Fitness and classes · Metro area · South Carolina
Gyms in the Columbia, SC metro area
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for gyms in the Columbia, SC metro area, set against other metro areas and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 40 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #286 of 387 scored metro areas
#8 of 8 scored metro areas based in South Carolina
- Listings
- 265
- 76 chain locations (29%)
- Official establishments
- 95
- All fitness and recreational sports centers · +18.8% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $232.6M
- On memberships, classes and admissions · $685 a household
- Spending per listing
- $878K
- 33% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 7.8
- 3% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 879,918
- +6.0% since 2020
See the gyms around any address in the Columbia 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 Columbia 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
Households in the Columbia metro area spend about $232.6M a year on memberships, classes and admissions, or $685 per household, 30% below the U.S. average. Spread across 265 gyms, that is $878K per gym, 33% below the U.S. figure of $1.3M. The spending figure covers all memberships, classes and admissions, not only gyms.
There are 265 gyms on map listings in the Columbia metro area as of September 2026. 76 of them (29%) are chain locations, against 28% across the U.S. That is 7.8 per 10,000 households, 3% above the U.S. rate of 7.6.
Official counts show 95 businesses with payroll classed as fitness and recreational sports centers in the Columbia metro area in 2023, up 18.8% from 2019. That is one for every 3,575 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 $3.7M have gone to businesses classed as fitness and recreational sports centers in the Columbia metro area.
Population estimates put the population change in the Columbia metro area from 2020 to 2025 at +6.0%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). The Groundwork market score for gyms in the Columbia metro area is 40 (lower middle), #286 of 387 scored metro areas and #8 of 8 scored metro areas based in South Carolina.
How the Columbia metro area compares
The same measures for South Carolina 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 | Columbia metro area | South Carolina | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 7.8 | 7.1 | 7.6 |
| Spending per listing | $878K | $986K | $1.3M |
| Households per official establishment (all fitness and recreational sports centers) | 3,575 | 3,690 | 3,109 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +18.8% | +8.5% | +5.8% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +6.0% | +8.5% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on memberships, classes and admissions | $685 | $700 | $983 |
| Median household income | $68,359 | $69,324 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 40 | 47 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 95All fitness and recreational sports centers · +18.8% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 1,255
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $18.5M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- Not publishedNot published for this business type
- Map listings, September 2026
- 26576 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 179The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 12
- Amount
- $3.7M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as fitness and recreational sports centers in the Columbia 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 Columbia metro area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 879,918+6.0% since 2020
- Households
- 339,601
- Median age
- 39.2
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 69%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 3,703 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 229
- Median household income
- $68,359+22.1% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $92,243
- Median home value
- $232,400
- Jobs located here
- 410,492
- Daytime population
- 894,123Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Columbia 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 Columbia 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 South Carolina
Every South Carolina market ranked →The highest-scoring metro areas in South Carolina for gyms, numbered among those based in South Carolina (a market based in another state is listed without a number), with the Columbia metro area marked.
Top metro areas in South Carolina
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Augusta-Richmond County, GA-SC | 59 | 135 | 5.8 | $1.2M | +4.7% | #111 of 387 |
| 1Sumter, SC | 53 | 17 | 4.1 | $1.4M | −0.3% | #156 of 387 |
| 2Florence, SC | 51 | 34 | 4.3 | $1.3M | +0.9% | #176 of 387 |
| 3Spartanburg, SC | 49 | 86 | 6.0 | $1M | +14.3% | #207 of 387 |
| 4Myrtle Beach-Conway-North Myrtle Beach, SC | 47 | 118 | 7.4 | $859K | +20.9% | #231 of 387 |
| Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC | 45 | 849 | 7.9 | $1.1M | +10.1% | #246 of 387 |
| 5Hilton Head Island-Bluffton-Port Royal, SC | 45 | 80 | 8.4 | $1M | +12.0% | #247 of 387 |
| 6Charleston-North Charleston, SC | 42 | 310 | 9.2 | $922K | +10.7% | #267 of 387 |
| 7Greenville-Anderson-Greer, SC | 40 | 303 | 7.9 | $899K | +9.0% | #284 of 387 |
| 8Columbia, SC | 40 | 265 | 7.8 | $878K | +6.0% | #286 of 387 |
Other business types in the Columbia 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 Columbia, SC metro area?
As of September 2026, map listings count 265 gyms in the Columbia metro area. 76 of them (29%) are chain locations. The listings count gyms and fitness centers. Official counts show 95 businesses with payroll classed as fitness and recreational sports centers in 2023, up 18.8% 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 Columbia, SC metro area spend on memberships, classes and admissions?
About $232.6M a year, or $685 per household. That is 30% below the U.S. average (an index of 70, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 265 gyms on map listings, it comes to $878K 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 339,601 households in the Columbia metro area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Columbia, SC metro area compare with the U.S. for gyms?
The Columbia metro area has 7.8 gyms per 10,000 households, 3% above the U.S. rate of 7.6. Spending per gym is $878K, 33% below the U.S. figure of $1.3M. At the U.S. ratio of gyms to household spending, the Columbia metro area would have about 179, against 265 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 3,575 households, against one for every 3,109 across the U.S. The official count rose 18.8% from 2019 to 2023, against +5.8% for the U.S.
How fast is the Columbia, SC metro area growing?
Population estimates put the Columbia metro area at 879,918 people in 2025, up 6.0% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 339,601 households. Median household income in the Columbia metro area is $68,359, 15% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 22.1%, 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 Columbia metro area scores 40 for gyms (lower middle), #286 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 Columbia 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 Columbia metro area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Columbia 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 Columbia 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.