Fitness and classes · County · Pennsylvania
Gyms in Dauphin County, PA
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for gyms in Dauphin County, PA, set against other counties and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 66 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #330 of 1,792 scored counties
#9 of 57 scored counties in Pennsylvania
- Listings
- 83
- 25 chain locations (30%)
- Official establishments
- 25
- All fitness and recreational sports centers · −19.3% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $105.9M
- On memberships, classes and admissions · $872 a household
- Spending per listing
- $1.3M
- 2% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 6.8
- 11% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 293,351
- +2.3% since 2020
See the gyms around any address in Dauphin 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 Dauphin County. 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 83 gyms in Dauphin County. 25 of them (30%) are chain locations, against 28% across the U.S. That comes to 6.8 for every 10,000 households, 11% below the U.S. rate of 7.6.
Household spending on memberships, classes and admissions in Dauphin County comes to about $105.9M a year: $872 per household, 11% below the U.S. average. Spread across 83 gyms, that is $1.3M per gym, 2% 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.
In 2023, official counts showed 25 businesses with payroll in Dauphin County classed as fitness and recreational sports centers, down 19.3% from 2019. That is one for every 4,854 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, 2 SBA-backed loans worth $4.3M have gone to businesses classed as fitness and recreational sports centers in Dauphin County.
Population estimates put the population change in Dauphin County from 2020 to 2025 at +2.3%, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). Dauphin County scores 66 (upper middle) on the Groundwork market score for gyms, ranking #330 of 1,792 scored counties and #9 of 57 scored counties in Pennsylvania. That puts it in the top quarter of counties.
How Dauphin County 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 | Dauphin County | Pennsylvania | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 6.8 | 6.9 | 7.6 |
| Spending per listing | $1.3M | $1.3M | $1.3M |
| Households per official establishment (all fitness and recreational sports centers) | 4,854 | 3,222 | 3,109 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | −19.3% | −1.0% | +5.8% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +2.3% | +0.5% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on memberships, classes and admissions | $872 | $926 | $983 |
| Median household income | $76,242 | $77,971 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 66 | 50 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 31 → 25All fitness and recreational sports centers · −19.3% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 320
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $6.1M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- Not publishedNot published for this business type
- Map listings, September 2026
- 8325 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 81The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 2
- Amount
- $4.3M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as fitness and recreational sports centers in Dauphin 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 Dauphin County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 293,351+2.3% since 2020
- Households
- 121,358
- Median age
- 39.9
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 63%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.7
- Land area
- 525 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 552
- Median household income
- $76,242+25.6% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $101,388
- Median home value
- $236,400
- Jobs located here
- 201,933
- Daytime population
- 355,122Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Dauphin 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 Dauphin County. 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 counties in Pennsylvania for gyms, numbered among those based in Pennsylvania, with Dauphin County marked.
Top counties in Pennsylvania
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Pike County, PA | 88 | 12 | 4.9 | $1.8M | +7.2% | #21 of 1,792 |
| 2Adams County, PA | 84 | 18 | 4.4 | $2M | +3.6% | #41 of 1,792 |
| 3York County, PA | 74 | 103 | 5.7 | $1.6M | +3.6% | #148 of 1,792 |
| 4Franklin County, PA | 73 | 30 | 4.7 | $1.8M | +3.0% | #164 of 1,792 |
| 5Lancaster County, PA | 69 | 129 | 6.1 | $1.6M | +1.9% | #246 of 1,792 |
| 6Berks County, PA | 68 | 86 | 5.3 | $1.7M | +2.7% | #265 of 1,792 |
| 7Lehigh County, PA | 68 | 84 | 5.8 | $1.6M | +2.7% | #266 of 1,792 |
| 8Northampton County, PA | 67 | 94 | 7.7 | $1.3M | +3.7% | #302 of 1,792 |
| 9Dauphin County, PA | 66 | 83 | 6.8 | $1.3M | +2.3% | #330 of 1,792 |
| 10Venango County, PA | 65 | 5 | 2.3 | $2.7M | −2.0% | #339 of 1,792 |
Other business types in Dauphin County
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 Dauphin County, PA?
There are 83 gyms on map listings in Dauphin County as of September 2026. 25 of them (30%) are chain locations. The listings count gyms and fitness centers. Official counts show 25 businesses with payroll classed as fitness and recreational sports centers in 2023, down 19.3% 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 Dauphin County, PA spend on memberships, classes and admissions?
About $105.9M a year, or $872 per household. That is 11% below the U.S. average (an index of 89, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 83 gyms on map listings, it comes to $1.3M per gym. The spending figure covers all memberships, classes and admissions, not only gyms. It is estimated from the incomes of the 121,358 households in Dauphin County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Dauphin County, PA compare with the U.S. for gyms?
Dauphin County has 6.8 gyms per 10,000 households, 11% below the U.S. rate of 7.6. Spending per gym is $1.3M, 2% below the U.S. figure of $1.3M. At the national ratio of gyms to household spending, Dauphin County would have about 81, against 83 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 4,854 households, against one for every 3,109 across the U.S. The official count fell 19.3% from 2019 to 2023, against +5.8% for the U.S.
How fast is Dauphin County, PA growing?
Population estimates put Dauphin County at 293,351 people in 2025, up 2.3% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 121,358 households. The median household income in Dauphin County is $76,242 a year, 6% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 25.6% 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. Dauphin County scores 66 for gyms (upper middle), #330 of 1,792 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Dauphin 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 Dauphin County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Dauphin 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 Dauphin 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.