would have about 46, against 64 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 2,100 households, against one for every 3,109 across the U.S. The official count rose 17.7% from 2019 to 2023, against +5.8% for the U.S.
How fast is the Athens-Clarke County, GA metro area growing?
Population estimates put the Athens-Clarke County metro area at 224,148 people in 2025, up 3.9% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 86,101 households. Median household income in the Athens-Clarke County metro area is $65,608, 19% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 39.0%, 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. The Athens-Clarke County metro area scores 28 for gyms (lower middle), #359 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 Athens-Clarke County 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 Athens-Clarke County metro area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Athens-Clarke County 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 Athens-Clarke County 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.