SBA 7(a)/504 FOIA · FY1991–PRESENT · PENNSYLVANIA
THE LITTLE GYM franchise in Pennsylvania: what the public record shows
Franchisees of THE LITTLE GYM in Pennsylvania have taken 15 SBA loans since 1991 (average $128,383), and of the 12 loans whose story has ended, 0.0% were charged off — versus 15.1% for THE LITTLE GYM nationally and 14.8% across all rateable franchise brands.
Loans in PA
15
Resolved
12
Local charge-off
0.0%
National charge-off
15.1%
Source: SBA 7(a)/504 FOIA files (data.sba.gov), borrower state = PA. 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
1,621
statewide, all operators
Per 100k residents
12.4
national 11.9
Versus the country
+4%
denser
Every business in THE LITTLE GYM's industry operating in Pennsylvania — 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.
Avg weekly wage, this industry
$382
Pennsylvania, BLS QCEW 2025
National average
$438
same industry, all states
Versus the country
-13%
cheaper to staff
What THE LITTLE GYM's industry actually pays workers in Pennsylvania, from the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (2025), employment-weighted across counties. This is a real cost signal 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.
| System | Loans in PA | Local charge-off | Units in PA |
|---|---|---|---|
| ANYTIME FITNESS | 41 | 16.0% | — |
| Curves for Women | 25 | 19.0% | — |
| GOLD'S GYM | 17 | 12.5% | — |
| Burn Boot Camp Fitness | 12 | thin | — |
| Retrofitness | 11 | thin | — |
| Club Pilates | 8 | thin | — |
| I LOVE KICKBOXING | 8 | thin | — |
| Orangetheory | 8 | thin | — |
| Planet Fitness | 7 | thin | 119 |
| Pure Barre | 7 | thin | — |
| Snap Fitness | 7 | thin | 17 |
| Fitness Together | 6 | thin | 0 |
Same sector, same state, same public records — how THE LITTLE GYM compares to the systems a buyer in Pennsylvania 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. I'm paid by you — and the job is pressure-testing THE LITTLE GYM's numbers, including talking you out of a bad deal.