Groundwork

Market rankings · New Jersey

Gyms in New Jersey

Markets across New Jersey ranked by the Groundwork market score for gyms, with competitor counts and household spending for each.

Listings
2,961
870 chain locations (29%)
Official establishments
1,495
All fitness and recreational sports centers · −7.1% since 2019
Household spending a year
$4.3B
On memberships, classes and admissions
Listings per 10k households
8.4
11% above the U.S.
Spending per listing
$1.5M
13% above the U.S.
Rank among states
#16 of 51
Market score 58 · Upper middle

A site report maps the gyms on map listings around any address in New Jersey by name and distance, and the spending within reach.

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Survey estimates 2020–2024 · population estimates 2025 · official business counts 2023 · map listings September 2026 · Data credits · How we measure

What this means

As of September 2026, map listings count 2,961 gyms in New Jersey. 870 of them (29%) are chain locations, against 28% across the U.S. That is 8.4 per 10,000 households, 11% above the U.S. rate of 7.6.

At $1,238 per household (26% above the U.S. average), households in New Jersey spend about $4.3B a year on memberships, classes and admissions. Spread across 2,961 gyms, that is $1.5M per gym, 13% above 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 New Jersey was 1,495 in 2023, down 7.1% from 2019. That is one for every 2,346 households, against one for every 3,109 across the U.S. Across the U.S., the count rose 5.8% over the same years. The official count takes in all fitness and recreational sports centers, not only gyms: yoga, Pilates and fitness studios are counted too. Since fiscal 2022, 194 SBA-backed loans worth $101.8M have gone to businesses classed as fitness and recreational sports centers in New Jersey.

Among the 50 states and DC, New Jersey ranks #16 for gyms, with a Groundwork market score of 58 (upper middle). Of the 6 scored metro areas in or partly in New Jersey, the Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton metro area scores highest (67). Among 21 scored counties, Salem County scores highest (77).

Every market in New Jersey for gyms

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Numbered by Groundwork market score among the markets based in New Jersey, highest first; the U.S. rank compares each market with every other of its kind. A metro area that crosses a state line is listed in each state it reaches, and numbered only in the state its page is under. How the score works.

Metro areas

Metro areas reaching New Jersey, ranked for gyms by Groundwork market score
MarketScoreListingsPer 10k householdsSpending per listingPopulation growthU.S. rank
Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton, PA-NJ672196.4$1.5M+3.0%#54 of 387
1Trenton-Princeton, NJ621117.7$1.6M+3.3%#83 of 387
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ605,3367.2$1.7M+0.6%#98 of 387
Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD521,9778.0$1.3M+1.4%#168 of 387
2Vineland, NJ49315.8$1.4M+2.2%#199 of 387
3Atlantic City-Hammonton, NJ421308.4$1.1M+0.8%#264 of 387

Counties

Counties in New Jersey, ranked for gyms by Groundwork market score
MarketScoreListingsPer 10k householdsSpending per listingPopulation growthU.S. rank
1Salem County, NJ77124.8$1.9M+2.3%#100 of 1,792
2Ocean County, NJ771496.1$1.7M+5.6%#102 of 1,792
3Warren County, NJ75306.6$1.6M+3.2%#133 of 1,792
4Middlesex County, NJ732006.5$2M+2.6%#159 of 1,792
5Passaic County, NJ73985.5$1.9M+1.6%#160 of 1,792
6Sussex County, NJ71508.7$1.5M+2.9%#209 of 1,792
7Hudson County, NJ701916.4$1.8M+1.8%#222 of 1,792
8Essex County, NJ702257.0$1.5M+4.2%#233 of 1,792
9Union County, NJ661607.9$1.6M+5.0%#312 of 1,792
10Somerset County, NJ651269.6$1.7M+3.5%#351 of 1,792
11Hunterdon County, NJ64469.0$1.7M+2.3%#384 of 1,792
12Mercer County, NJ641117.7$1.6M+3.3%#389 of 1,792
13Burlington County, NJ621599.0$1.4M+4.3%#455 of 1,792
14Gloucester County, NJ61998.8$1.3M+3.3%#494 of 1,792
15Bergen County, NJ5837010.4$1.4M+2.4%#602 of 1,792
16Atlantic County, NJ55817.4$1.2M+1.6%#729 of 1,792
17Cumberland County, NJ53315.8$1.4M+2.2%#795 of 1,792
18Morris County, NJ5226313.6$1.2M+3.2%#839 of 1,792
19Camden County, NJ521829.0$1.1M+2.4%#841 of 1,792
20Monmouth County, NJ4632913.1$1.1M+1.4%#1,054 of 1,792
21Cape May County, NJ364910.9$972K−1.7%#1,349 of 1,792

Questions

How many gyms are in New Jersey?

New Jersey has 2,961 gyms on map listings as of September 2026. 870 of them (29%) are chain locations. The listings count gyms and fitness centers. Official counts show 1,495 businesses with payroll classed as fitness and recreational sports centers in 2023, down 7.1% from 2019. That count covers all fitness and recreational sports centers (yoga, Pilates and fitness studios included), not only gyms.

How much do households in New Jersey spend on memberships, classes and admissions?

About $4.3B a year, or $1,238 per household. That is 26% above the U.S. average (an index of 126, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 2,961 gyms on map listings, it comes to $1.5M per gym. The spending figure covers all memberships, classes and admissions, not only gyms. It is estimated from the incomes of the 3,507,701 households in New Jersey and national spending patterns by income.

How does New Jersey compare with the U.S. for gyms?

New Jersey has 8.4 gyms per 10,000 households, 11% above the U.S. rate of 7.6. Spending per gym is $1.5M, 13% above the U.S. figure of $1.3M. At the national ratio of gyms to household spending, New Jersey would have about 3,337, against 2,961 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 2,346 households, against one for every 3,109 across the U.S. The official count fell 7.1% from 2019 to 2023, against +5.8% for the U.S.

Which market in New Jersey has the highest market score for gyms?

Among 6 scored metro areas in or partly in New Jersey, the Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton metro area scores highest, at 67 (upper middle). Among 21 scored counties in New Jersey, Salem County scores highest, at 77 (high). Scores compare each market with others of its kind across the U.S.

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. New Jersey scores 58 for gyms (upper middle), #16 of the 50 states and DC.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

Run a Groundwork site report on an address in New Jersey. 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.

Gyms in other states

All 51 states

Top markets for gyms across the U.S. · All business types in New Jersey

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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.