Groundwork

Fitness and classes · Metro area · West Virginia

Gyms in the Wheeling, WV-OH metro area

Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for gyms in the Wheeling, WV-OH metro area, set against other metro areas and the U.S.

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 52 out of 100: Upper middle

Ranked #165 of 387 scored metro areas
#1 of 7 scored metro areas based in West Virginia

Listings
26
8 chain locations (31%)
Official establishments
10
All fitness and recreational sports centers
Household spending a year
$37M
On memberships, classes and admissions · $639 a household
Spending per listing
$1.4M
10% above the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
4.5
41% below the U.S.
Population, 2025
134,089
−3.6% since 2020

See the gyms around any address in the Wheeling metro area

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 the Wheeling metro area. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

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Survey estimates 2020–2024 · population estimates 2025 · official business counts 2023 · map listings September 2026 · Data credits · How we measure

What this means

At $639 per household (35% below the U.S. average), households in the Wheeling metro area spend about $37M a year on memberships, classes and admissions. That is about $1.4M of household spending for each gym on map listings, 10% above the U.S. figure of $1.3M. The spending figure covers all memberships, classes and admissions, not only gyms.

There are 26 gyms on map listings in the Wheeling metro area as of September 2026. Of those, 8 are chain locations, or 31%, against 28% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 4.5, 41% below the U.S. rate of 7.6.

In 2023, official counts showed 10 businesses with payroll in the Wheeling metro area classed as fitness and recreational sports centers. That is one for every 5,802 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.

Population estimates put the population change in the Wheeling metro area from 2020 to 2025 at −3.6%, against +3.1% for the U.S. The Groundwork market score for gyms in the Wheeling metro area is 52 (upper middle), #165 of 387 scored metro areas and #1 of 7 scored metro areas based in West Virginia.

How the Wheeling metro area 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.

Gyms in Wheeling, WV-OH metro area compared with West Virginia and the U.S.
MeasureWheeling metro areaWest VirginiaU.S.
Listings per 10k households4.55.37.6
Spending per listing$1.4M$1.1M$1.3M
Households per official establishment (all fitness and recreational sports centers)5,8026,1753,109
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023n/a−12.6%+5.8%
Population growth, 2020–2025−3.6%−1.4%+3.1%
Spending per household on memberships, classes and admissions$639$595$983
Median household income$57,418$59,608$80,734
Groundwork market score5236

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
10All fitness and recreational sports centers
Employees, 2023
88
Annual payroll, 2023
$1.4M
One-person businesses, 2023
Not publishedNot published for this business type
Map listings, September 2026
268 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
29The 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 the Wheeling metro area, 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 the Wheeling metro area

Population, 2025 estimate
134,089−3.6% since 2020
Households
58,024
Median age
44.8
Homes lived in by their owners
72%
Vehicles per household
1.7
Land area
944 sq. mi.
People per square mile
145
Median household income
$57,418+14.0% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$79,303
Median home value
$156,600
Jobs located here
58,297
Daytime population
134,771Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in the Wheeling metro area?

These figures cover the whole metro area. 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 the Wheeling metro area. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

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Gyms across West Virginia

Every West Virginia market ranked →

The highest-scoring metro areas in West Virginia for gyms, numbered among those based in West Virginia (a market based in another state is listed without a number), with the Wheeling metro area marked.

Top metro areas in West Virginia

Metro areas in West Virginia ranked for gyms by Groundwork market score
MarketScoreListingsPer 10k householdsSpending per listingPopulation growthU.S. rank
Hagerstown-Martinsburg, MD-WV80433.6$2M+7.1%#10 of 387
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV661,7327.3$1.7M+3.3%#59 of 387
1Wheeling, WV-OH52264.5$1.4M−3.6%#165 of 387
Winchester, VA-WV52427.6$1.1M+6.5%#174 of 387
2Huntington-Ashland, WV-KY-OH40865.7$1.1M−2.6%#279 of 387
3Charleston, WV35485.5$1.1M−4.7%#320 of 387
4Beckley, WV29276.0$850K−4.3%#354 of 387
5Parkersburg-Vienna, WV27256.6$858K−2.3%#365 of 387
6Morgantown, WV25437.5$933K+1.3%#369 of 387
7Weirton-Steubenville, WV-OH18316.2$998K−3.6%#380 of 387

Other business types in the Wheeling metro area

Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.

Questions

How many gyms are in the Wheeling, WV-OH metro area?

As of September 2026, map listings count 26 gyms in the Wheeling metro area. 8 of them (31%) are chain locations. The listings count gyms and fitness centers. Official counts show 10 businesses with payroll classed as fitness and recreational sports centers in 2023. 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 the Wheeling, WV-OH metro area spend on memberships, classes and admissions?

About $37M a year, or $639 per household. That is 35% below the U.S. average (an index of 65, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 26 gyms on map listings, it comes to $1.4M 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 58,024 households in the Wheeling metro area and national spending patterns by income.

How does the Wheeling, WV-OH metro area compare with the U.S. for gyms?

The Wheeling metro area has 4.5 gyms per 10,000 households, 41% below the U.S. rate of 7.6. Spending per gym is $1.4M, 10% above the U.S. figure of $1.3M. At the U.S. ratio of gyms to household spending, the Wheeling metro area would have about 29, against 26 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 5,802 households, against one for every 3,109 across the U.S.

How fast is the Wheeling, WV-OH metro area growing?

Population estimates put the Wheeling metro area at 134,089 people in 2025, down 3.6% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 58,024 households. Median household income in the Wheeling metro area is $57,418, 29% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 14.0%, 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. The Wheeling metro area scores 52 for gyms (upper middle), #165 of 387 scored metro areas.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

Run a Groundwork site report on an address in the Wheeling metro area. 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 the Wheeling metro area

Screening a site or an acquisition in the Wheeling metro area?

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 the Wheeling metro area. 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.