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Gyms in North Carolina

How many gyms exist per person present (residents + daytime workers) across the 23 North Carolina counties we cover, by ZIP code, compared with the U.S. average. Data: Census ZBP 2023 + ACS 2024 + BLS QCEW.

Includes: Gyms & fitness centers · CrossFit boxes · Boxing, martial arts & dance studios · Recreational sports centers. Counted together because official statistics use one 713940 code.

State verdict (covered counties): In line with the U.S. rate — 113% of the U.S. rate

Counties covered

in North Carolina

Gyms

1,031

establishments (2023)

Per 10,000 present

1.2

residents + 0.5×workers

U.S. average

1.0

per 10,000 present

State index

113%

vs. U.S.

Residents

7,284,936

in covered counties

Workers

3,028,827

jobs in covered counties

Coverage. This page aggregates only the 23 North Carolina counties BizGapMap covers — not the whole state. Counts and the index reflect those counties. The aggregate index uses only ZIP cells Census published, so it is a lower bound. Density is a supply-side signal: it counts existing gyms and the people present, not foot traffic, income, rent, or whether locals want more.

Counties in North Carolina

City	County	Gyms	Residents	Workers	Per 10k	Index	Verdict
Mooresville	Iredell County	40–58	192,680	79,784	1.7	168–201%	High density
Charlotte	Mecklenburg County	247–339	1,173,019	704,489	1.6	158–165%	High density
Chapel Hill	Orange County	30–40	159,674	52,230	1.6	157–189%	High density
Morrisville	Wake County	248–298	1,254,117	563,740	1.6	157–165%	High density
Wilmington	New Hanover County	41–59	237,060	118,886	1.4	135–168%	Range spans bands
Concord	Cabarrus County	35–45	236,047	74,847	1.3	125–146%	Above average
Greenville	Pitt County	27–53	180,210	62,893	1.3	124–207%	Range spans bands
Asheville	Buncombe County	41–77	269,596	125,376	1.2	120–179%	Range spans bands
Monroe	Union County	33–43	250,703	61,424	1.2	114–142%	Above average
Winston Salem	Forsyth County	55–97	416,830	178,036	1.1	106–148%	Above average
Asheboro	Randolph County	12–30	127,973	30,351	0.8	82–177%	Range spans bands
Greensboro	Guilford County	59–123	577,982	264,336	0.8	81–133%	Range spans bands
Thomasville	Davidson County	13–25	142,181	36,165	0.8	79–115%	Range spans bands
Durham	Durham County	40–62	327,804	174,233	0.8	77–101%	Range spans bands
Clayton	Johnston County	16–34	189,124	42,187	0.8	74–139%	Range spans bands
Jacksonville	Onslow County	16–34	204,246	41,476	0.7	69–130%	Range spans bands
Hickory	Catawba County	15–29	172,263	85,017	0.7	68–122%	Range spans bands
Fayetteville	Cumberland County	27–57	348,651	97,067	0.7	66–130%	Range spans bands
Burlington	Alamance County	12–32	187,008	63,483	0.5	53–125%	Range spans bands
Gastonia	Gaston County	14–40	238,761	70,983	0.5	50–128%	Range spans bands
Salisbury	Rowan County	5–33	133,355	45,889	0.3	31–193%	Range spans bands
Leland	Brunswick County	5–27	151,179	32,781	0.3	29–145%	Range spans bands
Dunn	Harnett County	0–20	114,473	23,154	0.0	0–139%	Range spans bands

Scroll the table sideways to see all columns.

Lowest vs. highest measured density

Fewest competitors per capita

168%

158%

157%

157%

135%

125%

124%

120%

Most competitors per capita

29%

31%

50%

53%

66%

68%

69%

Low measured density is not evidence of opportunity. A county with few gyms may simply lack foot traffic, retail space, or demand. Use the ranking to find where to look, then verify locally.

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BizGapMap — free, no-login small-business saturation reports for major U.S. counties. Built entirely from public U.S. Census, BLS, and IRS data (ZBP 2023, ACS 2024 5-year, PEP 2024, LODES, QCEW, IRS SOI). No forecasts, no revenue guesses — withheld cells are marked, and the few derived counts are labelled as estimates.