Fitness and classes · Metro area · Ohio
Gyms in the Columbus, OH metro area
The gyms in the Columbus, OH metro area, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other metro areas.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 59 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #110 of 387 scored metro areas
#4 of 12 scored metro areas based in Ohio
- Listings
- 731
- 191 chain locations (26%)
- Official establishments
- 285
- All fitness and recreational sports centers · +13.5% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $887.5M
- On memberships, classes and admissions · $1,026 a household
- Spending per listing
- $1.2M
- 7% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 8.5
- 12% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 2,242,028
- +4.7% since 2020
See the gyms around any address in the Columbus metro 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 Columbus metro 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
Map listings as of September 2026 show 731 gyms in the Columbus metro area. Chain locations make up 26% of them, against 28% across the U.S. That comes to 8.5 for every 10,000 households, 12% above the U.S. rate of 7.6.
Households in the Columbus metro area spend about $887.5M a year on memberships, classes and admissions, or $1,026 per household, 4% above the U.S. average. That works out to $1.2M per gym, 7% 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 the Columbus metro area was 285 in 2023, up 13.5% from 2019. That is one for every 3,034 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, 49 SBA-backed loans worth $21.7M have gone to businesses classed as fitness and recreational sports centers in the Columbus metro area.
Population estimates show the Columbus metro area grew 4.7% from 2020 to 2025, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). For gyms, the Columbus metro area has a Groundwork market score of 59 (upper middle): #110 of 387 scored metro areas and #4 of 12 scored metro areas based in Ohio.
How the Columbus metro 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 | Columbus metro area | Ohio | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 8.5 | 7.0 | 7.6 |
| Spending per listing | $1.2M | $1.3M | $1.3M |
| Households per official establishment (all fitness and recreational sports centers) | 3,034 | 3,758 | 3,109 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +13.5% | +8.7% | +5.8% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +4.7% | +0.9% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on memberships, classes and admissions | $1,026 | $884 | $983 |
| Median household income | $81,945 | $71,389 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 59 | 51 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 285All fitness and recreational sports centers · +13.5% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 5,280
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $86.8M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- Not publishedNot published for this business type
- Map listings, September 2026
- 731191 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 682The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 49
- Amount
- $21.7M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as fitness and recreational sports centers in the Columbus metro 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 Columbus metro area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 2,242,028+4.7% since 2020
- Households
- 864,663
- Median age
- 38.1
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 61%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.8
- Land area
- 4,798 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 454
- Median household income
- $81,945+25.8% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $110,942
- Median home value
- $300,800
- Jobs located here
- 1,129,650
- Daytime population
- 2,268,069Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Columbus metro area?
These figures cover the whole metro area. 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 Columbus metro 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 metro areas in Ohio for gyms, numbered among those based in Ohio (a market based in another state is listed without a number), with the Columbus metro area marked.
Top metro areas in Ohio
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Springfield, OH | 69 | 23 | 4.1 | $1.8M | −0.4% | #39 of 387 |
| 2Dayton-Kettering-Beavercreek, OH | 63 | 200 | 5.8 | $1.5M | +1.5% | #75 of 387 |
| 3Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN | 61 | 637 | 7.0 | $1.4M | +2.7% | #93 of 387 |
| 4Columbus, OH | 59 | 731 | 8.5 | $1.2M | +4.7% | #110 of 387 |
| 5Lima, OH | 58 | 19 | 4.6 | $1.6M | −1.2% | #115 of 387 |
| Wheeling, WV-OH | 52 | 26 | 4.5 | $1.4M | −3.6% | #165 of 387 |
| 6Cleveland, OH | 51 | 644 | 6.9 | $1.3M | −0.8% | #178 of 387 |
| 7Toledo, OH | 50 | 156 | 6.1 | $1.3M | −1.0% | #190 of 387 |
| 8Akron, OH | 48 | 224 | 7.6 | $1.2M | 0.0% | #213 of 387 |
| 9Youngstown-Warren, OH | 47 | 112 | 6.1 | $1.2M | −1.4% | #225 of 387 |
Other business types in the Columbus metro 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 Columbus, OH metro area?
There are 731 gyms on map listings in the Columbus metro area as of September 2026. 191 of them (26%) are chain locations. The listings count gyms and fitness centers. Official counts show 285 businesses with payroll classed as fitness and recreational sports centers in 2023, up 13.5% from 2019. That count covers all fitness and recreational sports centers (yoga, Pilates and fitness studios included), not only gyms.
How much do households in the Columbus, OH metro area spend on memberships, classes and admissions?
About $887.5M a year, or $1,026 per household. That is 4% above the U.S. average (an index of 104, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 731 gyms on map listings, it comes to $1.2M per gym. The spending figure covers all memberships, classes and admissions, not only gyms. It is estimated from the incomes of the 864,663 households in the Columbus metro area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Columbus, OH metro area compare with the U.S. for gyms?
The Columbus metro area has 8.5 gyms per 10,000 households, 12% above the U.S. rate of 7.6. Spending per gym is $1.2M, 7% below the U.S. figure of $1.3M. At the national ratio of gyms to household spending, the Columbus metro area would have about 682, against 731 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 3,034 households, against one for every 3,109 across the U.S. The official count rose 13.5% from 2019 to 2023, against +5.8% for the U.S.
How fast is the Columbus, OH metro area growing?
Population estimates put the Columbus metro area at 2,242,028 people in 2025, up 4.7% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 864,663 households. The median household income in the Columbus metro area is $81,945 a year, in line with the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 25.8% 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. The Columbus metro area scores 59 for gyms (upper middle), #110 of 387 scored metro areas.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in the Columbus metro 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 Columbus metro area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Columbus metro 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 Columbus metro 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.