Fitness and classes · County · Virginia
Gyms in Norfolk city, VA
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for gyms in Norfolk city, VA, set against other counties and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 36 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,347 of 1,792 scored counties
#50 of 72 scored counties in Virginia
- Listings
- 61
- 19 chain locations (31%)
- Official establishments
- 25
- All fitness and recreational sports centers · +19.1% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $63.4M
- On memberships, classes and admissions · $668 a household
- Spending per listing
- $1M
- 20% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 6.4
- 16% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 231,013
- −2.9% since 2020
See the gyms around any address in Norfolk city
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 Norfolk city. 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
Norfolk city scores 36 (lower middle) on the Groundwork market score for gyms, ranking #1,347 of 1,792 scored counties and #50 of 72 scored counties in Virginia. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.
Household spending on memberships, classes and admissions in Norfolk city comes to about $63.4M a year: $668 per household, 32% below the U.S. average. That is about $1M of household spending for each gym on map listings, 20% below the U.S. figure of $1.3M. The spending figure covers all memberships, classes and admissions, not only gyms.
Norfolk city has 61 gyms on map listings as of September 2026. Of those, 19 are chain locations, or 31%, against 28% across the U.S. That is 6.4 per 10,000 households, 16% below the U.S. rate of 7.6.
In 2023, official counts showed 25 businesses with payroll in Norfolk city classed as fitness and recreational sports centers, up 19.1% from 2019. That is one for every 3,799 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, 2 SBA-backed loans worth $376K have gone to businesses classed as fitness and recreational sports centers in Norfolk city. Population estimates show Norfolk city declined 2.9% from 2020 to 2025, against +3.1% for the U.S.
How Norfolk city 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 | Norfolk city | Virginia | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 6.4 | 6.9 | 7.6 |
| Spending per listing | $1M | $1.4M | $1.3M |
| Households per official establishment (all fitness and recreational sports centers) | 3,799 | 2,759 | 3,109 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +19.1% | +9.6% | +5.8% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −2.9% | +2.8% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on memberships, classes and admissions | $668 | $960 | $983 |
| Median household income | $66,109 | $93,170 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 36 | 54 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 21 → 25All fitness and recreational sports centers · +19.1% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 394
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $6M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- Not publishedNot published for this business type
- Map listings, September 2026
- 6119 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 49The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 2
- Amount
- $376K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as fitness and recreational sports centers in Norfolk city, 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 Norfolk city
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 231,013−2.9% since 2020
- Households
- 94,965
- Median age
- 35.1
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 46%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.6
- Land area
- 53 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 4,385
- Median household income
- $66,109+28.1% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $91,610
- Median home value
- $289,900
- Jobs located here
- 130,869
- Daytime population
- 273,887Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Norfolk city?
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 Norfolk city. 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 Norfolk city 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 |
| 50Norfolk city, VA | 36 | 61 | 6.4 | $1M | −2.9% | #1,347 of 1,792 |
Other business types in Norfolk city
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 Norfolk city, VA?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 61 gyms in Norfolk city. 19 of them (31%) are chain locations. The listings count gyms and fitness centers. Official counts show 25 businesses with payroll classed as fitness and recreational sports centers in 2023, up 19.1% 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 Norfolk city, VA spend on memberships, classes and admissions?
About $63.4M a year, or $668 per household. That is 32% below the U.S. average (an index of 68, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 61 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 94,965 households in Norfolk city and national spending patterns by income.
How does Norfolk city, VA compare with the U.S. for gyms?
Norfolk city has 6.4 gyms per 10,000 households, 16% below the U.S. rate of 7.6. Spending per gym is $1M, 20% below the U.S. figure of $1.3M. At the U.S. ratio of gyms to household spending, Norfolk city would have about 49, against 61 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 3,799 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 Norfolk city, VA growing?
Population estimates put Norfolk city at 231,013 people in 2025, down 2.9% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 94,965 households. Median household income in Norfolk city is $66,109, 18% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 28.1%, 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. Norfolk city scores 36 for gyms (lower middle), #1,347 of 1,792 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Norfolk city. 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 Norfolk city
Screening a site or an acquisition in Norfolk city?
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 Norfolk city. 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.