Fitness and classes · County · New Hampshire
Gyms in Merrimack County, NH
How Merrimack County, NH compares with other counties and the U.S. for gyms: competitors, household spending, official counts and growth.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 44 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,140 of 1,792 scored counties
#7 of 10 scored counties in New Hampshire
- Listings
- 70
- 15 chain locations (21%)
- Official establishments
- 26
- All fitness and recreational sports centers · +13.0% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $64.6M
- On memberships, classes and admissions · $1,061 a household
- Spending per listing
- $923K
- 29% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 11.5
- 51% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 158,078
- +2.6% since 2020
See the gyms around any address in Merrimack 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 Merrimack 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
Household spending on memberships, classes and admissions in Merrimack County comes to about $64.6M a year: $1,061 per household, 8% above the U.S. average. Spread across 70 gyms, that is $923K per gym, 29% below the U.S. figure of $1.3M. The spending figure covers all memberships, classes and admissions, not only gyms.
Merrimack County has 70 gyms on map listings as of September 2026. 15 of them (21%) are chain locations, against 28% across the U.S. That comes to 11.5 for every 10,000 households, 51% above the U.S. rate of 7.6.
Official counts show 26 businesses with payroll classed as fitness and recreational sports centers in Merrimack County in 2023, up 13.0% from 2019. That is one for every 2,342 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 $4.1M have gone to businesses classed as fitness and recreational sports centers in Merrimack County.
Population estimates show Merrimack County grew 2.6% from 2020 to 2025, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). For gyms, Merrimack County has a Groundwork market score of 44 (lower middle): #1,140 of 1,792 scored counties and #7 of 10 scored counties in New Hampshire.
How Merrimack County compares
The same measures for New Hampshire 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 | Merrimack County | New Hampshire | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 11.5 | 9.9 | 7.6 |
| Spending per listing | $923K | $1.1M | $1.3M |
| Households per official establishment (all fitness and recreational sports centers) | 2,342 | 1,904 | 3,109 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +13.0% | +7.8% | +5.8% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +2.6% | +2.7% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on memberships, classes and admissions | $1,061 | $1,127 | $983 |
| Median household income | $97,004 | $99,031 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 44 | 38 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 23 → 26All fitness and recreational sports centers · +13.0% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 384
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $6.4M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- Not publishedNot published for this business type
- Map listings, September 2026
- 7015 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 50The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 7
- Amount
- $4.1M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as fitness and recreational sports centers in Merrimack 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 Merrimack County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 158,078+2.6% since 2020
- Households
- 60,901
- Median age
- 43.1
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 73%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.0
- Land area
- 933 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 167
- Median household income
- $97,004+28.1% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $123,673
- Median home value
- $367,600
- Jobs located here
- 83,058
- Daytime population
- 159,180Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Merrimack 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 Merrimack County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.
Free10 actions over 3 days, no cardGyms across New Hampshire
Every New Hampshire market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in New Hampshire for gyms, numbered among those based in New Hampshire, with Merrimack County marked.
Top counties in New Hampshire
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Sullivan County, NH | 76 | 8 | 4.8 | $1.9M | +2.1% | #120 of 1,792 |
| 2Cheshire County, NH | 73 | 17 | 5.6 | $1.6M | +2.3% | #166 of 1,792 |
| 3Strafford County, NH | 66 | 37 | 7.1 | $1.5M | +3.0% | #318 of 1,792 |
| 4Carroll County, NH | 61 | 14 | 6.4 | $1.5M | +5.0% | #485 of 1,792 |
| 5Hillsborough County, NH | 52 | 164 | 9.7 | $1.2M | +2.5% | #837 of 1,792 |
| 6Rockingham County, NH | 50 | 149 | 11.7 | $1.1M | +3.0% | #917 of 1,792 |
| 7Merrimack County, NH | 44 | 70 | 11.5 | $923K | +2.6% | #1,140 of 1,792 |
| 8Belknap County, NH | 39 | 31 | 11.8 | $864K | +2.1% | #1,274 of 1,792 |
| 9Grafton County, NH | 36 | 45 | 12.1 | $858K | +2.2% | #1,355 of 1,792 |
| 10Coos County, NH | 29 | 13 | 9.3 | $715K | +0.4% | #1,518 of 1,792 |
Other business types in Merrimack 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 Merrimack County, NH?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 70 gyms in Merrimack County. 15 of them (21%) are chain locations. The listings count gyms and fitness centers. Official counts show 26 businesses with payroll classed as fitness and recreational sports centers in 2023, up 13.0% 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 Merrimack County, NH spend on memberships, classes and admissions?
About $64.6M a year, or $1,061 per household. That is 8% above the U.S. average (an index of 108, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 70 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 60,901 households in Merrimack County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Merrimack County, NH compare with the U.S. for gyms?
Merrimack County has 11.5 gyms per 10,000 households, 51% above 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, Merrimack County would have about 50, against 70 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 2,342 households, against one for every 3,109 across the U.S. The official count rose 13.0% from 2019 to 2023, against +5.8% for the U.S.
How fast is Merrimack County, NH growing?
Population estimates put Merrimack County at 158,078 people in 2025, up 2.6% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 60,901 households. Median household income in Merrimack County is $97,004, 20% above the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 28.1%, 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. Merrimack County scores 44 for gyms (lower middle), #1,140 of 1,792 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Merrimack 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 Merrimack County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Merrimack 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 Merrimack 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.