Fitness and classes · Metro area · North Carolina
Gyms in the Asheville, NC metro area
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for gyms in the Asheville, NC metro area, set against other metro areas and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 33 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #333 of 387 scored metro areas
#13 of 15 scored metro areas based in North Carolina
- Listings
- 130
- 27 chain locations (21%)
- Official establishments
- 55
- All fitness and recreational sports centers · −3.5% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $116.7M
- On memberships, classes and admissions · $724 a household
- Spending per listing
- $898K
- 31% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 8.1
- 7% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 422,345
- +3.6% since 2020
See the gyms around any address in the Asheville metro area
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 the Asheville metro area. 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
For gyms, the Asheville metro area has a Groundwork market score of 33 (lower middle): #333 of 387 scored metro areas and #13 of 15 scored metro areas based in North Carolina. That puts it in the bottom quarter of metro areas.
At $724 per household (26% below the U.S. average), households in the Asheville metro area spend about $116.7M a year on memberships, classes and admissions. Spread across 130 gyms, that is $898K per gym, 31% below the U.S. figure of $1.3M. The spending figure covers all memberships, classes and admissions, not only gyms.
There are 130 gyms on map listings in the Asheville metro area as of September 2026. 27 of them (21%) are chain locations, against 28% across the U.S. That comes to 8.1 for every 10,000 households, 7% above the U.S. rate of 7.6.
Official counts show 55 businesses with payroll classed as fitness and recreational sports centers in the Asheville metro area in 2023, down 3.5% from 2019. That is one for every 2,932 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, 11 SBA-backed loans worth $5.3M have gone to businesses classed as fitness and recreational sports centers in the Asheville metro area. Population estimates show the Asheville metro area grew 3.6% from 2020 to 2025, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%).
How the Asheville metro area compares
The same measures for North Carolina 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 | Asheville metro area | North Carolina | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 8.1 | 7.0 | 7.6 |
| Spending per listing | $898K | $1.1M | $1.3M |
| Households per official establishment (all fitness and recreational sports centers) | 2,932 | 3,026 | 3,109 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | −3.5% | +4.4% | +5.8% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +3.6% | +7.2% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on memberships, classes and admissions | $724 | $743 | $983 |
| Median household income | $71,838 | $72,388 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 33 | 40 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 55All fitness and recreational sports centers · −3.5% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 942
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $15.7M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- Not publishedNot published for this business type
- Map listings, September 2026
- 13027 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 90The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 11
- Amount
- $5.3M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as fitness and recreational sports centers in the Asheville metro area, 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 the Asheville metro area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 422,345+3.6% since 2020
- Households
- 161,264
- Median age
- 44.6
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 70%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 1,479 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 280
- Median household income
- $71,838
- Average household income
- $100,473
- Median home value
- $370,900
- Jobs located here
- 190,451
- Daytime population
- 429,489Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Asheville metro area?
These figures cover the whole metro area. 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 the Asheville metro area. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.
Free10 actions over 3 days, no cardGyms across North Carolina
Every North Carolina market ranked →The highest-scoring metro areas in North Carolina for gyms, numbered among those based in North Carolina, with the Asheville metro area marked.
Top metro areas in North Carolina
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Durham-Chapel Hill, NC | 55 | 185 | 7.5 | $1.2M | +7.5% | #144 of 387 |
| 2Raleigh-Cary, NC | 54 | 479 | 8.3 | $1.2M | +12.6% | #150 of 387 |
| 3Rocky Mount, NC | 51 | 28 | 4.8 | $1.2M | +2.8% | #181 of 387 |
| 4Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton, NC | 49 | 81 | 5.4 | $1.1M | +3.2% | #203 of 387 |
| 5Pinehurst-Southern Pines, NC | 48 | 40 | 9.1 | $895K | +10.3% | #220 of 387 |
| 6Jacksonville, NC | 46 | 47 | 6.2 | $992K | +6.0% | #241 of 387 |
| 7Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC | 45 | 849 | 7.9 | $1.1M | +10.1% | #246 of 387 |
| 8Burlington, NC | 44 | 47 | 6.7 | $940K | +8.5% | #258 of 387 |
| 9Greensboro-High Point, NC | 42 | 192 | 6.1 | $1.1M | +4.1% | #265 of 387 |
| 10Winston-Salem, NC | 41 | 172 | 6.1 | $1.1M | +5.3% | #271 of 387 |
| 13Asheville, NC | 33 | 130 | 8.1 | $898K | +3.6% | #333 of 387 |
Other business types in the Asheville metro area
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 the Asheville, NC metro area?
As of September 2026, map listings count 130 gyms in the Asheville metro area. 27 of them (21%) are chain locations. The listings count gyms and fitness centers. Official counts show 55 businesses with payroll classed as fitness and recreational sports centers in 2023, down 3.5% 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 the Asheville, NC metro area spend on memberships, classes and admissions?
About $116.7M a year, or $724 per household. That is 26% below the U.S. average (an index of 74, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 130 gyms on map listings, it comes to $898K 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 161,264 households in the Asheville metro area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Asheville, NC metro area compare with the U.S. for gyms?
The Asheville metro area has 8.1 gyms per 10,000 households, 7% above the U.S. rate of 7.6. Spending per gym is $898K, 31% below the U.S. figure of $1.3M. At the U.S. ratio of gyms to household spending, the Asheville metro area would have about 90, against 130 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 2,932 households, against one for every 3,109 across the U.S. The official count fell 3.5% from 2019 to 2023, against +5.8% for the U.S.
How fast is the Asheville, NC metro area growing?
Population estimates put the Asheville metro area at 422,345 people in 2025, up 3.6% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 161,264 households. Median household income in the Asheville metro area is $71,838, 11% below the U.S. median of $80,734.
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. The Asheville metro area scores 33 for gyms (lower middle), #333 of 387 scored metro areas.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in the Asheville metro area. 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 the Asheville metro area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Asheville metro area?
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 the Asheville metro area. 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.