Fitness and classes · County · Virginia
Gyms in Nelson County, VA
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for gyms in Nelson County, VA, set against other counties and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 44 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,134 of 1,792 scored counties
#45 of 72 scored counties in Virginia
- Listings
- 5
- 1 chain location (20%)
- Official establishments
- n/a
- Fewer than 3, or not published
- Household spending a year
- $5.1M
- On memberships, classes and admissions · $796 a household
- Spending per listing
- $1M
- 22% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 7.9
- 4% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 14,920
- +1.2% since 2020
See the gyms around any address in Nelson 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 Nelson 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 Nelson County comes to about $5.1M a year: $796 per household, 19% below the U.S. average. That is about $1M of household spending for each gym on map listings, 22% below the U.S. figure of $1.3M. The spending figure covers all memberships, classes and admissions, not only gyms.
There are 5 gyms on map listings in Nelson County as of September 2026. One of them (20%) is a chain location, against 28% across the U.S. That is 7.9 per 10,000 households, 4% above the U.S. rate of 7.6.
Official counts don’t publish a figure for fitness and recreational sports centers in Nelson County, since they leave out counts under 3.
Population estimates show Nelson County grew 1.2% from 2020 to 2025, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). For gyms, Nelson County has a Groundwork market score of 44 (lower middle): #1,134 of 1,792 scored counties and #45 of 72 scored counties in Virginia.
How Nelson 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 | Nelson County | Virginia | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 7.9 | 6.9 | 7.6 |
| Spending per listing | $1M | $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 | +1.2% | +2.8% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on memberships, classes and admissions | $796 | $960 | $983 |
| Median household income | $72,589 | $93,170 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 44 | 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
- 51 chain location
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 4The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 0
- Amount
- $0
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as fitness and recreational sports centers in Nelson 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 Nelson County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 14,920+1.2% since 2020
- Households
- 6,364
- Median age
- 49.5
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 80%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.1
- Land area
- 471 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 31
- Median household income
- $72,589+12.9% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $104,122
- Median home value
- $321,700
- Jobs located here
- 3,841
- Daytime population
- 12,142Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Nelson 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 Nelson 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 Nelson 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 |
| 45Nelson County, VA | 44 | 5 | 7.9 | $1M | +1.2% | #1,134 of 1,792 |
Other business types in Nelson 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 Nelson County, VA?
As of September 2026, map listings count 5 gyms in Nelson County. One of them (20%) is a chain location. The listings count gyms and fitness centers. No official count is published for fitness and recreational sports centers in Nelson County: counts under 3 are left out.
How much do households in Nelson County, VA spend on memberships, classes and admissions?
About $5.1M a year, or $796 per household. That is 19% below the U.S. average (an index of 81, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 5 gyms on map listings, it comes to $1M 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 6,364 households in Nelson County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Nelson County, VA compare with the U.S. for gyms?
Nelson County has 7.9 gyms per 10,000 households, 4% above the U.S. rate of 7.6. Spending per gym is $1M, 22% below the U.S. figure of $1.3M. At the U.S. ratio of gyms to household spending, Nelson County would have about 4, against 5 on map listings.
How fast is Nelson County, VA growing?
Population estimates put Nelson County at 14,920 people in 2025, up 1.2% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 6,364 households. Median household income in Nelson County is $72,589, 10% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 12.9%, 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. Nelson County scores 44 for gyms (lower middle), #1,134 of 1,792 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Nelson 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 Nelson County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Nelson 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 Nelson 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.