Fitness and classes · County · North Carolina
Gyms in McDowell County, NC
How McDowell 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 47 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,019 of 1,792 scored counties
#41 of 73 scored counties in North Carolina
- Listings
- 8
- 4 chain locations (50%)
- Official establishments
- 5
- All fitness and recreational sports centers
- Household spending a year
- $10M
- On memberships, classes and admissions · $539 a household
- Spending per listing
- $1.3M
- 3% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 4.3
- 43% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 45,198
- +1.5% since 2020
See the gyms around any address in McDowell 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 McDowell 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
Map listings as of September 2026 show 8 gyms in McDowell County. Of those, 4 are chain locations, or 50%, against 28% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 4.3, 43% below the U.S. rate of 7.6.
Households in McDowell County spend about $10M a year on memberships, classes and admissions, or $539 per household, 45% below the U.S. average. Spread across 8 gyms, that is $1.3M per gym, 3% 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 5 businesses with payroll classed as fitness and recreational sports centers in McDowell County in 2023. That is one for every 3,728 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.
Population estimates show McDowell County grew 1.5% from 2020 to 2025, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). For gyms, McDowell County has a Groundwork market score of 47 (lower middle): #1,019 of 1,792 scored counties and #41 of 73 scored counties in North Carolina.
How McDowell 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 | McDowell County | North Carolina | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 4.3 | 7.0 | 7.6 |
| Spending per listing | $1.3M | $1.1M | $1.3M |
| Households per official establishment (all fitness and recreational sports centers) | 3,728 | 3,026 | 3,109 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +4.4% | +5.8% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +1.5% | +7.2% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on memberships, classes and admissions | $539 | $743 | $983 |
| Median household income | $57,168 | $72,388 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 47 | 40 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 7 → 5All fitness and recreational sports centers
- Employees, 2023
- 95
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $1.1M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- Not publishedNot published for this business type
- Map listings, September 2026
- 84 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 8The 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 McDowell 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 McDowell County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 45,198+1.5% since 2020
- Households
- 18,638
- Median age
- 44.7
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 76%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.0
- Land area
- 440 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 102
- Median household income
- $57,168+31.0% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $72,753
- Median home value
- $171,100
- Jobs located here
- 15,917
- Daytime population
- 39,859Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in McDowell 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 McDowell 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 McDowell 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 |
| 41McDowell County, NC | 47 | 8 | 4.3 | $1.3M | +1.5% | #1,019 of 1,792 |
Other business types in McDowell 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 McDowell County, NC?
There are 8 gyms on map listings in McDowell County as of September 2026. 4 of them (50%) 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. That count covers all fitness and recreational sports centers (yoga, Pilates and fitness studios included), not only gyms.
How much do households in McDowell County, NC spend on memberships, classes and admissions?
About $10M a year, or $539 per household. That is 45% below the U.S. average (an index of 55, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 8 gyms on map listings, it comes to $1.3M per gym. The spending figure covers all memberships, classes and admissions, not only gyms. It is estimated from the incomes of the 18,638 households in McDowell County and national spending patterns by income.
How does McDowell County, NC compare with the U.S. for gyms?
McDowell County has 4.3 gyms per 10,000 households, 43% below the U.S. rate of 7.6. Spending per gym is $1.3M, 3% below the U.S. figure of $1.3M. The count on map listings matches the U.S. ratio of gyms to household spending. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 3,728 households, against one for every 3,109 across the U.S.
How fast is McDowell County, NC growing?
Population estimates put McDowell County at 45,198 people in 2025, up 1.5% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 18,638 households. The median household income in McDowell County is $57,168 a year, 29% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 31.0% 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. McDowell County scores 47 for gyms (lower middle), #1,019 of 1,792 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in McDowell 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 McDowell County
Screening a site or an acquisition in McDowell 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 McDowell 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.