Fitness and classes · County · Pennsylvania
Gyms in Lehigh County, PA
How Lehigh County, PA compares with other counties and the U.S. for gyms: competitors, household spending, official counts and growth.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 68 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #266 of 1,792 scored counties
#7 of 57 scored counties in Pennsylvania
- Listings
- 84
- 19 chain locations (23%)
- Official establishments
- 45
- All fitness and recreational sports centers · +21.6% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $137.6M
- On memberships, classes and admissions · $953 a household
- Spending per listing
- $1.6M
- 26% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 5.8
- 24% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 384,383
- +2.7% since 2020
See the gyms around any address in Lehigh 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 Lehigh 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
At $953 per household (3% below the U.S. average), households in Lehigh County spend about $137.6M a year on memberships, classes and admissions. Spread across 84 gyms, that is $1.6M per gym, 26% above the U.S. figure of $1.3M. The spending figure covers all memberships, classes and admissions, not only gyms.
There are 84 gyms on map listings in Lehigh County as of September 2026. 19 of them (23%) are chain locations, against 28% across the U.S. That comes to 5.8 for every 10,000 households, 24% below the U.S. rate of 7.6.
In 2023, official counts showed 45 businesses with payroll in Lehigh County classed as fitness and recreational sports centers, up 21.6% from 2019. That is one for every 3,209 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. Since fiscal 2022, 12 SBA-backed loans worth $10.3M have gone to businesses classed as fitness and recreational sports centers in Lehigh County.
Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Lehigh County grew 2.7%, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%). Lehigh County scores 68 (upper middle) on the Groundwork market score for gyms, ranking #266 of 1,792 scored counties and #7 of 57 scored counties in Pennsylvania. That puts it in the top quarter of counties.
How Lehigh 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 | Lehigh County | Pennsylvania | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 5.8 | 6.9 | 7.6 |
| Spending per listing | $1.6M | $1.3M | $1.3M |
| Households per official establishment (all fitness and recreational sports centers) | 3,209 | 3,222 | 3,109 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +21.6% | −1.0% | +5.8% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +2.7% | +0.5% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on memberships, classes and admissions | $953 | $926 | $983 |
| Median household income | $80,079 | $77,971 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 68 | 50 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 37 → 45All fitness and recreational sports centers · +21.6% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 611
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $8.9M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- Not publishedNot published for this business type
- Map listings, September 2026
- 8419 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 106The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 12
- Amount
- $10.3M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as fitness and recreational sports centers in Lehigh 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 Lehigh County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 384,383+2.7% since 2020
- Households
- 144,386
- Median age
- 40.5
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 66%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.8
- Land area
- 345 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 1,097
- Median household income
- $80,079+25.3% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $110,753
- Median home value
- $300,400
- Jobs located here
- 215,511
- Daytime population
- 411,839Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Lehigh 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 Lehigh 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 Lehigh 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 Lehigh 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 Lehigh County, PA?
As of September 2026, map listings count 84 gyms in Lehigh County. 19 of them (23%) are chain locations. The listings count gyms and fitness centers. Official counts show 45 businesses with payroll classed as fitness and recreational sports centers in 2023, up 21.6% from 2019. 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 Lehigh County, PA spend on memberships, classes and admissions?
About $137.6M a year, or $953 per household. That is 3% below the U.S. average (an index of 97, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 84 gyms on map listings, it comes to $1.6M 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 144,386 households in Lehigh County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Lehigh County, PA compare with the U.S. for gyms?
Lehigh County has 5.8 gyms per 10,000 households, 24% below the U.S. rate of 7.6. Spending per gym is $1.6M, 26% above the U.S. figure of $1.3M. At the U.S. ratio of gyms to household spending, Lehigh County would have about 106, against 84 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 3,209 households, against one for every 3,109 across the U.S. The official count rose 21.6% from 2019 to 2023, against +5.8% for the U.S.
How fast is Lehigh County, PA growing?
Population estimates put Lehigh County at 384,383 people in 2025, up 2.7% since 2020, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 144,386 households. Median household income in Lehigh County is $80,079, in line with the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 25.3%, 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. 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. Lehigh County scores 68 for gyms (upper middle), #266 of 1,792 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Lehigh 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 Lehigh County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Lehigh 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 Lehigh 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.