SBA 7(a)/504 FOIA · FY1991–PRESENT · ILLINOIS
GOLD'S GYM franchise in Illinois: what the public record shows
Franchisees of GOLD'S GYM in Illinois have taken 15 SBA loans in the FY1991–present FOIA files (average $886,806). Fewer than 30 of them were approved through FY2020 and have resolved, so no local loss ratio is published. GOLD'S GYM's national ratio is 0.8× (not clearly different from 1.0×). Its latest FDD Item 20 state table reports 1 franchised outlets in Illinois (fiscal 2025) — about 0.01 per 100k residents.
Loans in IL
15
Charged off (all years)
1 of 9
Loss ratio in IL
—
Loss ratio nationally (not clear)
0.8×
Source: SBA 7(a)/504 FOIA files (data.sba.gov), borrower state = IL. Loss ratio = charge-offs among loans approved through FY2020 ÷ the charge-offs expected if each had defaulted at the national rate for franchise loans approved the same year; 1.0× is the same. Only charged-off and paid-in-full loans count. A ratio is shown at 30+ such loans; “not clear” marks a ratio chance alone could produce. The all-years count mixes every era and is evidence, not a rate to compare. Borrowers are matched to the brand by name and SBA franchise code; some matches may be wrong or missing.
Businesses in this industry
1,566
statewide, all operators
Per 100k residents
12.3
national 11.9
Versus the country
+3%
denser
Every business in GOLD'S GYM's industry operating in Illinois — franchised and independent — from the Census Bureau's County Business Patterns (2023), against 2024 population estimates. Counter-intuitively, density is not a warning: across the brand-state cells in the loan data, denser markets have historically charged off less often than the thinnest (see the research page). A crowded market is usually proven demand; an empty one is often empty for a reason.
Avg weekly wage, this industry
$460
Illinois, BLS QCEW 2025
National average
$438
same industry, all states
Versus the country
+5%
costlier to staff
What GOLD'S GYM's industry actually pays workers in Illinois, from the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (2025), employment-weighted across counties. This cost signal is independent of the FDD: a market can look demand-rich above and still carry a margin headwind here if local wages run hot for the sector.
| Fiscal year | Franchised | Company-owned |
|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 2 | — |
| 2024 | 1 | — |
| 2025 | 1 | — |
| System | Loans in IL | Charged off (all years) | Loss ratio in IL | Units in IL |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ANYTIME FITNESS | 74 | 6 of 49 | 1.0×NOT CLEAR | — |
| Curves for Women | 23 | 2 of 20 | — | — |
| HOTWORX | 21 | 0 of 3 | — | 17 |
| Orangetheory | 16 | 1 of 14 | — | — |
| Stretch Lab | 14 | 2 of 4 | — | — |
| Yoga Six | 13 | 0 of 6 | — | — |
| Fitness Together | 11 | 3 of 8 | — | 3 |
| Pure Barre | 10 | 1 of 5 | — | — |
| D-Bat | 9 | 0 of 2 | — | 5 |
| F45 Training | 9 | 1 of 3 | — | — |
| Club Pilates | 7 | 0 of 5 | — | — |
| I LOVE KICKBOXING | 6 | 2 of 3 | — | — |
Other systems in GOLD'S GYM's sector whose franchisees borrowed in Illinois. A loss ratio appears only where at least 30 loans approved through FY2020 have resolved; “—” means too few.
A broker is usually paid by the franchisor to place you. I'm paid only by you, never by a franchisor you're considering — and the job is pressure-testing GOLD'S GYM’s numbers, including talking you out of a bad deal.