Fitness and classes · Metro area · North Carolina
Gyms in the Durham-Chapel Hill, NC metro area
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for gyms in the Durham-Chapel Hill, NC metro area, set against other metro areas and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 55 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #144 of 387 scored metro areas
#1 of 15 scored metro areas based in North Carolina
- Listings
- 185
- 48 chain locations (26%)
- Official establishments
- 88
- All fitness and recreational sports centers · −6.4% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $222M
- On memberships, classes and admissions · $894 a household
- Spending per listing
- $1.2M
- 8% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 7.5
- In line with the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 625,485
- +7.5% since 2020
See the gyms around any address in the Durham-Chapel Hill 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 Durham-Chapel Hill 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
At $894 per household (9% below the U.S. average), households in the Durham-Chapel Hill metro area spend about $222M a year on memberships, classes and admissions. That works out to $1.2M per gym, 8% below the U.S. figure of $1.3M. The spending figure covers all memberships, classes and admissions, not only gyms.
The Durham-Chapel Hill metro area has 185 gyms on map listings as of September 2026. 48 of them (26%) are chain locations, against 28% across the U.S. That comes to 7.5 for every 10,000 households, in line with the U.S. rate of 7.6.
Official counts show 88 businesses with payroll classed as fitness and recreational sports centers in the Durham-Chapel Hill metro area in 2023, down 6.4% from 2019. That is one for every 2,821 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, 15 SBA-backed loans worth $8M have gone to businesses classed as fitness and recreational sports centers in the Durham-Chapel Hill metro area.
Population estimates put the population change in the Durham-Chapel Hill metro area from 2020 to 2025 at +7.5%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). The Durham-Chapel Hill metro area scores 55 (upper middle) on the Groundwork market score for gyms, ranking #144 of 387 scored metro areas and #1 of 15 scored metro areas based in North Carolina.
How the Durham-Chapel Hill 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 | Durham-Chapel Hill metro area | North Carolina | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 7.5 | 7.0 | 7.6 |
| Spending per listing | $1.2M | $1.1M | $1.3M |
| Households per official establishment (all fitness and recreational sports centers) | 2,821 | 3,026 | 3,109 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | −6.4% | +4.4% | +5.8% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +7.5% | +7.2% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on memberships, classes and admissions | $894 | $743 | $983 |
| Median household income | $83,500 | $72,388 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 55 | 40 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 88All fitness and recreational sports centers · −6.4% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 1,343
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $27.7M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- Not publishedNot published for this business type
- Map listings, September 2026
- 18548 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 171The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 15
- Amount
- $8M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as fitness and recreational sports centers in the Durham-Chapel Hill 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 Durham-Chapel Hill metro area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 625,485+7.5% since 2020
- Households
- 248,256
- Median age
- 39.9
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 62%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.8
- Land area
- 1,759 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 342
- Median household income
- $83,500
- Average household income
- $120,978
- Median home value
- $396,100
- Jobs located here
- 363,261
- Daytime population
- 696,157Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Durham-Chapel Hill 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 Durham-Chapel Hill 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 Durham-Chapel Hill 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 |
Other business types in the Durham-Chapel Hill 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 Durham-Chapel Hill, NC metro area?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 185 gyms in the Durham-Chapel Hill metro area. 48 of them (26%) are chain locations. The listings count gyms and fitness centers. Official counts show 88 businesses with payroll classed as fitness and recreational sports centers in 2023, down 6.4% 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 Durham-Chapel Hill, NC metro area spend on memberships, classes and admissions?
About $222M a year, or $894 per household. That is 9% below the U.S. average (an index of 91, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 185 gyms on map listings, it comes to $1.2M 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 248,256 households in the Durham-Chapel Hill metro area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Durham-Chapel Hill, NC metro area compare with the U.S. for gyms?
The Durham-Chapel Hill metro area has 7.5 gyms per 10,000 households, in line with the U.S. rate of 7.6. Spending per gym is $1.2M, 8% below the U.S. figure of $1.3M. At the U.S. ratio of gyms to household spending, the Durham-Chapel Hill metro area would have about 171, against 185 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 2,821 households, against one for every 3,109 across the U.S. The official count fell 6.4% from 2019 to 2023, against +5.8% for the U.S.
How fast is the Durham-Chapel Hill, NC metro area growing?
Population estimates put the Durham-Chapel Hill metro area at 625,485 people in 2025, up 7.5% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 248,256 households. Median household income in the Durham-Chapel Hill metro area is $83,500, 3% above 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 Durham-Chapel Hill metro area scores 55 for gyms (upper middle), #144 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 Durham-Chapel Hill 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 Durham-Chapel Hill metro area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Durham-Chapel Hill 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 Durham-Chapel Hill 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.