Fitness and classes · Small-town market · Ohio
Gyms in the Athens, OH area
The gyms in the Athens, OH area, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other small-town markets.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 61 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #135 of 506 scored small-town markets
#6 of 28 scored small-town markets based in Ohio
- Listings
- 13
- 2 chain locations (15%)
- Official establishments
- n/a
- Fewer than 3, or not published
- Household spending a year
- $16.2M
- On memberships, classes and admissions · $706 a household
- Spending per listing
- $1.2M
- 4% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 5.6
- 26% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 63,197
- +1.3% since 2020
See the gyms around any address in the Athens area
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 the Athens area. 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
Household spending on memberships, classes and admissions in the Athens area comes to about $16.2M a year: $706 per household, 28% below the U.S. average. That is about $1.2M of household spending for each gym on map listings, 4% below the U.S. figure of $1.3M. The spending figure covers all memberships, classes and admissions, not only gyms.
The Athens area has 13 gyms on map listings as of September 2026. Chain locations make up 15% of them, against 28% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 5.6, 26% below the U.S. rate of 7.6.
Official counts don’t publish a figure for fitness and recreational sports centers in the Athens area, since they leave out counts under 3.
Between 2020 and 2025, the population of the Athens area grew 1.3%, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). For gyms, the Athens area has a Groundwork market score of 61 (upper middle): #135 of 506 scored small-town markets and #6 of 28 scored small-town markets based in Ohio.
How the Athens area compares
The same measures for Ohio 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 | Athens area | Ohio | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 5.6 | 7.0 | 7.6 |
| Spending per listing | $1.2M | $1.3M | $1.3M |
| Households per official establishment (all fitness and recreational sports centers) | n/a | 3,758 | 3,109 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +8.7% | +5.8% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +1.3% | +0.9% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on memberships, classes and admissions | $706 | $884 | $983 |
| Median household income | $56,001 | $71,389 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 61 | 51 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- n/aAll fitness and recreational sports centers
- Employees, 2023
- n/a
- Annual payroll, 2023
- n/a
- One-person businesses, 2023
- Not publishedNot published for this business type
- Map listings, September 2026
- 132 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 13The 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 the Athens area, 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 the Athens area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 63,197+1.3% since 2020
- Households
- 23,014
- Median age
- 37.4
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 60%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 504 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 122
- Median household income
- $56,001+36.9% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $77,858
- Median home value
- $185,000
- Jobs located here
- 18,702
- Daytime population
- 59,780Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Athens area?
These figures cover the whole small-town market. 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 the Athens area. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.
Free10 actions over 3 days, no cardGyms across Ohio
Every Ohio market ranked →The highest-scoring small-town markets in Ohio for gyms, numbered among those based in Ohio, with the Athens area marked.
Top small-town markets in Ohio
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Findlay, OH | 67 | 19 | 6.0 | $1.4M | +0.1% | #69 of 506 |
| 2New Philadelphia-Dover, OH | 64 | 17 | 4.4 | $1.6M | −0.9% | #97 of 506 |
| 3Defiance, OH | 64 | 9 | 5.9 | $1.3M | +0.1% | #102 of 506 |
| 4Greenville, OH | 63 | 12 | 5.6 | $1.3M | −0.7% | #114 of 506 |
| 5Chillicothe, OH | 63 | 17 | 5.7 | $1.3M | −0.8% | #115 of 506 |
| 6Athens, OH | 61 | 13 | 5.6 | $1.2M | +1.3% | #135 of 506 |
| 7Zanesville, OH | 61 | 20 | 5.8 | $1.2M | +0.7% | #137 of 506 |
| 8Bucyrus, OH | 59 | 5 | 2.8 | $2.4M | −0.3% | #155 of 506 |
| 9Coshocton, OH | 59 | 7 | 4.7 | $1.4M | +1.6% | #158 of 506 |
| 10Van Wert, OH | 58 | 5 | 4.3 | $1.7M | +0.3% | #167 of 506 |
Other business types in the Athens area
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 the Athens, OH area?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 13 gyms in the Athens area. 2 of them (15%) are chain locations. The listings count gyms and fitness centers. No official count is published for fitness and recreational sports centers in the Athens area: counts under 3 are left out.
How much do households in the Athens, OH area spend on memberships, classes and admissions?
About $16.2M a year, or $706 per household. That is 28% below the U.S. average (an index of 72, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 13 gyms on map listings, it comes to $1.2M 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 23,014 households in the Athens area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Athens, OH area compare with the U.S. for gyms?
The Athens area has 5.6 gyms per 10,000 households, 26% below the U.S. rate of 7.6. Spending per gym is $1.2M, 4% below the U.S. figure of $1.3M. The count on map listings matches the U.S. ratio of gyms to household spending.
How fast is the Athens, OH area growing?
Population estimates put the Athens area at 63,197 people in 2025, up 1.3% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 23,014 households. Median household income in the Athens area is $56,001, 31% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 36.9%, 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. A small-town market is a town of 10,000 to 50,000 people and the county or counties tied to it by commuting. 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. The Athens area scores 61 for gyms (upper middle), #135 of 506 scored small-town markets.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in the Athens area. 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 the Athens area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Athens area?
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 the Athens area. 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.