Saturation ranking
Where fitness & recreational sports centers is most and least saturated in California
Every California market with sourced Gyms & Fitness data, ranked on how much provision it already has. Counties are measured per 10,000 residents. Cities are measured as a share of the businesses in the same ZIP codes, because a city’s establishment counts cover its ZIP codes rather than its city limits and cannot be divided by its municipal population. Neither measure says anything about revenue or profitability, and a crowded market is not automatically a bad one: it is also where the most businesses come up for sale.
- Statewide establishments
- 5,371
- 2023 County Business Patterns
- State median density
- 1.3
- Per 10,000 residents, counties
- Counties ranked
- 40
- of 45 with data
- Cities ranked
- 220
- of 282 with data
Most saturated counties for gyms & fitness
40 of 45 counties with sourced data qualify for this ranking. Markets with fewer than 5 establishments are excluded at both levels, because a single opening or closing would move them enough to dominate the list. Counties under 2,000 residents are also excluded, where a per-capita figure is arithmetically true and analytically useless.
| # | County | Establishments | Per 10k | Vs state median | Reading |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Marin County253,694 residents | 86 | 3.4 | +156% | Densely served |
| 2 | Napa County132,949 residents | 29 | 2.2 | +65% | Densely served |
| 3 | Nevada County101,911 residents | 22 | 2.2 | +63% | Densely served |
| 4 | Sonoma County486,444 residents | 104 | 2.1 | +62% | Densely served |
| 5 | San Francisco County826,079 residents | 173 | 2.1 | +58% | Densely served |
| 6 | Santa Cruz County258,852 residents | 50 | 1.9 | +46% | Above average |
| 7 | El Dorado County192,323 residents | 36 | 1.9 | +41% | Above average |
| 8 | Orange County3,149,507 residents | 582 | 1.8 | +40% | Above average |
| 9 | San Diego County3,282,248 residents | 578 | 1.8 | +33% | Above average |
| 10 | San Mateo County743,568 residents | 128 | 1.7 | +30% | Above average |
| 11 | Santa Barbara County442,065 residents | 76 | 1.7 | +30% | Above average |
| 12 | Placer County442,081 residents | 75 | 1.7 | +28% | Above average |
| 13 | Shasta County181,648 residents | 30 | 1.7 | +25% | Above average |
| 14 | Santa Clara County1,914,391 residents | 309 | 1.6 | +22% | Above average |
| 15 | Yolo County224,410 residents | 35 | 1.6 | +18% | Above average |
State median for this industry: 1.3 establishments per 10,000 residents. A high figure means more provision per resident, not more demand.
Least saturated counties for gyms & fitness
The same 40 counties, read from the bottom of the ordering upward. Thin provision is worth checking against the neighbouring counties before treating it as an opening.
| # | County | Establishments | Per 10k | Vs state median | Reading |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Madera County167,927 residents | 7 | 0.4 | -69% | Thinly served |
| 2 | Tulare County485,146 residents | 25 | 0.5 | -61% | Thinly served |
| 3 | Merced County297,260 residents | 17 | 0.6 | -57% | Thinly served |
| 4 | San Joaquin County823,815 residents | 51 | 0.6 | -53% | Thinly served |
| 5 | Kings County154,327 residents | 10 | 0.6 | -51% | Thinly served |
| 6 | Kern County927,068 residents | 66 | 0.7 | -46% | Thinly served |
| 7 | Imperial County181,411 residents | 14 | 0.8 | -42% | Thinly served |
| 8 | Fresno County1,035,456 residents | 86 | 0.8 | -37% | Below average |
| 9 | San Benito County70,082 residents | 6 | 0.9 | -35% | Below average |
| 10 | San Bernardino County2,224,091 residents | 202 | 0.9 | -31% | Below average |
| 11 | Stanislaus County557,719 residents | 52 | 0.9 | -30% | Below average |
| 12 | Riverside County2,544,916 residents | 262 | 1.0 | -22% | Below average |
| 13 | Lake County67,772 residents | 7 | 1.0 | -22% | Below average |
| 14 | Sacramento County1,618,460 residents | 179 | 1.1 | -16% | Below average |
| 15 | Sutter County98,787 residents | 11 | 1.1 | -16% | Below average |
State median for this industry: 1.3 establishments per 10,000 residents. A low figure can mean a genuine gap, or a market served from the next county over.
Most saturated cities for gyms & fitness
220 of 282 cities with sourced data qualify for this ranking. Markets with fewer than 5 establishments are excluded at both levels, because a single opening or closing would move them enough to dominate the list. Cities with fewer than 500 businesses in total are also excluded, because on a base that small the industry’s share moves on rounding.
| # | City | Establishments | Share of local | Vs state share | Reading |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Corte MaderaMarin, 513 businesses in total | 11 | 2.14% | +350% | Densely served |
| 2 | Scotts ValleySanta Cruz, 547 businesses in total | 9 | 1.65% | +245% | Densely served |
| 3 | Solana BeachSan Diego, 1,032 businesses in total | 15 | 1.45% | +205% | Densely served |
| 4 | DavisYolo, 1,439 businesses in total | 19 | 1.32% | +177% | Densely served |
| 5 | CarpinteriaSanta Barbara, 540 businesses in total | 7 | 1.30% | +172% | Densely served |
| 6 | Hermosa BeachLos Angeles, 1,128 businesses in total | 14 | 1.24% | +160% | Densely served |
| 7 | WildomarRiverside, 577 businesses in total | 7 | 1.21% | +154% | Densely served |
| 8 | AlbanyAlameda, 505 businesses in total | 6 | 1.19% | +149% | Densely served |
| 9 | San AnselmoMarin, 525 businesses in total | 6 | 1.14% | +140% | Densely served |
| 10 | BeniciaSolano, 890 businesses in total | 10 | 1.12% | +136% | Densely served |
| 11 | Mill ValleyMarin, 1,277 businesses in total | 14 | 1.10% | +130% | Densely served |
| 12 | PetalumaSonoma, 2,420 businesses in total | 26 | 1.07% | +125% | Densely served |
| 13 | TruckeeNevada, 1,148 businesses in total | 12 | 1.05% | +119% | Densely served |
| 14 | OrindaContra Costa, 576 businesses in total | 6 | 1.04% | +119% | Densely served |
| 15 | Laguna NiguelOrange, 1,969 businesses in total | 20 | 1.02% | +113% | Densely served |
| 16 | VacavilleSolano, 2,017 businesses in total | 20 | 0.99% | +108% | Densely served |
| 17 | Rohnert ParkSonoma, 912 businesses in total | 9 | 0.99% | +107% | Densely served |
| 18 | CoronadoSan Diego, 710 businesses in total | 7 | 0.99% | +107% | Densely served |
| 19 | ArcataHumboldt, 622 businesses in total | 6 | 0.96% | +102% | Densely served |
| 20 | Huntington BeachOrange, 6,263 businesses in total | 60 | 0.96% | +101% | Densely served |
| 21 | BeaumontRiverside, 731 businesses in total | 7 | 0.96% | +101% | Densely served |
| 22 | Walnut CreekContra Costa, 4,012 businesses in total | 38 | 0.95% | +99% | Densely served |
| 23 | PowaySan Diego, 1,702 businesses in total | 16 | 0.94% | +97% | Densely served |
| 24 | LafayetteContra Costa, 1,069 businesses in total | 10 | 0.94% | +96% | Densely served |
| 25 | CampbellSanta Clara, 2,034 businesses in total | 19 | 0.93% | +96% | Densely served |
Statewide, 0.48% of California businesses are in this industry. A higher local share means the industry takes up more of the local business base than it does statewide.
City figures are aggregated over the ZIP codes the Postal Service assigns to each place, which do not follow municipal boundaries. That is why the comparison here is a share of the businesses in those same ZIP codes rather than a figure per resident: both sides then cover the same ground, so a city that loses establishments to a separately named ZIP loses its denominator with them.
Most underserved cities for gyms & fitness
The bottom of the same ordering. These are the California cities carrying the least gyms & fitness provision per resident among those that clear both floors.
| # | City | Establishments | Share of local | Vs state share | Reading |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | StocktonSan Joaquin, 6,022 businesses in total | 7 | 0.12% | -76% | Thinly served |
| 2 | Garden GroveOrange, 3,714 businesses in total | 7 | 0.19% | -60% | Thinly served |
| 3 | Beverly HillsLos Angeles, 6,870 businesses in total | 14 | 0.20% | -57% | Thinly served |
| 4 | EscondidoSan Diego, 4,331 businesses in total | 9 | 0.21% | -56% | Thinly served |
| 5 | PalmdaleLos Angeles, 2,335 businesses in total | 5 | 0.21% | -55% | Thinly served |
| 6 | Santa AnaOrange, 8,181 businesses in total | 18 | 0.22% | -54% | Thinly served |
| 7 | Buena ParkOrange, 2,195 businesses in total | 5 | 0.23% | -52% | Thinly served |
| 8 | CalabasasLos Angeles, 2,108 businesses in total | 5 | 0.24% | -50% | Thinly served |
| 9 | CovinaLos Angeles, 2,014 businesses in total | 5 | 0.25% | -48% | Thinly served |
| 10 | GlendaleLos Angeles, 7,130 businesses in total | 18 | 0.25% | -47% | Thinly served |
| 11 | CerritosLos Angeles, 1,970 businesses in total | 5 | 0.25% | -47% | Thinly served |
| 12 | LodiSan Joaquin, 1,796 businesses in total | 5 | 0.28% | -42% | Thinly served |
| 13 | OntarioSan Bernardino, 5,487 businesses in total | 16 | 0.29% | -39% | Below average |
| 14 | WalnutLos Angeles, 2,341 businesses in total | 7 | 0.30% | -37% | Below average |
| 15 | BurbankLos Angeles, 5,899 businesses in total | 18 | 0.31% | -36% | Below average |
| 16 | CupertinoSanta Clara, 1,627 businesses in total | 5 | 0.31% | -36% | Below average |
| 17 | GilroySanta Clara, 1,551 businesses in total | 5 | 0.32% | -32% | Below average |
| 18 | Los AngelesLos Angeles, 77,828 businesses in total | 252 | 0.32% | -32% | Below average |
| 19 | HaywardAlameda, 4,289 businesses in total | 14 | 0.33% | -32% | Below average |
| 20 | TurlockStanislaus, 1,800 businesses in total | 6 | 0.33% | -30% | Below average |
| 21 | San LeandroAlameda, 2,673 businesses in total | 9 | 0.34% | -29% | Below average |
| 22 | OxnardVentura, 3,760 businesses in total | 13 | 0.35% | -27% | Below average |
| 23 | SalinasMonterey, 3,451 businesses in total | 12 | 0.35% | -27% | Below average |
| 24 | LancasterLos Angeles, 2,565 businesses in total | 9 | 0.35% | -26% | Below average |
| 25 | National CitySan Diego, 1,379 businesses in total | 5 | 0.36% | -24% | Below average |
Statewide, 0.48% of California businesses are in this industry. A lower local share can mean a genuine gap, or a market served from the next town over.
How to read these rankings
- Both measures are supply measures. They say nothing about how much each business earns, how large it is, or how much demand comes from outside the market.
- The two levels are not directly comparable to each other. A county figure is establishments per resident; a city figure is this industry’s share of the local business base against the statewide share. Compare counties to counties and cities to cities.
- A thinly served market can be a genuine gap or a market already served from a neighbouring town. The individual market pages list the nearest comparable places for exactly this check.
- A densely served market means competition, but it is also where the largest pool of existing businesses sits, and therefore where the most owners reach retirement each year.
- Counties are the more stable measure. City figures rest on ZIP code geography, which the Postal Service redraws as it pleases, so a city can gain or lose a ZIP between years.
Full gyms & fitness data for California/All industry rankings/Methodology
Sources
- U.S. Census Bureau, 2023 County Business Patterns. Establishment counts, employment and annual payroll by NAICS. Retrieved 2026-09-08.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (2026Q1). Quarterly establishment counts and employment for employers covered by unemployment insurance. Retrieved 2026-09-08.
- U.S. Census Bureau, 2023 ZIP Code Business Patterns. Establishment counts by ZIP code and NAICS, aggregated over the ZIP codes assigned to each city, including the all-industry totals used as the local business base. Retrieved 2026-09-10.