Fitness and classes · County · West Virginia
Gyms in Kanawha County, WV
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for gyms in Kanawha County, WV, set against other counties and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 35 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,379 of 1,792 scored counties
#9 of 23 scored counties in West Virginia
- Listings
- 47
- 19 chain locations (40%)
- Official establishments
- 17
- All fitness and recreational sports centers
- Household spending a year
- $46.1M
- On memberships, classes and admissions · $604 a household
- Spending per listing
- $982K
- 25% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 6.1
- 20% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 172,381
- −4.3% since 2020
See the gyms around any address in Kanawha 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 Kanawha 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
The Groundwork market score for gyms in Kanawha County is 35 (lower middle), #1,379 of 1,792 scored counties and #9 of 23 scored counties in West Virginia. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.
Map listings as of September 2026 show 47 gyms in Kanawha County. Of those, 19 are chain locations, or 40%, against 28% across the U.S. That is 6.1 per 10,000 households, 20% below the U.S. rate of 7.6.
Household spending on memberships, classes and admissions in Kanawha County comes to about $46.1M a year: $604 per household, 39% below the U.S. average. That is about $982K 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 17 businesses with payroll in Kanawha County classed as fitness and recreational sports centers. That is one for every 4,498 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. Population estimates show Kanawha County declined 4.3% from 2020 to 2025, against +3.1% for the U.S.
How Kanawha County compares
The same measures for West 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 | Kanawha County | West Virginia | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 6.1 | 5.3 | 7.6 |
| Spending per listing | $982K | $1.1M | $1.3M |
| Households per official establishment (all fitness and recreational sports centers) | 4,498 | 6,175 | 3,109 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | −12.6% | +5.8% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −4.3% | −1.4% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on memberships, classes and admissions | $604 | $595 | $983 |
| Median household income | $60,943 | $59,608 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 35 | 36 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 18 → 17All fitness and recreational sports centers
- Employees, 2023
- 265
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $4.6M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- Not publishedNot published for this business type
- Map listings, September 2026
- 4719 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 36The 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 Kanawha 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 Kanawha County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 172,381−4.3% since 2020
- Households
- 76,459
- Median age
- 43.8
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 71%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.6
- Land area
- 902 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 196
- Median household income
- $60,943+30.7% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $84,041
- Median home value
- $147,300
- Jobs located here
- 104,812
- Daytime population
- 206,412Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Kanawha 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 Kanawha County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.
Free10 actions over 3 days, no cardGyms across West Virginia
Every West Virginia market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in West Virginia for gyms, numbered among those based in West Virginia, with Kanawha County marked.
Top counties in West Virginia
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Jefferson County, WV | 91 | 8 | 3.5 | $2.7M | +9.2% | #7 of 1,792 |
| 2Berkeley County, WV | 85 | 10 | 2.0 | $3.8M | +13.7% | #31 of 1,792 |
| 3Preston County, WV | 52 | 5 | 3.9 | $1.5M | −0.6% | #826 of 1,792 |
| 4Putnam County, WV | 51 | 18 | 7.7 | $1M | −1.0% | #888 of 1,792 |
| 5Mineral County, WV | 47 | 5 | 4.5 | $1.4M | −0.4% | #1,013 of 1,792 |
| 6Ohio County, WV | 46 | 10 | 5.5 | $1.1M | −4.4% | #1,052 of 1,792 |
| 7Hancock County, WV | 43 | 5 | 3.9 | $1.5M | −4.5% | #1,153 of 1,792 |
| 8Greenbrier County, WV | 37 | 5 | 3.4 | $1.4M | −4.0% | #1,314 of 1,792 |
| 9Kanawha County, WV | 35 | 47 | 6.1 | $982K | −4.3% | #1,379 of 1,792 |
| 10Cabell County, WV | 34 | 24 | 6.1 | $959K | −3.2% | #1,406 of 1,792 |
Other business types in Kanawha 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 Kanawha County, WV?
There are 47 gyms on map listings in Kanawha County as of September 2026. 19 of them (40%) are chain locations. The listings count gyms and fitness centers. Official counts show 17 businesses with payroll classed as fitness and recreational sports centers in 2023. That count covers all fitness and recreational sports centers (yoga, Pilates and fitness studios included), not only gyms.
How much do households in Kanawha County, WV spend on memberships, classes and admissions?
About $46.1M a year, or $604 per household. That is 39% below the U.S. average (an index of 61, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 47 gyms on map listings, it comes to $982K per gym. The spending figure covers all memberships, classes and admissions, not only gyms. It is estimated from the incomes of the 76,459 households in Kanawha County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Kanawha County, WV compare with the U.S. for gyms?
Kanawha County has 6.1 gyms per 10,000 households, 20% below the U.S. rate of 7.6. Spending per gym is $982K, 25% below the U.S. figure of $1.3M. At the national ratio of gyms to household spending, Kanawha County would have about 36, against 47 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 4,498 households, against one for every 3,109 across the U.S.
How fast is Kanawha County, WV growing?
Population estimates put Kanawha County at 172,381 people in 2025, down 4.3% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 76,459 households. The median household income in Kanawha County is $60,943 a year, 25% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 30.7% 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. Kanawha County scores 35 for gyms (lower middle), #1,379 of 1,792 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Kanawha 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 Kanawha County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Kanawha 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 Kanawha 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.