Groundwork

Fitness and classes · County · North Carolina

Gyms in Transylvania County, NC

Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for gyms in Transylvania County, NC, set against other counties and the U.S.

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 38 out of 100: Lower middle

Ranked #1,293 of 1,792 scored counties
#59 of 73 scored counties in North Carolina

Listings
9
3 chain locations (33%)
Official establishments
6
All fitness and recreational sports centers
Household spending a year
$9.5M
On memberships, classes and admissions · $653 a household
Spending per listing
$1.1M
19% below the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
6.2
18% below the U.S.
Population, 2025
34,211
+2.9% since 2020

See the gyms around any address in Transylvania 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 Transylvania 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

As of September 2026, map listings count 9 gyms in Transylvania County. Of those, 3 are chain locations, or 33%, against 28% across the U.S. That comes to 6.2 for every 10,000 households, 18% below the U.S. rate of 7.6.

Household spending on memberships, classes and admissions in Transylvania County comes to about $9.5M a year: $653 per household, 34% below the U.S. average. Spread across 9 gyms, that is $1.1M per gym, 19% 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 6 businesses with payroll classed as fitness and recreational sports centers in Transylvania County in 2023. That is one for every 2,431 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.

Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Transylvania County grew 2.9%, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%). Transylvania County scores 38 (lower middle) on the Groundwork market score for gyms, ranking #1,293 of 1,792 scored counties and #59 of 73 scored counties in North Carolina.

How Transylvania 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 Transylvania County, NC compared with North Carolina and the U.S.
MeasureTransylvania CountyNorth CarolinaU.S.
Listings per 10k households6.27.07.6
Spending per listing$1.1M$1.1M$1.3M
Households per official establishment (all fitness and recreational sports centers)2,4313,0263,109
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023n/a+4.4%+5.8%
Population growth, 2020–2025+2.9%+7.2%+3.1%
Spending per household on memberships, classes and admissions$653$743$983
Median household income$66,184$72,388$80,734
Groundwork market score3840

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
7 → 6All fitness and recreational sports centers
Employees, 2023
199
Annual payroll, 2023
$7.6M
One-person businesses, 2023
Not publishedNot published for this business type
Map listings, September 2026
93 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
7The 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 Transylvania 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 Transylvania County

Population, 2025 estimate
34,211+2.9% since 2020
Households
14,584
Median age
50.3
Homes lived in by their owners
75%
Vehicles per household
1.9
Land area
378 sq. mi.
People per square mile
89
Median household income
$66,184+31.8% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$88,954
Median home value
$373,600
Jobs located here
9,403
Daytime population
30,592Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in Transylvania 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 Transylvania 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 Transylvania 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
59Transylvania County, NC3896.2$1.1M+2.9%#1,293 of 1,792

Other business types in Transylvania County

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

Questions

How many gyms are in Transylvania County, NC?

Transylvania County has 9 gyms on map listings as of September 2026. 3 of them (33%) are chain locations. The listings count gyms and fitness centers. Official counts show 6 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 Transylvania County, NC spend on memberships, classes and admissions?

About $9.5M a year, or $653 per household. That is 34% below the U.S. average (an index of 66, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 9 gyms on map listings, it comes to $1.1M per gym. The spending figure covers all memberships, classes and admissions, not only gyms. It is estimated from the incomes of the 14,584 households in Transylvania County and national spending patterns by income.

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

Transylvania County has 6.2 gyms per 10,000 households, 18% below the U.S. rate of 7.6. Spending per gym is $1.1M, 19% below the U.S. figure of $1.3M. At the national ratio of gyms to household spending, Transylvania County would have about 7, against 9 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 2,431 households, against one for every 3,109 across the U.S.

How fast is Transylvania County, NC growing?

Population estimates put Transylvania County at 34,211 people in 2025, up 2.9% since 2020, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 14,584 households. The median household income in Transylvania County is $66,184 a year, 18% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 31.8% 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. Transylvania County scores 38 for gyms (lower middle), #1,293 of 1,792 scored counties.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

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

Screening a site or an acquisition in Transylvania 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 Transylvania 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.