Fitness and classes · County · Massachusetts
Gyms in Worcester County, MA
The gyms in Worcester County, MA, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 62 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #460 of 1,792 scored counties
#3 of 14 scored counties in Massachusetts
- Listings
- 299
- 67 chain locations (22%)
- Official establishments
- 115
- All fitness and recreational sports centers · +17.4% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $375.7M
- On memberships, classes and admissions · $1,119 a household
- Spending per listing
- $1.3M
- 3% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 8.9
- 17% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 888,502
- +3.7% since 2020
See the gyms around any address in Worcester 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 Worcester 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
Households in Worcester County spend about $375.7M a year on memberships, classes and admissions, or $1,119 per household, 14% above the U.S. average. That is about $1.3M of household spending for each gym on map listings, 3% below the U.S. figure of $1.3M. The spending figure covers all memberships, classes and admissions, not only gyms.
There are 299 gyms on map listings in Worcester County as of September 2026. Chain locations make up 22% of them, against 28% across the U.S. That is 8.9 per 10,000 households, 17% above the U.S. rate of 7.6.
In 2023, official counts showed 115 businesses with payroll in Worcester County classed as fitness and recreational sports centers, up 17.4% from 2019. That is one for every 2,920 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, 17 SBA-backed loans worth $13.4M have gone to businesses classed as fitness and recreational sports centers in Worcester County.
Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Worcester County grew 3.7%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). For gyms, Worcester County has a Groundwork market score of 62 (upper middle): #460 of 1,792 scored counties and #3 of 14 scored counties in Massachusetts.
How Worcester County compares
The same measures for Massachusetts 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 | Worcester County | Massachusetts | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 8.9 | 9.1 | 7.6 |
| Spending per listing | $1.3M | $1.4M | $1.3M |
| Households per official establishment (all fitness and recreational sports centers) | 2,920 | 2,264 | 3,109 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +17.4% | −3.3% | +5.8% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +3.7% | +2.4% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on memberships, classes and admissions | $1,119 | $1,248 | $983 |
| Median household income | $95,939 | $103,960 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 62 | 52 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 98 → 115All fitness and recreational sports centers · +17.4% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 1,635
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $33.1M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- Not publishedNot published for this business type
- Map listings, September 2026
- 29967 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 289The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 17
- Amount
- $13.4M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as fitness and recreational sports centers in Worcester 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 Worcester County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 888,502+3.7% since 2020
- Households
- 335,826
- Median age
- 41.3
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 66%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.8
- Land area
- 1,511 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 574
- Median household income
- $95,939+28.5% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $124,653
- Median home value
- $423,700
- Jobs located here
- 355,505
- Daytime population
- 797,239Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Worcester 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 Worcester County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.
Free10 actions over 3 days, no cardGyms across Massachusetts
Every Massachusetts market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in Massachusetts for gyms, numbered among those based in Massachusetts, with Worcester County marked.
Top counties in Massachusetts
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Franklin County, MA | 69 | 16 | 5.1 | $1.6M | −0.3% | #243 of 1,792 |
| 2Bristol County, MA | 63 | 174 | 7.4 | $1.3M | +2.9% | #428 of 1,792 |
| 3Worcester County, MA | 62 | 299 | 8.9 | $1.3M | +3.7% | #460 of 1,792 |
| 4Hampshire County, MA | 62 | 52 | 8.4 | $1.2M | +10.4% | #464 of 1,792 |
| 5Middlesex County, MA | 61 | 655 | 10.3 | $1.5M | +2.8% | #489 of 1,792 |
| 6Berkshire County, MA | 61 | 45 | 7.8 | $1.2M | −1.2% | #504 of 1,792 |
| 7Plymouth County, MA | 59 | 189 | 9.3 | $1.4M | +3.5% | #559 of 1,792 |
| 8Hampden County, MA | 59 | 123 | 6.7 | $1.3M | +0.2% | #569 of 1,792 |
| 9Norfolk County, MA | 58 | 305 | 10.8 | $1.4M | +2.2% | #600 of 1,792 |
| 10Suffolk County, MA | 57 | 269 | 8.2 | $1.4M | +0.1% | #639 of 1,792 |
Other business types in Worcester 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 Worcester County, MA?
As of September 2026, map listings count 299 gyms in Worcester County. 67 of them (22%) are chain locations. The listings count gyms and fitness centers. Official counts show 115 businesses with payroll classed as fitness and recreational sports centers in 2023, up 17.4% 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 Worcester County, MA spend on memberships, classes and admissions?
About $375.7M a year, or $1,119 per household. That is 14% above the U.S. average (an index of 114, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 299 gyms on map listings, it comes to $1.3M 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 335,826 households in Worcester County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Worcester County, MA compare with the U.S. for gyms?
Worcester County has 8.9 gyms per 10,000 households, 17% above the U.S. rate of 7.6. Spending per gym is $1.3M, 3% below the U.S. figure of $1.3M. At the U.S. ratio of gyms to household spending, Worcester County would have about 289, against 299 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 2,920 households, against one for every 3,109 across the U.S. The official count rose 17.4% from 2019 to 2023, against +5.8% for the U.S.
How fast is Worcester County, MA growing?
Population estimates put Worcester County at 888,502 people in 2025, up 3.7% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 335,826 households. Median household income in Worcester County is $95,939, 19% above the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 28.5%, 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. Worcester County scores 62 for gyms (upper middle), #460 of 1,792 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Worcester 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 Worcester County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Worcester 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 Worcester 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.