SBA 7(a)/504 FOIA · FY1991–PRESENT · MASSACHUSETTS
Fitness Together franchise in Massachusetts: what the public record shows
Franchisees of Fitness Together in Massachusetts have taken 26 SBA loans since 1991 (average $90,623), and of the 20 loans whose story has ended, 5.0% were charged off — versus 27.8% for Fitness Together nationally and 14.8% across all rateable franchise brands. Its latest FDD Item 20 state table reports 43 franchised outlets in Massachusetts (fiscal 2019) — about 0.6 per 100k residents.
Loans in MA
26
Resolved
20
Local charge-off
5.0%
National charge-off
27.8%
Source: SBA 7(a)/504 FOIA files (data.sba.gov), borrower state = MA. Charge-off rate = charged-off ÷ (charged-off + paid-in-full); open loans excluded. A local rate is published only when the resolved cohort clears our floor.
Businesses in this industry
1,230
statewide, all operators
Per 100k residents
17.2
national 11.9
Versus the country
+45%
denser
Every business in Fitness Together's industry operating in Massachusetts — franchised and independent — from the Census Bureau's County Business Patterns (2023), against 2024 population estimates. Counter-intuitively, density is not a warning: across 198 brand-state cells in our loan data, the densest quartile charges off at 5.6% versus 18.1% in the thinnest. A crowded market is usually proven demand; an empty one is often empty for a reason.
| Fiscal year | Franchised | Company-owned |
|---|---|---|
| 2017 | 43 | — |
| 2018 | 43 | — |
| 2019 | 43 | — |
| System | Loans in MA | Local charge-off | Units in MA |
|---|---|---|---|
| Orangetheory | 24 | 0.0% | — |
| ANYTIME FITNESS; ANYTIME FITNESS EXPRESS | 20 | thin | — |
| Planet Fitness | 13 | 0.0% | 88 |
| Curves for Women | 12 | thin | — |
| THE LITTLE GYM | 12 | 0.0% | — |
| Pure Barre | 10 | thin | — |
| GOLD'S GYM | 9 | thin | — |
| World Gym & Fitness Center | 7 | thin | — |
| F45 Training | 6 | thin | — |
| Exercise Coach | 5 | thin | — |
| Yoga Six | 5 | thin | — |
Same sector, same state, same public records — how Fitness Together compares to the systems a buyer in Massachusetts would actually be choosing between. Local rates under 10 resolved loans are marked thin, not hidden.
A broker is paid by the franchisor to place you. An independent CPA is paid by you — and the job is pressure-testing Fitness Together's numbers, including talking you out of a bad deal.
Talk to an independent CPA before you buy →