Fitness and classes · County · Kentucky
Gyms in Harlan County, KY
How Harlan 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 18 out of 100: Low
Ranked #1,682 of 1,792 scored counties
#45 of 49 scored counties in Kentucky
- Listings
- 6
- 0 chain locations (0%)
- Official establishments
- 3
- All fitness and recreational sports centers
- Household spending a year
- $4.6M
- On memberships, classes and admissions · $425 a household
- Spending per listing
- $759K
- 42% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 5.6
- 26% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 24,725
- −7.6% since 2020
See the gyms around any address in Harlan 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 Harlan 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
Harlan County scores 18 (low) on the Groundwork market score for gyms, ranking #1,682 of 1,792 scored counties and #45 of 49 scored counties in Kentucky. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.
As of September 2026, map listings count 6 gyms in Harlan County. None of them are chain locations, 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.
Households in Harlan County spend about $4.6M a year on memberships, classes and admissions, or $425 per household, 57% below the U.S. average. That is about $759K of household spending for each gym on map listings, 42% below the U.S. figure of $1.3M. That spending covers all memberships, classes and admissions, which gyms share with other businesses in the trade.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as fitness and recreational sports centers in Harlan County was 3 in 2023. That is one for every 3,577 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. Population estimates put the population change in Harlan County from 2020 to 2025 at −7.6%, against +3.1% for the U.S.
How Harlan 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 | Harlan County | Kentucky | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 5.6 | 6.4 | 7.6 |
| Spending per listing | $759K | $1M | $1.3M |
| Households per official establishment (all fitness and recreational sports centers) | 3,577 | 4,652 | 3,109 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +3.2% | +5.8% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −7.6% | +2.2% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on memberships, classes and admissions | $425 | $643 | $983 |
| Median household income | $41,693 | $63,726 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 18 | 40 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 3All fitness and recreational sports centers
- Employees, 2023
- 17
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $195K
- One-person businesses, 2023
- Not publishedNot published for this business type
- Map listings, September 2026
- 60 chain locations
- 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 Harlan 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 Harlan County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 24,725−7.6% since 2020
- Households
- 10,731
- Median age
- 40.9
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 72%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.8
- Land area
- 466 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 55
- Median household income
- $41,693+57.5% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $55,003
- Median home value
- $73,700
- Jobs located here
- 5,743
- Daytime population
- 24,360Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Harlan 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 Harlan 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 Harlan 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 |
| 45Harlan County, KY | 18 | 6 | 5.6 | $759K | −7.6% | #1,682 of 1,792 |
Other business types in Harlan 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 Harlan County, KY?
Harlan County has 6 gyms on map listings as of September 2026. None of them are chain locations. The listings count gyms and fitness centers. Official counts show 3 businesses with payroll classed as fitness and recreational sports centers in 2023. That count covers all fitness and recreational sports centers (yoga, Pilates and fitness studios included), not only gyms.
How much do households in Harlan County, KY spend on memberships, classes and admissions?
About $4.6M a year, or $425 per household. That is 57% below the U.S. average (an index of 43, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 6 gyms on map listings, it comes to $759K per gym. The spending figure covers all memberships, classes and admissions, not only gyms. It is estimated from the incomes of the 10,731 households in Harlan County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Harlan County, KY compare with the U.S. for gyms?
Harlan County has 5.6 gyms per 10,000 households, 26% below the U.S. rate of 7.6. Spending per gym is $759K, 42% below the U.S. figure of $1.3M. At the national ratio of gyms to household spending, Harlan County would have about 4, against 6 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 3,577 households, against one for every 3,109 across the U.S.
How fast is Harlan County, KY growing?
Population estimates put Harlan County at 24,725 people in 2025, down 7.6% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 10,731 households. The median household income in Harlan County is $41,693 a year, 48% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 57.5% 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. Harlan County scores 18 for gyms (low), #1,682 of 1,792 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Harlan 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 Harlan County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Harlan 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 Harlan 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.