Fitness and classes · County · Virginia
Gyms in Amherst County, VA
How Amherst County, VA compares with other counties and the U.S. for gyms: competitors, household spending, official counts and growth.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 28 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,540 of 1,792 scored counties
#59 of 72 scored counties in Virginia
- Listings
- 10
- 7 chain locations (70%)
- Official establishments
- n/a
- Fewer than 3, or not published
- Household spending a year
- $8M
- On memberships, classes and admissions · $630 a household
- Spending per listing
- $799K
- 39% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 7.9
- 4% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 31,962
- +2.1% since 2020
See the gyms around any address in Amherst 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 Amherst 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
Amherst County scores 28 (lower middle) on the Groundwork market score for gyms, ranking #1,540 of 1,792 scored counties and #59 of 72 scored counties in Virginia. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.
As of September 2026, map listings count 10 gyms in Amherst County. 7 of them (70%) are chain locations, against 28% across the U.S. That comes to 7.9 for every 10,000 households, 4% above the U.S. rate of 7.6.
At $630 per household (36% below the U.S. average), households in Amherst County spend about $8M a year on memberships, classes and admissions. That is about $799K of household spending for each gym on map listings, 39% 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.
There is no official count of businesses with payroll classed as fitness and recreational sports centers in Amherst County: counts under 3 aren’t published. Since fiscal 2022, 1 SBA-backed loan worth $398K has gone to businesses classed as fitness and recreational sports centers in Amherst County. Population estimates show Amherst County grew 2.1% from 2020 to 2025, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%).
How Amherst County compares
The same measures for Virginia 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 | Amherst County | Virginia | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 7.9 | 6.9 | 7.6 |
| Spending per listing | $799K | $1.4M | $1.3M |
| Households per official establishment (all fitness and recreational sports centers) | n/a | 2,759 | 3,109 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +9.6% | +5.8% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +2.1% | +2.8% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on memberships, classes and admissions | $630 | $960 | $983 |
| Median household income | $68,724 | $93,170 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 28 | 54 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- n/aAll fitness and recreational sports centers
- Employees, 2023
- n/a
- Annual payroll, 2023
- n/a
- One-person businesses, 2023
- Not publishedNot published for this business type
- Map listings, September 2026
- 107 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 6The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 1
- Amount
- $398K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as fitness and recreational sports centers in Amherst 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 Amherst County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 31,962+2.1% since 2020
- Households
- 12,694
- Median age
- 44.0
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 81%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.2
- Land area
- 474 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 66
- Median household income
- $68,724+29.9% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $86,902
- Median home value
- $212,400
- Jobs located here
- 8,562
- Daytime population
- 26,580Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Amherst 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 Amherst County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.
Free10 actions over 3 days, no cardGyms across Virginia
Every Virginia market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in Virginia for gyms, numbered among those based in Virginia, with Amherst County marked.
Top counties in Virginia
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Powhatan County, VA | 90 | 5 | 4.4 | $2.3M | +7.0% | #11 of 1,792 |
| 2New Kent County, VA | 90 | 6 | 6.5 | $1.6M | +21.2% | #16 of 1,792 |
| 3Spotsylvania County, VA | 89 | 33 | 6.3 | $1.7M | +10.5% | #20 of 1,792 |
| 4Orange County, VA | 86 | 5 | 3.4 | $2.6M | +10.1% | #29 of 1,792 |
| 5Isle of Wight County, VA | 85 | 5 | 3.2 | $2.8M | +6.7% | #32 of 1,792 |
| 6Rockingham County, VA | 83 | 12 | 3.7 | $2.1M | +6.6% | #44 of 1,792 |
| 7Stafford County, VA | 81 | 27 | 5.2 | $2.5M | +8.3% | #54 of 1,792 |
| 8Frederick County, VA | 81 | 16 | 4.5 | $2.1M | +8.8% | #56 of 1,792 |
| 9Louisa County, VA | 80 | 5 | 3.2 | $2.5M | +13.6% | #63 of 1,792 |
| 10Suffolk city, VA | 80 | 18 | 4.7 | $1.8M | +10.4% | #67 of 1,792 |
| 59Amherst County, VA | 28 | 10 | 7.9 | $799K | +2.1% | #1,540 of 1,792 |
Other business types in Amherst 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 Amherst County, VA?
Amherst County has 10 gyms on map listings as of September 2026. 7 of them (70%) are chain locations. The listings count gyms and fitness centers. No official count is published for fitness and recreational sports centers in Amherst County: counts under 3 are left out.
How much do households in Amherst County, VA spend on memberships, classes and admissions?
About $8M a year, or $630 per household. That is 36% below the U.S. average (an index of 64, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 10 gyms on map listings, it comes to $799K per gym. The spending figure covers all memberships, classes and admissions, not only gyms. It is estimated from the incomes of the 12,694 households in Amherst County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Amherst County, VA compare with the U.S. for gyms?
Amherst County has 7.9 gyms per 10,000 households, 4% above the U.S. rate of 7.6. Spending per gym is $799K, 39% below the U.S. figure of $1.3M. At the national ratio of gyms to household spending, Amherst County would have about 6, against 10 on map listings.
How fast is Amherst County, VA growing?
Population estimates put Amherst County at 31,962 people in 2025, up 2.1% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 12,694 households. The median household income in Amherst County is $68,724 a year, 15% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 29.9% 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. Amherst County scores 28 for gyms (lower middle), #1,540 of 1,792 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Amherst 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 Amherst County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Amherst 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 Amherst 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.