Groundwork

Fitness and classes · County · New Jersey

Gyms in Mercer County, NJ

Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for gyms in Mercer County, NJ, set against other counties and the U.S.

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 64 out of 100: Upper middle

Ranked #389 of 1,792 scored counties
#12 of 21 scored counties in New Jersey

Listings
111
34 chain locations (31%)
Official establishments
66
All fitness and recreational sports centers · −5.7% since 2019
Household spending a year
$175.4M
On memberships, classes and admissions · $1,217 a household
Spending per listing
$1.6M
21% above the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
7.7
In line with the U.S.
Population, 2025
399,289
+3.3% since 2020

See the gyms around any address in Mercer 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 Mercer County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

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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

Household spending on memberships, classes and admissions in Mercer County comes to about $175.4M a year: $1,217 per household, 24% above the U.S. average. That is about $1.6M of household spending for each gym on map listings, 21% above the U.S. figure of $1.3M. The spending figure covers all memberships, classes and admissions, not only gyms.

There are 111 gyms on map listings in Mercer County as of September 2026. 34 of them (31%) are chain locations, against 28% across the U.S. That is 7.7 per 10,000 households, in line with the U.S. rate of 7.6.

The official count of businesses with payroll classed as fitness and recreational sports centers in Mercer County was 66 in 2023, down 5.7% from 2019. That is one for every 2,184 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, 10 SBA-backed loans worth $4.7M have gone to businesses classed as fitness and recreational sports centers in Mercer County.

Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Mercer County grew 3.3%, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%). Mercer County scores 64 (upper middle) on the Groundwork market score for gyms, ranking #389 of 1,792 scored counties and #12 of 21 scored counties in New Jersey. That puts it in the top quarter of counties.

How Mercer County compares

The same measures for New Jersey 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.

Gyms in Mercer County, NJ compared with New Jersey and the U.S.
MeasureMercer CountyNew JerseyU.S.
Listings per 10k households7.78.47.6
Spending per listing$1.6M$1.5M$1.3M
Households per official establishment (all fitness and recreational sports centers)2,1842,3463,109
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023−5.7%−7.1%+5.8%
Population growth, 2020–2025+3.3%+3.0%+3.1%
Spending per household on memberships, classes and admissions$1,217$1,238$983
Median household income$100,645$103,556$80,734
Groundwork market score6458

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
70 → 66All fitness and recreational sports centers · −5.7% over the period
Employees, 2023
1,772
Annual payroll, 2023
$34M
One-person businesses, 2023
Not publishedNot published for this business type
Map listings, September 2026
11134 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
135The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here

SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022

Loans
10
Amount
$4.7M

SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as fitness and recreational sports centers in Mercer 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 Mercer County

Population, 2025 estimate
399,289+3.3% since 2020
Households
144,114
Median age
40.4
Homes lived in by their owners
62%
Vehicles per household
1.6
Land area
225 sq. mi.
People per square mile
1,719
Median household income
$100,645+24.2% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$142,372
Median home value
$377,700
Jobs located here
262,034
Daytime population
469,892Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in Mercer 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 Mercer County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

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The highest-scoring counties in New Jersey for gyms, numbered among those based in New Jersey, with Mercer County marked.

Top counties in New Jersey

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
12Mercer County, NJ641117.7$1.6M+3.3%#389 of 1,792

Other business types in Mercer County

Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.

Questions

How many gyms are in Mercer County, NJ?

As of September 2026, map listings count 111 gyms in Mercer County. 34 of them (31%) are chain locations. The listings count gyms and fitness centers. Official counts show 66 businesses with payroll classed as fitness and recreational sports centers in 2023, down 5.7% 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 Mercer County, NJ spend on memberships, classes and admissions?

About $175.4M a year, or $1,217 per household. That is 24% above the U.S. average (an index of 124, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 111 gyms on map listings, it comes to $1.6M 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 144,114 households in Mercer County and national spending patterns by income.

How does Mercer County, NJ compare with the U.S. for gyms?

Mercer County has 7.7 gyms per 10,000 households, in line with the U.S. rate of 7.6. Spending per gym is $1.6M, 21% above the U.S. figure of $1.3M. At the U.S. ratio of gyms to household spending, Mercer County would have about 135, against 111 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 2,184 households, against one for every 3,109 across the U.S. The official count fell 5.7% from 2019 to 2023, against +5.8% for the U.S.

How fast is Mercer County, NJ growing?

Population estimates put Mercer County at 399,289 people in 2025, up 3.3% since 2020, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 144,114 households. Median household income in Mercer County is $100,645, 25% above the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 24.2%, 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. Mercer County scores 64 for gyms (upper middle), #389 of 1,792 scored counties.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Mercer 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 Mercer County

Screening a site or an acquisition in Mercer 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 Mercer 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.