Groundwork

Fitness and classes · County · New Jersey

Gyms in Ocean County, NJ

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

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 77 out of 100: High

Ranked #102 of 1,792 scored counties
#2 of 21 scored counties in New Jersey

Listings
149
46 chain locations (31%)
Official establishments
67
All fitness and recreational sports centers · −2.9% since 2019
Household spending a year
$253M
On memberships, classes and admissions · $1,037 a household
Spending per listing
$1.7M
30% above the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
6.1
20% below the U.S.
Population, 2025
673,746
+5.6% since 2020

See the gyms around any address in Ocean 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 Ocean 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

The Groundwork market score for gyms in Ocean County is 77 (high), #102 of 1,792 scored counties and #2 of 21 scored counties in New Jersey. That puts it in the top 10% of counties for gyms.

At $1,037 per household (6% above the U.S. average), households in Ocean County spend about $253M a year on memberships, classes and admissions. That works out to $1.7M per gym, 30% above the U.S. figure of $1.3M. The spending figure covers all memberships, classes and admissions, not only gyms.

There are 149 gyms on map listings in Ocean County as of September 2026. Chain locations make up 31% of them, against 28% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 6.1, 20% below the U.S. rate of 7.6.

The official count of businesses with payroll classed as fitness and recreational sports centers in Ocean County was 67 in 2023, down 2.9% from 2019. That is one for every 3,639 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, 21 SBA-backed loans worth $5M have gone to businesses classed as fitness and recreational sports centers in Ocean County. Population estimates put the population change in Ocean County from 2020 to 2025 at +5.6%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%).

How Ocean 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 Ocean County, NJ compared with New Jersey and the U.S.
MeasureOcean CountyNew JerseyU.S.
Listings per 10k households6.18.47.6
Spending per listing$1.7M$1.5M$1.3M
Households per official establishment (all fitness and recreational sports centers)3,6392,3463,109
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023−2.9%−7.1%+5.8%
Population growth, 2020–2025+5.6%+3.0%+3.1%
Spending per household on memberships, classes and admissions$1,037$1,238$983
Median household income$89,863$103,556$80,734
Groundwork market score7758

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
69 → 67All fitness and recreational sports centers · −2.9% over the period
Employees, 2023
2,053
Annual payroll, 2023
$38.9M
One-person businesses, 2023
Not publishedNot published for this business type
Map listings, September 2026
14946 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
194The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here

SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022

Loans
21
Amount
$5M

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

Population, 2025 estimate
673,746+5.6% since 2020
Households
243,843
Median age
41.7
Homes lived in by their owners
81%
Vehicles per household
1.8
Land area
628 sq. mi.
People per square mile
1,042
Median household income
$89,863+26.7% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$118,774
Median home value
$398,400
Jobs located here
183,196
Daytime population
568,313Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in Ocean 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 Ocean 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 Ocean 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

Other business types in Ocean County

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

Questions

How many gyms are in Ocean County, NJ?

As of September 2026, map listings count 149 gyms in Ocean County. 46 of them (31%) are chain locations. The listings count gyms and fitness centers. Official counts show 67 businesses with payroll classed as fitness and recreational sports centers in 2023, down 2.9% 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 Ocean County, NJ spend on memberships, classes and admissions?

About $253M a year, or $1,037 per household. That is 6% above the U.S. average (an index of 106, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 149 gyms on map listings, it comes to $1.7M 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 243,843 households in Ocean County and national spending patterns by income.

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

Ocean County has 6.1 gyms per 10,000 households, 20% below the U.S. rate of 7.6. Spending per gym is $1.7M, 30% above the U.S. figure of $1.3M. At the U.S. ratio of gyms to household spending, Ocean County would have about 194, against 149 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 3,639 households, against one for every 3,109 across the U.S. The official count fell 2.9% from 2019 to 2023, against +5.8% for the U.S.

How fast is Ocean County, NJ growing?

Population estimates put Ocean County at 673,746 people in 2025, up 5.6% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 243,843 households. Median household income in Ocean County is $89,863, 11% above the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 26.7%, 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. Ocean County scores 77 for gyms (high), #102 of 1,792 scored counties.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

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

Screening a site or an acquisition in Ocean 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 Ocean 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.