Fitness and classes · Metro area · Texas
Gyms in the Waco, TX metro area
The gyms in the Waco, TX metro area, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other metro areas.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 36 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #316 of 387 scored metro areas
#13 of 26 scored metro areas based in Texas
- Listings
- 77
- 25 chain locations (32%)
- Official establishments
- 36
- All fitness and recreational sports centers · +17.9% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $74.7M
- On memberships, classes and admissions · $672 a household
- Spending per listing
- $970K
- 25% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 6.9
- 9% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 308,807
- +4.2% since 2020
See the gyms around any address in the Waco 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 Waco 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
The Groundwork market score for gyms in the Waco metro area is 36 (lower middle), #316 of 387 scored metro areas and #13 of 26 scored metro areas based in Texas. That puts it in the bottom quarter of metro areas.
As of September 2026, map listings count 77 gyms in the Waco metro area. Chain locations make up 32% of them, against 28% across the U.S. That comes to 6.9 for every 10,000 households, 9% below the U.S. rate of 7.6.
At $672 per household (32% below the U.S. average), households in the Waco metro area spend about $74.7M a year on memberships, classes and admissions. That is about $970K of household spending for each gym on map listings, 25% 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.
In 2023, official counts showed 36 businesses with payroll in the Waco metro area classed as fitness and recreational sports centers, up 17.9% from 2019. That is one for every 3,088 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, 8 SBA-backed loans worth $4.2M have gone to businesses classed as fitness and recreational sports centers in the Waco metro area. Between 2020 and 2025, the population of the Waco metro area grew 4.2%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%).
How the Waco metro area compares
The same measures for Texas 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 | Waco metro area | Texas | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 6.9 | 8.4 | 7.6 |
| Spending per listing | $970K | $970K | $1.3M |
| Households per official establishment (all fitness and recreational sports centers) | 3,088 | 3,173 | 3,109 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +17.9% | +18.9% | +5.8% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +4.2% | +8.5% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on memberships, classes and admissions | $672 | $810 | $983 |
| Median household income | $66,205 | $78,476 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 36 | 41 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 36All fitness and recreational sports centers · +17.9% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 573
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $8.5M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- Not publishedNot published for this business type
- Map listings, September 2026
- 7725 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 57The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 8
- Amount
- $4.2M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as fitness and recreational sports centers in the Waco 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 Waco metro area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 308,807+4.2% since 2020
- Households
- 111,178
- Median age
- 37.1
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 64%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 2,785 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 108
- Median household income
- $66,205
- Average household income
- $91,997
- Median home value
- $234,100
- Jobs located here
- 129,143
- Daytime population
- 295,622Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Waco 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 Waco 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 Texas
Every Texas market ranked →The highest-scoring metro areas in Texas for gyms, numbered among those based in Texas, with the Waco metro area marked.
Top metro areas in Texas
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Odessa, TX | 56 | 39 | 6.0 | $1.2M | +5.0% | #133 of 387 |
| 2Sherman-Denison, TX | 56 | 41 | 7.4 | $953K | +12.8% | #134 of 387 |
| 3Midland, TX | 55 | 56 | 8.0 | $1.2M | +9.8% | #146 of 387 |
| 4Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX | 53 | 2,144 | 8.1 | $1.1M | +10.3% | #163 of 387 |
| 5Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX | 50 | 2,454 | 8.5 | $1.1M | +10.6% | #193 of 387 |
| 6Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX | 49 | 954 | 9.6 | $1.1M | +14.0% | #206 of 387 |
| 7Beaumont-Port Arthur, TX | 48 | 86 | 5.8 | $1.2M | +0.5% | #215 of 387 |
| 8San Antonio-New Braunfels, TX | 45 | 769 | 7.9 | $964K | +9.5% | #248 of 387 |
| 9Killeen-Temple, TX | 41 | 140 | 7.9 | $819K | +7.2% | #275 of 387 |
| 10Amarillo, TX | 39 | 72 | 7.0 | $994K | +2.7% | #295 of 387 |
| 13Waco, TX | 36 | 77 | 6.9 | $970K | +4.2% | #316 of 387 |
Other business types in the Waco 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 Waco, TX metro area?
The Waco metro area has 77 gyms on map listings as of September 2026. 25 of them (32%) are chain locations. The listings count gyms and fitness centers. Official counts show 36 businesses with payroll classed as fitness and recreational sports centers in 2023, up 17.9% 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 the Waco, TX metro area spend on memberships, classes and admissions?
About $74.7M a year, or $672 per household. That is 32% below the U.S. average (an index of 68, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 77 gyms on map listings, it comes to $970K per gym. The spending figure covers all memberships, classes and admissions, not only gyms. It is estimated from the incomes of the 111,178 households in the Waco metro area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Waco, TX metro area compare with the U.S. for gyms?
The Waco metro area has 6.9 gyms per 10,000 households, 9% below the U.S. rate of 7.6. Spending per gym is $970K, 25% below the U.S. figure of $1.3M. At the national ratio of gyms to household spending, the Waco metro area would have about 57, against 77 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 3,088 households, against one for every 3,109 across the U.S. The official count rose 17.9% from 2019 to 2023, against +5.8% for the U.S.
How fast is the Waco, TX metro area growing?
Population estimates put the Waco metro area at 308,807 people in 2025, up 4.2% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 111,178 households. The median household income in the Waco metro area is $66,205 a year, 18% 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. 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 Waco metro area scores 36 for gyms (lower middle), #316 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 Waco 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 Waco metro area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Waco 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 Waco 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.