Fitness and classes · County · South Carolina
Gyms in Richland County, SC
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for gyms in Richland County, SC, set against other counties and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 38 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,310 of 1,792 scored counties
#28 of 32 scored counties in South Carolina
- Listings
- 147
- 45 chain locations (31%)
- Official establishments
- 50
- All fitness and recreational sports centers · +19.1% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $114.4M
- On memberships, classes and admissions · $681 a household
- Spending per listing
- $778K
- 40% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 8.8
- 16% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 434,956
- +4.6% since 2020
See the gyms around any address in Richland 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 Richland 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 147 gyms in Richland County. Chain locations make up 31% of them, against 28% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 8.8, 16% above the U.S. rate of 7.6.
Households in Richland County spend about $114.4M a year on memberships, classes and admissions, or $681 per household, 31% below the U.S. average. Spread across 147 gyms, that is $778K per gym, 40% below 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 Richland County was 50 in 2023, up 19.1% from 2019. That is one for every 3,359 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, 7 SBA-backed loans worth $1.4M have gone to businesses classed as fitness and recreational sports centers in Richland County.
Population estimates show Richland County grew 4.6% from 2020 to 2025, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). The Groundwork market score for gyms in Richland County is 38 (lower middle), #1,310 of 1,792 scored counties and #28 of 32 scored counties in South Carolina.
How Richland 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 | Richland County | South Carolina | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 8.8 | 7.1 | 7.6 |
| Spending per listing | $778K | $986K | $1.3M |
| Households per official establishment (all fitness and recreational sports centers) | 3,359 | 3,690 | 3,109 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +19.1% | +8.5% | +5.8% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +4.6% | +8.5% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on memberships, classes and admissions | $681 | $700 | $983 |
| Median household income | $63,784 | $69,324 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 38 | 47 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 42 → 50All fitness and recreational sports centers · +19.1% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 794
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $11.2M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- Not publishedNot published for this business type
- Map listings, September 2026
- 14745 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 88The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 7
- Amount
- $1.4M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as fitness and recreational sports centers in Richland 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 Richland County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 434,956+4.6% since 2020
- Households
- 167,961
- Median age
- 36.8
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 60%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.7
- Land area
- 757 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 557
- Median household income
- $63,784+16.5% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $90,966
- Median home value
- $242,800
- Jobs located here
- 234,516
- Daytime population
- 484,051Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Richland 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 Richland 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 Richland 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 |
| 28Richland County, SC | 38 | 147 | 8.8 | $778K | +4.6% | #1,310 of 1,792 |
Other business types in Richland 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 Richland County, SC?
Richland County has 147 gyms on map listings as of September 2026. 45 of them (31%) are chain locations. The listings count gyms and fitness centers. Official counts show 50 businesses with payroll classed as fitness and recreational sports centers in 2023, up 19.1% from 2019. That count covers all fitness and recreational sports centers (yoga, Pilates and fitness studios included), not only gyms.
How much do households in Richland County, SC spend on memberships, classes and admissions?
About $114.4M a year, or $681 per household. That is 31% below the U.S. average (an index of 69, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 147 gyms on map listings, it comes to $778K per gym. The spending figure covers all memberships, classes and admissions, not only gyms. It is estimated from the incomes of the 167,961 households in Richland County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Richland County, SC compare with the U.S. for gyms?
Richland County has 8.8 gyms per 10,000 households, 16% above the U.S. rate of 7.6. Spending per gym is $778K, 40% below the U.S. figure of $1.3M. At the national ratio of gyms to household spending, Richland County would have about 88, against 147 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 3,359 households, against one for every 3,109 across the U.S. The official count rose 19.1% from 2019 to 2023, against +5.8% for the U.S.
How fast is Richland County, SC growing?
Population estimates put Richland County at 434,956 people in 2025, up 4.6% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 167,961 households. The median household income in Richland County is $63,784 a year, 21% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 16.5% 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. Richland County scores 38 for gyms (lower middle), #1,310 of 1,792 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Richland 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 Richland County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Richland 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 Richland 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.