Groundwork

Fitness and classes · Small-town market · Ohio

Gyms in the Salem, OH area

The gyms in the Salem, OH area, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other small-town markets.

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 52 out of 100: Upper middle

Ranked #236 of 506 scored small-town markets
#17 of 28 scored small-town markets based in Ohio

Listings
26
4 chain locations (15%)
Official establishments
7
All fitness and recreational sports centers
Household spending a year
$28.6M
On memberships, classes and admissions · $690 a household
Spending per listing
$1.1M
15% below the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
6.3
17% below the U.S.
Population, 2025
99,377
−2.2% since 2020

See the gyms around any address in the Salem 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 Salem area. 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

Households in the Salem area spend about $28.6M a year on memberships, classes and admissions, or $690 per household, 30% below the U.S. average. That is about $1.1M of household spending for each gym on map listings, 15% below the U.S. figure of $1.3M. The spending figure covers all memberships, classes and admissions, not only gyms.

The Salem area has 26 gyms on map listings as of September 2026. Chain locations make up 15% of them, 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.

Official counts show 7 businesses with payroll classed as fitness and recreational sports centers in the Salem area in 2023. That is one for every 5,923 households, against one for every 3,109 across the U.S. That count covers all fitness and recreational sports centers (yoga, Pilates and fitness studios included), not only gyms.

Population estimates show the Salem area declined 2.2% from 2020 to 2025, against +3.1% for the U.S. The Groundwork market score for gyms in the Salem area is 52 (upper middle), #236 of 506 scored small-town markets and #17 of 28 scored small-town markets based in Ohio.

How the Salem 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.

Gyms in Salem, OH area compared with Ohio and the U.S.
MeasureSalem areaOhioU.S.
Listings per 10k households6.37.07.6
Spending per listing$1.1M$1.3M$1.3M
Households per official establishment (all fitness and recreational sports centers)5,9233,7583,109
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023n/a+8.7%+5.8%
Population growth, 2020–2025−2.2%+0.9%+3.1%
Spending per household on memberships, classes and admissions$690$884$983
Median household income$58,180$71,389$80,734
Groundwork market score5251

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
7All fitness and recreational sports centers
Employees, 2023
48
Annual payroll, 2023
$718K
One-person businesses, 2023
Not publishedNot published for this business type
Map listings, September 2026
264 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
22The 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 Salem 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 Salem area

Population, 2025 estimate
99,377−2.2% since 2020
Households
41,459
Median age
44.5
Homes lived in by their owners
73%
Vehicles per household
1.9
Land area
532 sq. mi.
People per square mile
189
Median household income
$58,180+20.3% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$78,065
Median home value
$151,600
Jobs located here
28,013
Daytime population
85,744Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in the Salem 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 Salem area. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

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The highest-scoring small-town markets in Ohio for gyms, numbered among those based in Ohio, with the Salem area marked.

Top small-town markets in Ohio

Small-town markets in Ohio ranked for gyms by Groundwork market score
MarketScoreListingsPer 10k householdsSpending per listingPopulation growthU.S. rank
1Findlay, OH67196.0$1.4M+0.1%#69 of 506
2New Philadelphia-Dover, OH64174.4$1.6M−0.9%#97 of 506
3Defiance, OH6495.9$1.3M+0.1%#102 of 506
4Greenville, OH63125.6$1.3M−0.7%#114 of 506
5Chillicothe, OH63175.7$1.3M−0.8%#115 of 506
6Athens, OH61135.6$1.2M+1.3%#135 of 506
7Zanesville, OH61205.8$1.2M+0.7%#137 of 506
8Bucyrus, OH5952.8$2.4M−0.3%#155 of 506
9Coshocton, OH5974.7$1.4M+1.6%#158 of 506
10Van Wert, OH5854.3$1.7M+0.3%#167 of 506
17Salem, OH52266.3$1.1M−2.2%#236 of 506

Other business types in the Salem area

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

Questions

How many gyms are in the Salem, OH area?

Map listings as of September 2026 show 26 gyms in the Salem area. 4 of them (15%) are chain locations. The listings count gyms and fitness centers. Official counts show 7 businesses with payroll classed as fitness and recreational sports centers in 2023. The official count takes in all fitness and recreational sports centers, not only gyms: yoga, Pilates and fitness studios are counted too.

How much do households in the Salem, OH area spend on memberships, classes and admissions?

About $28.6M a year, or $690 per household. That is 30% below the U.S. average (an index of 70, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 26 gyms on map listings, it comes to $1.1M 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 41,459 households in the Salem area and national spending patterns by income.

How does the Salem, OH area compare with the U.S. for gyms?

The Salem area has 6.3 gyms per 10,000 households, 17% below the U.S. rate of 7.6. Spending per gym is $1.1M, 15% below the U.S. figure of $1.3M. At the U.S. ratio of gyms to household spending, the Salem area would have about 22, against 26 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 5,923 households, against one for every 3,109 across the U.S.

How fast is the Salem, OH area growing?

Population estimates put the Salem area at 99,377 people in 2025, down 2.2% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 41,459 households. Median household income in the Salem area is $58,180, 28% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 20.3%, 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 Salem area scores 52 for gyms (upper middle), #236 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 Salem 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 Salem area

Screening a site or an acquisition in the Salem 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 Salem 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.