The metro areas with the most gyms
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Bridgeport, Connecticut; Boston; and San Diego have the most gyms per 100,000 residents among big U.S. metro areas, per government data.
Why it matters: Gyms offer city dwellers a way to get and stay healthy, and can serve as excellent "third places" — a spot to hang out and connect outside home or work.
By the numbers: The Bridgeport metro's got 27.5 gyms for every 100,000 residents, Boston has 20.6 and San Diego has 20.4.
- San Juan (4.3); Lakeland, Florida (6.2); and McAllen, Texas (6.6) have the fewest gyms for every 100,000 people.
How it works: These figures represent "fitness and recreational sports centers" in the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages data for Q3 2024.
- Axios looked at metro areas with at least 500,000 residents, for which BLS had sufficient data.
What's next: The latest crop of high-end gyms are setting themselves up as both a place to pump iron and take work meetings — though hopefully not at the same time.
- Other popular gym chains, like Planet Fitness and Crunch Fitness, are swapping out cardio equipment to make room for more weights — reflecting our "increasingly muscle-obsessed population," as Bloomberg put it.
