Fitness and classes · Small-town market · South Carolina
Gyms in the Murrells Inlet, SC area
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for gyms in the Murrells Inlet, SC area, set against other small-town markets and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 79 out of 100: High
Ranked #18 of 506 scored small-town markets
#1 of 6 scored small-town markets based in South Carolina
- Listings
- 13
- 5 chain locations (38%)
- Official establishments
- 4
- All fitness and recreational sports centers
- Household spending a year
- $19.4M
- On memberships, classes and admissions · $716 a household
- Spending per listing
- $1.5M
- 15% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 4.8
- 37% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 65,912
- +3.8% since 2020
See the gyms around any address in the Murrells Inlet 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 Murrells Inlet 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
The Groundwork market score for gyms in the Murrells Inlet area is 79 (high), #18 of 506 scored small-town markets and #1 of 6 scored small-town markets based in South Carolina. That puts it in the top 10% of small-town markets for gyms.
At $716 per household (27% below the U.S. average), households in the Murrells Inlet area spend about $19.4M a year on memberships, classes and admissions. That is about $1.5M of household spending for each gym on map listings, 15% above the U.S. figure of $1.3M. The spending figure covers all memberships, classes and admissions, not only gyms.
There are 13 gyms on map listings in the Murrells Inlet area as of September 2026. 5 of them (38%) are chain locations, against 28% across the U.S. That comes to 4.8 for every 10,000 households, 37% below the U.S. rate of 7.6.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as fitness and recreational sports centers in the Murrells Inlet area was 4 in 2023. That is one for every 6,782 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, 6 SBA-backed loans worth $1.6M have gone to businesses classed as fitness and recreational sports centers in the Murrells Inlet area. Population estimates put the population change in the Murrells Inlet area from 2020 to 2025 at +3.8%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%).
How the Murrells Inlet 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 | Murrells Inlet area | South Carolina | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 4.8 | 7.1 | 7.6 |
| Spending per listing | $1.5M | $986K | $1.3M |
| Households per official establishment (all fitness and recreational sports centers) | 6,782 | 3,690 | 3,109 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +8.5% | +5.8% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +3.8% | +8.5% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on memberships, classes and admissions | $716 | $700 | $983 |
| Median household income | $68,713 | $69,324 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 79 | 47 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 4All fitness and recreational sports centers
- Employees, 2023
- 90
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $1.6M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- Not publishedNot published for this business type
- Map listings, September 2026
- 135 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 15The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 6
- Amount
- $1.6M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as fitness and recreational sports centers in the Murrells Inlet 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 Murrells Inlet area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 65,912+3.8% since 2020
- Households
- 27,129
- Median age
- 50.9
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 84%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 814 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 80
- Median household income
- $68,713
- Average household income
- $100,202
- Median home value
- $289,500
- Jobs located here
- 25,133
- Daytime population
- 61,754Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Murrells Inlet area?
These figures cover the whole small-town market. 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 Murrells Inlet 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 small-town markets in South Carolina for gyms, numbered among those based in South Carolina, with the Murrells Inlet area marked.
Top small-town markets in South Carolina
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Murrells Inlet, SC | 79 | 13 | 4.8 | $1.5M | +3.8% | #18 of 506 |
| 2Seneca, SC | 63 | 20 | 5.8 | $1.1M | +6.3% | #116 of 506 |
| 3Newberry, SC | 61 | 7 | 4.6 | $1.2M | +4.8% | #138 of 506 |
| 4Gaffney, SC | 55 | 9 | 4.1 | $1.2M | +3.7% | #197 of 506 |
| 5Greenwood, SC | 55 | 17 | 4.5 | $1.2M | +1.7% | #198 of 506 |
| 6Orangeburg, SC | 52 | 14 | 4.2 | $1.1M | −0.9% | #234 of 506 |
Other business types in the Murrells Inlet 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 Murrells Inlet, SC area?
As of September 2026, map listings count 13 gyms in the Murrells Inlet area. 5 of them (38%) are chain locations. The listings count gyms and fitness centers. Official counts show 4 businesses with payroll classed as fitness and recreational sports centers in 2023. 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 Murrells Inlet, SC area spend on memberships, classes and admissions?
About $19.4M a year, or $716 per household. That is 27% below the U.S. average (an index of 73, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 13 gyms on map listings, it comes to $1.5M 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 27,129 households in the Murrells Inlet area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Murrells Inlet, SC area compare with the U.S. for gyms?
The Murrells Inlet area has 4.8 gyms per 10,000 households, 37% below the U.S. rate of 7.6. Spending per gym is $1.5M, 15% above the U.S. figure of $1.3M. At the U.S. ratio of gyms to household spending, the Murrells Inlet area would have about 15, against 13 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 6,782 households, against one for every 3,109 across the U.S.
How fast is the Murrells Inlet, SC area growing?
Population estimates put the Murrells Inlet area at 65,912 people in 2025, up 3.8% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 27,129 households. Median household income in the Murrells Inlet area is $68,713, 15% below the U.S. median of $80,734.
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. A small-town market is a town of 10,000 to 50,000 people and the county or counties tied to it by commuting. 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 Murrells Inlet area scores 79 for gyms (high), #18 of 506 scored small-town markets.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in the Murrells Inlet 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 Murrells Inlet area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Murrells Inlet 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 Murrells Inlet 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.