Fitness and classes · County · Kentucky
Gyms in Fayette County, KY
How Fayette County, KY compares with other counties and the U.S. for gyms: competitors, household spending, official counts and growth.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 31 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,477 of 1,792 scored counties
#33 of 49 scored counties in Kentucky
- Listings
- 134
- 39 chain locations (29%)
- Official establishments
- 55
- All fitness and recreational sports centers · +7.8% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $104.1M
- On memberships, classes and admissions · $745 a household
- Spending per listing
- $777K
- 40% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 9.6
- 26% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 329,751
- +2.2% since 2020
See the gyms around any address in Fayette 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 Fayette 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
Fayette County scores 31 (lower middle) on the Groundwork market score for gyms, ranking #1,477 of 1,792 scored counties and #33 of 49 scored counties in Kentucky. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.
Households in Fayette County spend about $104.1M a year on memberships, classes and admissions, or $745 per household, 24% below the U.S. average. That works out to $777K per gym, 40% below the U.S. figure of $1.3M. The spending figure covers all memberships, classes and admissions, not only gyms.
There are 134 gyms on map listings in Fayette County as of September 2026. 39 of them (29%) are chain locations, against 28% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 9.6, 26% above the U.S. rate of 7.6.
In 2023, official counts showed 55 businesses with payroll in Fayette County classed as fitness and recreational sports centers, up 7.8% from 2019. That is one for every 2,540 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, 11 SBA-backed loans worth $3.7M have gone to businesses classed as fitness and recreational sports centers in Fayette County. Population estimates put the population change in Fayette County from 2020 to 2025 at +2.2%, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%).
How Fayette 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 | Fayette County | Kentucky | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 9.6 | 6.4 | 7.6 |
| Spending per listing | $777K | $1M | $1.3M |
| Households per official establishment (all fitness and recreational sports centers) | 2,540 | 4,652 | 3,109 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +7.8% | +3.2% | +5.8% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +2.2% | +2.2% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on memberships, classes and admissions | $745 | $643 | $983 |
| Median household income | $69,479 | $63,726 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 31 | 40 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 51 → 55All fitness and recreational sports centers · +7.8% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 1,073
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $14.4M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- Not publishedNot published for this business type
- Map listings, September 2026
- 13439 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 80The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 11
- Amount
- $3.7M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as fitness and recreational sports centers in Fayette 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 Fayette County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 329,751+2.2% since 2020
- Households
- 139,715
- Median age
- 37.1
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 54%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.7
- Land area
- 284 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 1,140
- Median household income
- $69,479+21.3% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $101,616
- Median home value
- $293,500
- Jobs located here
- 208,353
- Daytime population
- 386,586Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Fayette 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 Fayette 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 Fayette 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 |
| 33Fayette County, KY | 31 | 134 | 9.6 | $777K | +2.2% | #1,477 of 1,792 |
Other business types in Fayette 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 Fayette County, KY?
As of September 2026, map listings count 134 gyms in Fayette County. 39 of them (29%) are chain locations. The listings count gyms and fitness centers. Official counts show 55 businesses with payroll classed as fitness and recreational sports centers in 2023, up 7.8% 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 Fayette County, KY spend on memberships, classes and admissions?
About $104.1M a year, or $745 per household. That is 24% below the U.S. average (an index of 76, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 134 gyms on map listings, it comes to $777K 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 139,715 households in Fayette County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Fayette County, KY compare with the U.S. for gyms?
Fayette County has 9.6 gyms per 10,000 households, 26% above the U.S. rate of 7.6. Spending per gym is $777K, 40% below the U.S. figure of $1.3M. At the U.S. ratio of gyms to household spending, Fayette County would have about 80, against 134 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 2,540 households, against one for every 3,109 across the U.S. The official count rose 7.8% from 2019 to 2023, against +5.8% for the U.S.
How fast is Fayette County, KY growing?
Population estimates put Fayette County at 329,751 people in 2025, up 2.2% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 139,715 households. Median household income in Fayette County is $69,479, 14% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 21.3%, 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. Fayette County scores 31 for gyms (lower middle), #1,477 of 1,792 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Fayette 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 Fayette County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Fayette 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 Fayette 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.