SBA 7(a)/504 FOIA · FY1991–PRESENT · CALIFORNIA
GOLD'S GYM franchise in California: what the public record shows
Franchisees of GOLD'S GYM in California have taken 34 SBA loans since 1991 (average $642,227), and of the 24 loans whose story has ended, 20.8% were charged off — versus 14.7% for GOLD'S GYM nationally and 14.8% across all rateable franchise brands. Its latest FDD Item 20 state table reports 8 franchised outlets in California (fiscal 2025) — about 0.02 per 100k residents.
Loans in CA
34
Resolved
24
Local charge-off
20.8%
National charge-off
14.7%
Source: SBA 7(a)/504 FOIA files (data.sba.gov), borrower state = CA. 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
5,357
statewide, all operators
Per 100k residents
13.6
national 11.9
Versus the country
+14%
denser
Every business in GOLD'S GYM's industry operating in California — 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 |
|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 29 | 1 |
| 2024 | 29 | 1 |
| 2025 | 8 | 1 |
| System | Loans in CA | Local charge-off | Units in CA |
|---|---|---|---|
| ANYTIME FITNESS; ANYTIME FITNESS EXPRESS | 74 | 11.9% | — |
| Club Pilates | 57 | 0.0% | — |
| Orangetheory | 52 | 0.0% | — |
| Curves for Women | 34 | 14.3% | — |
| Yoga Six | 32 | thin | — |
| F45 Training | 30 | 7.1% | — |
| Stretch Lab | 21 | thin | — |
| CycleBar | 19 | 18.2% | — |
| THE LITTLE GYM | 18 | 30.0% | — |
| BAR METHOD | 17 | 20.0% | — |
| Pure Barre | 15 | thin | — |
| Planet Fitness | 14 | 0.0% | 225 |
Same sector, same state, same public records — how GOLD'S GYM compares to the systems a buyer in California 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 GOLD'S GYM's numbers, including talking you out of a bad deal.
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