Fitness and classes · Metro area · Pennsylvania
Gyms in the Altoona, PA metro area
The gyms in the Altoona, PA metro area, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other metro areas.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 35 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #319 of 387 scored metro areas
#13 of 16 scored metro areas based in Pennsylvania
- Listings
- 32
- 6 chain locations (19%)
- Official establishments
- 13
- All fitness and recreational sports centers
- Household spending a year
- $35.2M
- On memberships, classes and admissions · $696 a household
- Spending per listing
- $1.1M
- 16% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 6.3
- 17% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 119,541
- −2.5% since 2020
See the gyms around any address in the Altoona 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 Altoona 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
The Altoona metro area scores 35 (lower middle) on the Groundwork market score for gyms, ranking #319 of 387 scored metro areas and #13 of 16 scored metro areas based in Pennsylvania. That puts it in the bottom quarter of metro areas.
Map listings as of September 2026 show 32 gyms in the Altoona metro area. Chain locations make up 19% 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.
Households in the Altoona metro area spend about $35.2M a year on memberships, classes and admissions, or $696 per household, 29% below the U.S. average. Spread across 32 gyms, that is $1.1M per gym, 16% 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 Altoona metro area was 13 in 2023. That is one for every 3,889 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. Population estimates put the population change in the Altoona metro area from 2020 to 2025 at −2.5%, against +3.1% for the U.S.
How the Altoona metro area compares
The same measures for Pennsylvania 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 | Altoona metro area | Pennsylvania | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 6.3 | 6.9 | 7.6 |
| Spending per listing | $1.1M | $1.3M | $1.3M |
| Households per official establishment (all fitness and recreational sports centers) | 3,889 | 3,222 | 3,109 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | −1.0% | +5.8% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −2.5% | +0.5% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on memberships, classes and admissions | $696 | $926 | $983 |
| Median household income | $62,382 | $77,971 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 35 | 50 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 13All fitness and recreational sports centers
- Employees, 2023
- 201
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $2.5M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- Not publishedNot published for this business type
- Map listings, September 2026
- 326 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 27The 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 Altoona 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 Altoona metro area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 119,541−2.5% since 2020
- Households
- 50,558
- Median age
- 43.3
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 72%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.7
- Land area
- 525 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 231
- Median household income
- $62,382+26.8% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $82,561
- Median home value
- $161,100
- Jobs located here
- 57,420
- Daytime population
- 126,336Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Altoona 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 Altoona 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 Pennsylvania
Every Pennsylvania market ranked →The highest-scoring metro areas in Pennsylvania for gyms, numbered among those based in Pennsylvania, with the Altoona metro area marked.
Top metro areas in Pennsylvania
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Gettysburg, PA | 83 | 18 | 4.4 | $2M | +3.6% | #5 of 387 |
| 2York-Hanover, PA | 74 | 103 | 5.7 | $1.6M | +3.6% | #24 of 387 |
| 3Chambersburg, PA | 72 | 30 | 4.7 | $1.8M | +3.0% | #29 of 387 |
| 4Lancaster, PA | 67 | 129 | 6.1 | $1.6M | +1.9% | #53 of 387 |
| 5Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton, PA-NJ | 67 | 219 | 6.4 | $1.5M | +3.0% | #54 of 387 |
| 6Reading, PA | 66 | 86 | 5.3 | $1.7M | +2.7% | #60 of 387 |
| 7Lebanon, PA | 60 | 30 | 5.3 | $1.6M | +2.2% | #99 of 387 |
| 8Williamsport, PA | 59 | 23 | 4.9 | $1.4M | −1.3% | #106 of 387 |
| 9Harrisburg-Carlisle, PA | 58 | 187 | 7.6 | $1.2M | +4.2% | #119 of 387 |
| 10Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD | 52 | 1,977 | 8.0 | $1.3M | +1.4% | #168 of 387 |
| 13Altoona, PA | 35 | 32 | 6.3 | $1.1M | −2.5% | #319 of 387 |
Other business types in the Altoona 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 Altoona, PA metro area?
There are 32 gyms on map listings in the Altoona metro area as of September 2026. 6 of them (19%) are chain locations. The listings count gyms and fitness centers. Official counts show 13 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 the Altoona, PA metro area spend on memberships, classes and admissions?
About $35.2M a year, or $696 per household. That is 29% below the U.S. average (an index of 71, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 32 gyms on map listings, it comes to $1.1M per gym. The spending figure covers all memberships, classes and admissions, not only gyms. It is estimated from the incomes of the 50,558 households in the Altoona metro area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Altoona, PA metro area compare with the U.S. for gyms?
The Altoona metro area has 6.3 gyms per 10,000 households, 17% below the U.S. rate of 7.6. Spending per gym is $1.1M, 16% below the U.S. figure of $1.3M. At the national ratio of gyms to household spending, the Altoona metro area would have about 27, against 32 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 3,889 households, against one for every 3,109 across the U.S.
How fast is the Altoona, PA metro area growing?
Population estimates put the Altoona metro area at 119,541 people in 2025, down 2.5% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 50,558 households. The median household income in the Altoona metro area is $62,382 a year, 23% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 26.8% 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 Altoona metro area scores 35 for gyms (lower middle), #319 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 Altoona 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 Altoona metro area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Altoona 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 Altoona 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.