Fitness and classes · County · North Carolina
Gyms in Buncombe County, NC
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for gyms in Buncombe County, NC, set against other counties and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 30 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,497 of 1,792 scored counties
#67 of 73 scored counties in North Carolina
- Listings
- 98
- 26 chain locations (27%)
- Official establishments
- 49
- All fitness and recreational sports centers · +2.1% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $77.3M
- On memberships, classes and admissions · $759 a household
- Spending per listing
- $788K
- 39% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 9.6
- 26% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 277,417
- +2.9% since 2020
See the gyms around any address in Buncombe 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 Buncombe 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
For gyms, Buncombe County has a Groundwork market score of 30 (lower middle): #1,497 of 1,792 scored counties and #67 of 73 scored counties in North Carolina. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.
Map listings as of September 2026 show 98 gyms in Buncombe County. Of those, 26 are chain locations, or 27%, against 28% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 9.6, 26% above the U.S. rate of 7.6.
At $759 per household (23% below the U.S. average), households in Buncombe County spend about $77.3M a year on memberships, classes and admissions. That works out to $788K per gym, 39% below the U.S. figure of $1.3M. That spending covers all memberships, classes and admissions, which gyms share with other businesses in the trade.
Official counts show 49 businesses with payroll classed as fitness and recreational sports centers in Buncombe County in 2023, up 2.1% from 2019. That is one for every 2,079 households, against one for every 3,109 across the U.S. 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, 10 SBA-backed loans worth $5.2M have gone to businesses classed as fitness and recreational sports centers in Buncombe County. Population estimates put the population change in Buncombe County from 2020 to 2025 at +2.9%, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%).
How Buncombe County 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 | Buncombe County | North Carolina | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 9.6 | 7.0 | 7.6 |
| Spending per listing | $788K | $1.1M | $1.3M |
| Households per official establishment (all fitness and recreational sports centers) | 2,079 | 3,026 | 3,109 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +2.1% | +4.4% | +5.8% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +2.9% | +7.2% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on memberships, classes and admissions | $759 | $743 | $983 |
| Median household income | $74,436 | $72,388 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 30 | 40 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 48 → 49All fitness and recreational sports centers · +2.1% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 814
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $13.7M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- Not publishedNot published for this business type
- Map listings, September 2026
- 9826 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 59The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 10
- Amount
- $5.2M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as fitness and recreational sports centers in Buncombe 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 Buncombe County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 277,417+2.9% since 2020
- Households
- 101,855
- Median age
- 43.4
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 66%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 657 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 418
- Median household income
- $74,436+42.6% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $105,560
- Median home value
- $391,800
- Jobs located here
- 142,929
- Daytime population
- 299,325Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Buncombe 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 Buncombe County. 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 counties in North Carolina for gyms, numbered among those based in North Carolina, with Buncombe County marked.
Top counties in North Carolina
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Chatham County, NC | 91 | 17 | 5.2 | $2M | +11.0% | #8 of 1,792 |
| 2Currituck County, NC | 85 | 7 | 5.9 | $1.5M | +16.7% | #36 of 1,792 |
| 3Franklin County, NC | 79 | 8 | 2.8 | $2.4M | +18.8% | #74 of 1,792 |
| 4Duplin County, NC | 73 | 6 | 2.9 | $1.8M | +6.0% | #163 of 1,792 |
| 5Davie County, NC | 72 | 6 | 3.5 | $2.2M | +6.9% | #177 of 1,792 |
| 6Brunswick County, NC | 72 | 39 | 5.6 | $1.3M | +26.5% | #193 of 1,792 |
| 7Harnett County, NC | 71 | 26 | 5.2 | $1.3M | +12.3% | #217 of 1,792 |
| 8Stokes County, NC | 70 | 6 | 3.1 | $1.8M | +3.5% | #223 of 1,792 |
| 9Rowan County, NC | 68 | 20 | 3.4 | $1.9M | +5.6% | #263 of 1,792 |
| 10Union County, NC | 67 | 59 | 7.0 | $1.5M | +11.7% | #290 of 1,792 |
| 67Buncombe County, NC | 30 | 98 | 9.6 | $788K | +2.9% | #1,497 of 1,792 |
Other business types in Buncombe 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 Buncombe County, NC?
There are 98 gyms on map listings in Buncombe County as of September 2026. 26 of them (27%) are chain locations. The listings count gyms and fitness centers. Official counts show 49 businesses with payroll classed as fitness and recreational sports centers in 2023, up 2.1% 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 Buncombe County, NC spend on memberships, classes and admissions?
About $77.3M a year, or $759 per household. That is 23% below the U.S. average (an index of 77, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 98 gyms on map listings, it comes to $788K per gym. The spending figure covers all memberships, classes and admissions, not only gyms. It is estimated from the incomes of the 101,855 households in Buncombe County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Buncombe County, NC compare with the U.S. for gyms?
Buncombe County has 9.6 gyms per 10,000 households, 26% above the U.S. rate of 7.6. Spending per gym is $788K, 39% below the U.S. figure of $1.3M. At the national ratio of gyms to household spending, Buncombe County would have about 59, against 98 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 2,079 households, against one for every 3,109 across the U.S. The official count rose 2.1% from 2019 to 2023, against +5.8% for the U.S.
How fast is Buncombe County, NC growing?
Population estimates put Buncombe County at 277,417 people in 2025, up 2.9% since 2020, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 101,855 households. The median household income in Buncombe County is $74,436 a year, 8% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 42.6% from the 2015–2019 survey, 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. Buncombe County scores 30 for gyms (lower middle), #1,497 of 1,792 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Buncombe 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 Buncombe County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Buncombe 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 Buncombe 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.