Fitness and classes · County · South Carolina
Gyms in Dorchester County, SC
The gyms in Dorchester County, SC, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 71 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #215 of 1,792 scored counties
#3 of 32 scored counties in South Carolina
- Listings
- 37
- 12 chain locations (32%)
- Official establishments
- 12
- All fitness and recreational sports centers
- Household spending a year
- $47.8M
- On memberships, classes and admissions · $756 a household
- Spending per listing
- $1.3M
- In line with the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 5.9
- 22% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 178,397
- +10.1% since 2020
See the gyms around any address in Dorchester 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 Dorchester 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
As of September 2026, map listings count 37 gyms in Dorchester County. Chain locations make up 32% of them, against 28% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 5.9, 22% below the U.S. rate of 7.6.
Households in Dorchester County spend about $47.8M a year on memberships, classes and admissions, or $756 per household, 23% below the U.S. average. Spread across 37 gyms, that is $1.3M per gym, in line with 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 Dorchester County was 12 in 2023. That is one for every 5,265 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, 1 SBA-backed loan worth $413K has gone to businesses classed as fitness and recreational sports centers in Dorchester County.
Population estimates put the population change in Dorchester County from 2020 to 2025 at +10.1%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). Dorchester County scores 71 (upper middle) on the Groundwork market score for gyms, ranking #215 of 1,792 scored counties and #3 of 32 scored counties in South Carolina. That puts it in the top quarter of counties.
How Dorchester County 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 | Dorchester County | South Carolina | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 5.9 | 7.1 | 7.6 |
| Spending per listing | $1.3M | $986K | $1.3M |
| Households per official establishment (all fitness and recreational sports centers) | 5,265 | 3,690 | 3,109 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +8.5% | +5.8% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +10.1% | +8.5% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on memberships, classes and admissions | $756 | $700 | $983 |
| Median household income | $78,198 | $69,324 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 71 | 47 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 16 → 12All fitness and recreational sports centers
- Employees, 2023
- 327
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $4.4M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- Not publishedNot published for this business type
- Map listings, September 2026
- 3712 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 37The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 1
- Amount
- $413K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as fitness and recreational sports centers in Dorchester 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 Dorchester County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 178,397+10.1% since 2020
- Households
- 63,179
- Median age
- 38.4
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 76%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 568 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 294
- Median household income
- $78,198+24.0% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $100,220
- Median home value
- $329,300
- Jobs located here
- 39,777
- Daytime population
- 129,933Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Dorchester 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 Dorchester County. 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 counties in South Carolina for gyms, numbered among those based in South Carolina, with Dorchester County marked.
Top counties in South Carolina
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Kershaw County, SC | 77 | 11 | 4.1 | $1.6M | +11.6% | #105 of 1,792 |
| 2Georgetown County, SC | 73 | 13 | 4.8 | $1.5M | +3.8% | #168 of 1,792 |
| 3Dorchester County, SC | 71 | 37 | 5.9 | $1.3M | +10.1% | #215 of 1,792 |
| 4Berkeley County, SC | 71 | 61 | 6.5 | $1.2M | +18.7% | #218 of 1,792 |
| 5Laurens County, SC | 69 | 10 | 3.7 | $1.4M | +6.2% | #255 of 1,792 |
| 6Jasper County, SC | 66 | 6 | 4.6 | $1.4M | +32.2% | #324 of 1,792 |
| 7Lancaster County, SC | 66 | 29 | 7.2 | $1.1M | +18.3% | #335 of 1,792 |
| 8Aiken County, SC | 65 | 37 | 5.3 | $1.3M | +7.3% | #367 of 1,792 |
| 9Oconee County, SC | 59 | 20 | 5.8 | $1.1M | +6.3% | #579 of 1,792 |
| 10York County, SC | 58 | 85 | 7.5 | $1.2M | +8.1% | #617 of 1,792 |
Other business types in Dorchester 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 Dorchester County, SC?
Dorchester County has 37 gyms on map listings as of September 2026. 12 of them (32%) are chain locations. The listings count gyms and fitness centers. Official counts show 12 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 Dorchester County, SC spend on memberships, classes and admissions?
About $47.8M a year, or $756 per household. That is 23% below the U.S. average (an index of 77, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 37 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 63,179 households in Dorchester County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Dorchester County, SC compare with the U.S. for gyms?
Dorchester County has 5.9 gyms per 10,000 households, 22% below the U.S. rate of 7.6. Spending per gym is $1.3M, in line with the U.S. figure of $1.3M. The count on map listings matches the U.S. ratio of gyms to household spending. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 5,265 households, against one for every 3,109 across the U.S.
How fast is Dorchester County, SC growing?
Population estimates put Dorchester County at 178,397 people in 2025, up 10.1% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 63,179 households. The median household income in Dorchester County is $78,198 a year, 3% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 24.0% 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. Dorchester County scores 71 for gyms (upper middle), #215 of 1,792 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Dorchester 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 Dorchester County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Dorchester 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 Dorchester 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.