Groundwork

Fitness and classes · County · North Carolina

Gyms in Lenoir County, NC

How Lenoir County, NC compares with other counties and the U.S. for gyms: competitors, household spending, official counts and growth.

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 28 out of 100: Lower middle

Ranked #1,553 of 1,792 scored counties
#70 of 73 scored counties in North Carolina

Listings
24
5 chain locations (21%)
Official establishments
5
All fitness and recreational sports centers
Household spending a year
$11.1M
On memberships, classes and admissions · $474 a household
Spending per listing
$461K
65% below the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
10.3
36% above the U.S.
Population, 2025
55,837
+1.4% since 2020

See the gyms around any address in Lenoir 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 Lenoir 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

Lenoir County scores 28 (lower middle) on the Groundwork market score for gyms, ranking #1,553 of 1,792 scored counties and #70 of 73 scored counties in North Carolina. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.

At $474 per household (52% below the U.S. average), households in Lenoir County spend about $11.1M a year on memberships, classes and admissions. That works out to $461K per gym, 65% below the U.S. figure of $1.3M. The spending figure covers all memberships, classes and admissions, not only gyms.

There are 24 gyms on map listings in Lenoir County as of September 2026. Chain locations make up 21% of them, against 28% across the U.S. That is 10.3 per 10,000 households, 36% above the U.S. rate of 7.6.

In 2023, official counts showed 5 businesses with payroll in Lenoir County classed as fitness and recreational sports centers. That is one for every 4,670 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. Population estimates show Lenoir County grew 1.4% from 2020 to 2025, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%).

How Lenoir 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.

Gyms in Lenoir County, NC compared with North Carolina and the U.S.
MeasureLenoir CountyNorth CarolinaU.S.
Listings per 10k households10.37.07.6
Spending per listing$461K$1.1M$1.3M
Households per official establishment (all fitness and recreational sports centers)4,6703,0263,109
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023n/a+4.4%+5.8%
Population growth, 2020–2025+1.4%+7.2%+3.1%
Spending per household on memberships, classes and admissions$474$743$983
Median household income$45,143$72,388$80,734
Groundwork market score2840

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
6 → 5All fitness and recreational sports centers
Employees, 2023
32
Annual payroll, 2023
$501K
One-person businesses, 2023
Not publishedNot published for this business type
Map listings, September 2026
245 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
9The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here

SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022

Loans
0
Amount
$0

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

Population, 2025 estimate
55,837+1.4% since 2020
Households
23,351
Median age
41.6
Homes lived in by their owners
59%
Vehicles per household
1.9
Land area
399 sq. mi.
People per square mile
138
Median household income
$45,143+14.6% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$65,291
Median home value
$120,500
Jobs located here
29,615
Daytime population
59,853Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

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

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Gyms 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 Lenoir County marked.

Top counties in North Carolina

Counties in North Carolina ranked for gyms by Groundwork market score
MarketScoreListingsPer 10k householdsSpending per listingPopulation growthU.S. rank
1Chatham County, NC91175.2$2M+11.0%#8 of 1,792
2Currituck County, NC8575.9$1.5M+16.7%#36 of 1,792
3Franklin County, NC7982.8$2.4M+18.8%#74 of 1,792
4Duplin County, NC7362.9$1.8M+6.0%#163 of 1,792
5Davie County, NC7263.5$2.2M+6.9%#177 of 1,792
6Brunswick County, NC72395.6$1.3M+26.5%#193 of 1,792
7Harnett County, NC71265.2$1.3M+12.3%#217 of 1,792
8Stokes County, NC7063.1$1.8M+3.5%#223 of 1,792
9Rowan County, NC68203.4$1.9M+5.6%#263 of 1,792
10Union County, NC67597.0$1.5M+11.7%#290 of 1,792
70Lenoir County, NC282410.3$461K+1.4%#1,553 of 1,792

Other business types in Lenoir County

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

Questions

How many gyms are in Lenoir County, NC?

As of September 2026, map listings count 24 gyms in Lenoir County. 5 of them (21%) are chain locations. The listings count gyms and fitness centers. Official counts show 5 businesses with payroll classed as fitness and recreational sports centers in 2023. 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 Lenoir County, NC spend on memberships, classes and admissions?

About $11.1M a year, or $474 per household. That is 52% below the U.S. average (an index of 48, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 24 gyms on map listings, it comes to $461K 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 23,351 households in Lenoir County and national spending patterns by income.

How does Lenoir County, NC compare with the U.S. for gyms?

Lenoir County has 10.3 gyms per 10,000 households, 36% above the U.S. rate of 7.6. Spending per gym is $461K, 65% below the U.S. figure of $1.3M. At the U.S. ratio of gyms to household spending, Lenoir County would have about 9, against 24 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 4,670 households, against one for every 3,109 across the U.S.

How fast is Lenoir County, NC growing?

Population estimates put Lenoir County at 55,837 people in 2025, up 1.4% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 23,351 households. Median household income in Lenoir County is $45,143, 44% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 14.6%, 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. Lenoir County scores 28 for gyms (lower middle), #1,553 of 1,792 scored counties.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

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

Screening a site or an acquisition in Lenoir 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 Lenoir 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.