Fitness and classes · Metro area · Pennsylvania
Gyms in the Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD metro area
How the Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD metro area compares with other metro areas and the U.S. for gyms: competitors, household spending, official counts and growth.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 52 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #168 of 387 scored metro areas
#10 of 16 scored metro areas based in Pennsylvania
- Listings
- 1,977
- 578 chain locations (29%)
- Official establishments
- 1,007
- All fitness and recreational sports centers · +0.5% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $2.7B
- On memberships, classes and admissions · $1,080 a household
- Spending per listing
- $1.3M
- 4% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 8.0
- 5% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 6,329,118
- +1.4% since 2020
See the gyms around any address in the Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington 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 Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington 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
At $1,080 per household (10% above the U.S. average), households in the Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington metro area spend about $2.7B a year on memberships, classes and admissions. Spread across 1,977 gyms, that is $1.3M per gym, 4% above the U.S. figure of $1.3M. The spending figure covers all memberships, classes and admissions, not only gyms.
The Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington metro area has 1,977 gyms on map listings as of September 2026. Chain locations make up 29% of them, against 28% across the U.S. That is 8.0 per 10,000 households, 5% above the U.S. rate of 7.6.
In 2023, official counts showed 1,007 businesses with payroll in the Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington metro area classed as fitness and recreational sports centers, up 0.5% from 2019. That is one for every 2,451 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, 119 SBA-backed loans worth $61.6M have gone to businesses classed as fitness and recreational sports centers in the Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington metro area.
Between 2020 and 2025, the population of the Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington metro area grew 1.4%, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). The Groundwork market score for gyms in the Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington metro area is 52 (upper middle), #168 of 387 scored metro areas and #10 of 16 scored metro areas based in Pennsylvania.
How the Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington 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 | Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington metro area | Pennsylvania | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 8.0 | 6.9 | 7.6 |
| Spending per listing | $1.3M | $1.3M | $1.3M |
| Households per official establishment (all fitness and recreational sports centers) | 2,451 | 3,222 | 3,109 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +0.5% | −1.0% | +5.8% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +1.4% | +0.5% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on memberships, classes and admissions | $1,080 | $926 | $983 |
| Median household income | $91,289 | $77,971 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 52 | 50 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 1,007All fitness and recreational sports centers · +0.5% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 18,385
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $342M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- Not publishedNot published for this business type
- Map listings, September 2026
- 1,977578 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 2,048The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 119
- Amount
- $61.6M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as fitness and recreational sports centers in the Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington 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 Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington metro area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 6,329,118+1.4% since 2020
- Households
- 2,467,761
- Median age
- 40.5
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 67%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.6
- Land area
- 4,603 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 1,363
- Median household income
- $91,289+26.2% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $126,166
- Median home value
- $351,900
- Jobs located here
- 2,980,509
- Daytime population
- 6,255,075Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington 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 Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington 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 Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington 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 |
Other business types in the Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington 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 Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD metro area?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 1,977 gyms in the Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington metro area. 578 of them (29%) are chain locations. The listings count gyms and fitness centers. Official counts show 1,007 businesses with payroll classed as fitness and recreational sports centers in 2023, up 0.5% 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 the Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD metro area spend on memberships, classes and admissions?
About $2.7B a year, or $1,080 per household. That is 10% above the U.S. average (an index of 110, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 1,977 gyms on map listings, it comes to $1.3M 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 2,467,761 households in the Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington metro area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD metro area compare with the U.S. for gyms?
The Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington metro area has 8.0 gyms per 10,000 households, 5% above the U.S. rate of 7.6. Spending per gym is $1.3M, 4% above the U.S. figure of $1.3M. At the U.S. ratio of gyms to household spending, the Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington metro area would have about 2,048, against 1,977 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 2,451 households, against one for every 3,109 across the U.S. The official count rose 0.5% from 2019 to 2023, against +5.8% for the U.S.
How fast is the Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD metro area growing?
Population estimates put the Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington metro area at 6,329,118 people in 2025, up 1.4% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 2,467,761 households. Median household income in the Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington metro area is $91,289, 13% above the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 26.2%, 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 Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington metro area scores 52 for gyms (upper middle), #168 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 Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington 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 Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington metro area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington 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 Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington 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.