Fitness and classes · County · Kentucky
Gyms in Carter County, KY
The gyms in Carter County, KY, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 27 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,560 of 1,792 scored counties
#38 of 49 scored counties in Kentucky
- Listings
- 6
- 1 chain location (17%)
- Official establishments
- 3
- All fitness and recreational sports centers
- Household spending a year
- $5.5M
- On memberships, classes and admissions · $513 a household
- Spending per listing
- $923K
- 29% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 5.6
- 26% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 26,149
- −1.7% since 2020
See the gyms around any address in Carter 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 Carter 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
Carter County scores 27 (lower middle) on the Groundwork market score for gyms, ranking #1,560 of 1,792 scored counties and #38 of 49 scored counties in Kentucky. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.
Household spending on memberships, classes and admissions in Carter County comes to about $5.5M a year: $513 per household, 48% below the U.S. average. That works out to $923K per gym, 29% below the U.S. figure of $1.3M. The spending figure covers all memberships, classes and admissions, not only gyms.
Carter County has 6 gyms on map listings as of September 2026. One of them (17%) is a chain location, against 28% across the U.S. That comes to 5.6 for every 10,000 households, 26% below the U.S. rate of 7.6.
Official counts show 3 businesses with payroll classed as fitness and recreational sports centers in Carter County in 2023. That is one for every 3,598 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. Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Carter County declined 1.7%, against +3.1% for the U.S.
How Carter County compares
The same measures for Kentucky 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 | Carter County | Kentucky | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 5.6 | 6.4 | 7.6 |
| Spending per listing | $923K | $1M | $1.3M |
| Households per official establishment (all fitness and recreational sports centers) | 3,598 | 4,652 | 3,109 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +3.2% | +5.8% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −1.7% | +2.2% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on memberships, classes and admissions | $513 | $643 | $983 |
| Median household income | $51,235 | $63,726 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 27 | 40 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 3All fitness and recreational sports centers
- Employees, 2023
- 9
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $118K
- One-person businesses, 2023
- Not publishedNot published for this business type
- Map listings, September 2026
- 61 chain location
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 4The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 0
- Amount
- $0
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as fitness and recreational sports centers in Carter 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 Carter County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 26,149−1.7% since 2020
- Households
- 10,794
- Median age
- 41.9
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 80%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.2
- Land area
- 410 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 64
- Median household income
- $51,235+47.5% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $69,045
- Median home value
- $132,800
- Jobs located here
- 6,014
- Daytime population
- 23,638Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Carter 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 Carter County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.
Free10 actions over 3 days, no cardGyms across Kentucky
Every Kentucky market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in Kentucky for gyms, numbered among those based in Kentucky, with Carter County marked.
Top counties in Kentucky
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Oldham County, KY | 76 | 10 | 4.3 | $2.7M | +4.9% | #116 of 1,792 |
| 2Boone County, KY | 74 | 34 | 6.7 | $1.4M | +6.5% | #153 of 1,792 |
| 3Scott County, KY | 71 | 14 | 6.2 | $1.3M | +8.2% | #213 of 1,792 |
| 4Shelby County, KY | 70 | 9 | 4.9 | $1.6M | +6.2% | #231 of 1,792 |
| 5Woodford County, KY | 62 | 7 | 6.5 | $1.2M | +3.7% | #461 of 1,792 |
| 6Meade County, KY | 60 | 5 | 4.5 | $1.6M | +2.2% | #514 of 1,792 |
| 7Pike County, KY | 57 | 6 | 2.5 | $1.9M | −6.4% | #634 of 1,792 |
| 8Bullitt County, KY | 56 | 23 | 7.2 | $1M | +5.0% | #706 of 1,792 |
| 9Kenton County, KY | 54 | 45 | 6.7 | $1.2M | +3.9% | #763 of 1,792 |
| 10Nelson County, KY | 54 | 13 | 6.8 | $955K | +4.8% | #775 of 1,792 |
| 38Carter County, KY | 27 | 6 | 5.6 | $923K | −1.7% | #1,560 of 1,792 |
Other business types in Carter 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 Carter County, KY?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 6 gyms in Carter County. One of them (17%) is a chain location. The listings count gyms and fitness centers. Official counts show 3 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 Carter County, KY spend on memberships, classes and admissions?
About $5.5M a year, or $513 per household. That is 48% below the U.S. average (an index of 52, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 6 gyms on map listings, it comes to $923K 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 10,794 households in Carter County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Carter County, KY compare with the U.S. for gyms?
Carter County has 5.6 gyms per 10,000 households, 26% below the U.S. rate of 7.6. Spending per gym is $923K, 29% below the U.S. figure of $1.3M. At the U.S. ratio of gyms to household spending, Carter County would have about 4, against 6 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 3,598 households, against one for every 3,109 across the U.S.
How fast is Carter County, KY growing?
Population estimates put Carter County at 26,149 people in 2025, down 1.7% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 10,794 households. Median household income in Carter County is $51,235, 37% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 47.5%, 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. Carter County scores 27 for gyms (lower middle), #1,560 of 1,792 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Carter 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 Carter County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Carter 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 Carter 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.