Fitness and classes · County · Virginia
Gyms in Arlington County, VA
How Arlington 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 60 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #513 of 1,792 scored counties
#28 of 72 scored counties in Virginia
- Listings
- 98
- 42 chain locations (43%)
- Official establishments
- 74
- All fitness and recreational sports centers · +25.4% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $152.5M
- On memberships, classes and admissions · $1,362 a household
- Spending per listing
- $1.6M
- 20% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 8.7
- 14% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 243,931
- +2.1% since 2020
See the gyms around any address in Arlington 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 Arlington 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
Household spending on memberships, classes and admissions in Arlington County comes to about $152.5M a year: $1,362 per household, 38% above the U.S. average. Spread across 98 gyms, that is $1.6M per gym, 20% above the U.S. figure of $1.3M. The spending figure covers all memberships, classes and admissions, not only gyms.
Arlington County has 98 gyms on map listings as of September 2026. 42 of them (43%) are chain locations, against 28% across the U.S. That comes to 8.7 for every 10,000 households, 14% above the U.S. rate of 7.6.
Official counts show 74 businesses with payroll classed as fitness and recreational sports centers in Arlington County in 2023, up 25.4% from 2019. That is one for every 1,514 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, 4 SBA-backed loans worth $2.2M have gone to businesses classed as fitness and recreational sports centers in Arlington County.
Population estimates put the population change in Arlington County from 2020 to 2025 at +2.1%, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). For gyms, Arlington County has a Groundwork market score of 60 (upper middle): #513 of 1,792 scored counties and #28 of 72 scored counties in Virginia.
How Arlington 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 | Arlington County | Virginia | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 8.7 | 6.9 | 7.6 |
| Spending per listing | $1.6M | $1.4M | $1.3M |
| Households per official establishment (all fitness and recreational sports centers) | 1,514 | 2,759 | 3,109 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +25.4% | +9.6% | +5.8% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +2.1% | +2.8% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on memberships, classes and admissions | $1,362 | $960 | $983 |
| Median household income | $142,114 | $93,170 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 60 | 54 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 59 → 74All fitness and recreational sports centers · +25.4% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 1,597
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $32.5M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- Not publishedNot published for this business type
- Map listings, September 2026
- 9842 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 117The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 4
- Amount
- $2.2M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as fitness and recreational sports centers in Arlington 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 Arlington County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 243,931+2.1% since 2020
- Households
- 112,027
- Median age
- 37.3
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 41%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.3
- Land area
- 26 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 9,089
- Median household income
- $142,114+18.4% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $189,970
- Median home value
- $895,000
- Jobs located here
- 166,762
- Daytime population
- 284,944Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Arlington 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 Arlington 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 Arlington 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 |
| 28Arlington County, VA | 60 | 98 | 8.7 | $1.6M | +2.1% | #513 of 1,792 |
Other business types in Arlington 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 Arlington County, VA?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 98 gyms in Arlington County. 42 of them (43%) are chain locations. The listings count gyms and fitness centers. Official counts show 74 businesses with payroll classed as fitness and recreational sports centers in 2023, up 25.4% from 2019. 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 Arlington County, VA spend on memberships, classes and admissions?
About $152.5M a year, or $1,362 per household. That is 38% above the U.S. average (an index of 138, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 98 gyms on map listings, it comes to $1.6M 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 112,027 households in Arlington County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Arlington County, VA compare with the U.S. for gyms?
Arlington County has 8.7 gyms per 10,000 households, 14% above the U.S. rate of 7.6. Spending per gym is $1.6M, 20% above the U.S. figure of $1.3M. At the U.S. ratio of gyms to household spending, Arlington County would have about 117, against 98 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,514 households, against one for every 3,109 across the U.S. The official count rose 25.4% from 2019 to 2023, against +5.8% for the U.S.
How fast is Arlington County, VA growing?
Population estimates put Arlington County at 243,931 people in 2025, up 2.1% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 112,027 households. Median household income in Arlington County is $142,114, 76% above the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 18.4%, 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. Arlington County scores 60 for gyms (upper middle), #513 of 1,792 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Arlington 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 Arlington County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Arlington 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 Arlington 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.