Fitness and classes · County · North Carolina
Gyms in Wayne County, NC
How Wayne 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 43 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,168 of 1,792 scored counties
#49 of 73 scored counties in North Carolina
- Listings
- 30
- 5 chain locations (17%)
- Official establishments
- 12
- All fitness and recreational sports centers
- Household spending a year
- $27.6M
- On memberships, classes and admissions · $581 a household
- Spending per listing
- $920K
- 29% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 6.3
- 17% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 122,278
- +3.8% since 2020
See the gyms around any address in Wayne 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 Wayne 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 30 gyms in Wayne County. Of those, 5 are chain locations, or 17%, against 28% across the U.S. That comes to 6.3 for every 10,000 households, 17% below the U.S. rate of 7.6.
Household spending on memberships, classes and admissions in Wayne County comes to about $27.6M a year: $581 per household, 41% below the U.S. average. Spread across 30 gyms, that is $920K per gym, 29% 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.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as fitness and recreational sports centers in Wayne County was 12 in 2023. That is one for every 3,959 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, 2 SBA-backed loans worth $2.5M have gone to businesses classed as fitness and recreational sports centers in Wayne County.
Population estimates show Wayne County grew 3.8% from 2020 to 2025, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). The Groundwork market score for gyms in Wayne County is 43 (lower middle), #1,168 of 1,792 scored counties and #49 of 73 scored counties in North Carolina.
How Wayne 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 | Wayne County | North Carolina | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 6.3 | 7.0 | 7.6 |
| Spending per listing | $920K | $1.1M | $1.3M |
| Households per official establishment (all fitness and recreational sports centers) | 3,959 | 3,026 | 3,109 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +4.4% | +5.8% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +3.8% | +7.2% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on memberships, classes and admissions | $581 | $743 | $983 |
| Median household income | $59,733 | $72,388 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 43 | 40 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 13 → 12All fitness and recreational sports centers
- Employees, 2023
- 166
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $2.2M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- Not publishedNot published for this business type
- Map listings, September 2026
- 305 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 21The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 2
- Amount
- $2.5M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as fitness and recreational sports centers in Wayne 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 Wayne County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 122,278+3.8% since 2020
- Households
- 47,507
- Median age
- 38.3
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 61%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.0
- Land area
- 554 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 214
- Median household income
- $59,733+34.5% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $79,980
- Median home value
- $178,700
- Jobs located here
- 40,987
- Daytime population
- 111,023Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Wayne 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 Wayne 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 Wayne 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 |
| 49Wayne County, NC | 43 | 30 | 6.3 | $920K | +3.8% | #1,168 of 1,792 |
Other business types in Wayne 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 Wayne County, NC?
There are 30 gyms on map listings in Wayne County as of September 2026. 5 of them (17%) are chain locations. The listings count gyms and fitness centers. Official counts show 12 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 Wayne County, NC spend on memberships, classes and admissions?
About $27.6M a year, or $581 per household. That is 41% below the U.S. average (an index of 59, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 30 gyms on map listings, it comes to $920K per gym. The spending figure covers all memberships, classes and admissions, not only gyms. It is estimated from the incomes of the 47,507 households in Wayne County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Wayne County, NC compare with the U.S. for gyms?
Wayne County has 6.3 gyms per 10,000 households, 17% below the U.S. rate of 7.6. Spending per gym is $920K, 29% below the U.S. figure of $1.3M. At the national ratio of gyms to household spending, Wayne County would have about 21, against 30 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 3,959 households, against one for every 3,109 across the U.S.
How fast is Wayne County, NC growing?
Population estimates put Wayne County at 122,278 people in 2025, up 3.8% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 47,507 households. The median household income in Wayne County is $59,733 a year, 26% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 34.5% 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. Wayne County scores 43 for gyms (lower middle), #1,168 of 1,792 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Wayne 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 Wayne County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Wayne 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 Wayne 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.