Groundwork

Fitness and classes · County · North Carolina

Gyms in Wilson County, NC

How Wilson 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 63 out of 100: Upper middle

Ranked #413 of 1,792 scored counties
#14 of 73 scored counties in North Carolina

Listings
10
1 chain location (10%)
Official establishments
7
All fitness and recreational sports centers
Household spending a year
$18.5M
On memberships, classes and admissions · $561 a household
Spending per listing
$1.9M
42% above the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
3.0
61% below the U.S.
Population, 2025
81,150
+1.7% since 2020

See the gyms around any address in Wilson 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 Wilson 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

Map listings as of September 2026 show 10 gyms in Wilson County. One of them (10%) is a chain location, against 28% across the U.S. That is 3.0 per 10,000 households, 61% below the U.S. rate of 7.6.

Households in Wilson County spend about $18.5M a year on memberships, classes and admissions, or $561 per household, 43% below the U.S. average. Spread across 10 gyms, that is $1.9M per gym, 42% above 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 7 businesses with payroll classed as fitness and recreational sports centers in Wilson County in 2023. That is one for every 4,724 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, 1 SBA-backed loan worth $401K has gone to businesses classed as fitness and recreational sports centers in Wilson County.

Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Wilson County grew 1.7%, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). For gyms, Wilson County has a Groundwork market score of 63 (upper middle): #413 of 1,792 scored counties and #14 of 73 scored counties in North Carolina. That puts it in the top quarter of counties.

How Wilson 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 Wilson County, NC compared with North Carolina and the U.S.
MeasureWilson CountyNorth CarolinaU.S.
Listings per 10k households3.07.07.6
Spending per listing$1.9M$1.1M$1.3M
Households per official establishment (all fitness and recreational sports centers)4,7243,0263,109
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023n/a+4.4%+5.8%
Population growth, 2020–2025+1.7%+7.2%+3.1%
Spending per household on memberships, classes and admissions$561$743$983
Median household income$56,423$72,388$80,734
Groundwork market score6340

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
7 → 7All fitness and recreational sports centers
Employees, 2023
136
Annual payroll, 2023
$2.1M
One-person businesses, 2023
Not publishedNot published for this business type
Map listings, September 2026
101 chain location
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
14The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here

SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022

Loans
1
Amount
$401K

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

Population, 2025 estimate
81,150+1.7% since 2020
Households
33,068
Median age
40.9
Homes lived in by their owners
60%
Vehicles per household
1.9
Land area
368 sq. mi.
People per square mile
216
Median household income
$56,423+28.6% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$76,415
Median home value
$186,000
Jobs located here
36,414
Daytime population
81,523Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in Wilson 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 Wilson 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 Wilson 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
14Wilson County, NC63103.0$1.9M+1.7%#413 of 1,792

Other business types in Wilson County

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

Questions

How many gyms are in Wilson County, NC?

There are 10 gyms on map listings in Wilson County as of September 2026. One of them (10%) is a chain location. The listings count gyms and fitness centers. Official counts show 7 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 Wilson County, NC spend on memberships, classes and admissions?

About $18.5M a year, or $561 per household. That is 43% below the U.S. average (an index of 57, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 10 gyms on map listings, it comes to $1.9M per gym. The spending figure covers all memberships, classes and admissions, not only gyms. It is estimated from the incomes of the 33,068 households in Wilson County and national spending patterns by income.

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

Wilson County has 3.0 gyms per 10,000 households, 61% below the U.S. rate of 7.6. Spending per gym is $1.9M, 42% above the U.S. figure of $1.3M. At the national ratio of gyms to household spending, Wilson County would have about 14, against 10 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 4,724 households, against one for every 3,109 across the U.S.

How fast is Wilson County, NC growing?

Population estimates put Wilson County at 81,150 people in 2025, up 1.7% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 33,068 households. The median household income in Wilson County is $56,423 a year, 30% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 28.6% 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. Wilson County scores 63 for gyms (upper middle), #413 of 1,792 scored counties.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

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

Screening a site or an acquisition in Wilson 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 Wilson 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.