Fitness and classes · County · Illinois
Gyms and studios in Cook County, IL
How Cook County, IL compares with other counties and the U.S. for gyms and studios: competitors, household spending, official counts and growth.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 55 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #794 of 2,088 scored counties
#23 of 81 scored counties in Illinois
- Listings
- 2,945
- 646 chain locations (22%)
- Official establishments
- 1,219
- +3.1% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $2.3B
- On memberships, classes and admissions · $1,085 a household
- Spending per listing
- $774K
- 17% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 14.0
- 6% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 5,194,625
- −1.3% since 2020
See the gyms and studios around any address in Cook County
The site report maps the gyms and studios on map listings near the address, by name and distance, and sizes the households and spending around it. Or open the report at the center of Cook County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.
Free10 actions over 3 days, no cardSurvey estimates 2020–2024 · population estimates 2025 · official business counts 2023 · map listings September 2026 · Data credits · How we measure
What this means
Map listings as of September 2026 show 2,945 gyms and studios in Cook County. Of those, 646 are chain locations, or 22%, against 20% across the U.S. That is 14.0 per 10,000 households, 6% below the U.S. rate of 14.9.
At $1,085 per household (10% above the U.S. average), households in Cook County spend about $2.3B a year on memberships, classes and admissions. That works out to $774K per location, 17% above the U.S. figure of $662K.
Official counts show 1,219 businesses with payroll classed as fitness centers and recreation instruction in Cook County in 2023, up 3.1% from 2019. That is one for every 1,723 households, against one for every 1,641 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 95 SBA-backed loans worth $41.9M have gone to businesses classed as fitness centers and recreation instruction in Cook County.
Population estimates show Cook County declined 1.3% from 2020 to 2025, against +3.1% for the U.S. Cook County scores 55 (upper middle) on the Groundwork market score for gyms and studios, ranking #794 of 2,088 scored counties and #23 of 81 scored counties in Illinois.
How Cook County compares
The same measures for Illinois and the whole U.S. Spending per listing divides a year of household spending on all memberships, classes and admissions by the gyms and studios counted, so it measures the demand for each competitor, not any business’s revenue. Households per establishment does the same with the official count.
| Measure | Cook County | Illinois | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 14.0 | 14.6 | 14.9 |
| Spending per listing | $774K | $720K | $662K |
| Households per official establishment | 1,723 | 1,668 | 1,641 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +3.1% | +3.0% | +8.2% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −1.3% | −0.6% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on memberships, classes and admissions | $1,085 | $1,054 | $983 |
| Median household income | $83,498 | $83,390 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 55 | 51 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 1,182 → 1,219+3.1% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 18,610
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $446.9M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- Not publishedNot published for this business type
- Map listings, September 2026
- 2,945646 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 3,441The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 95
- Amount
- $41.9M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as fitness centers and recreation instruction in Cook County, through June 2026, placed by the borrower’s ZIP code. Official establishments are businesses with payroll; the official counts leave out places with fewer than 3.
Population and households in Cook County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 5,194,625−1.3% since 2020
- Households
- 2,100,230
- Median age
- 39.2
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 58%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.4
- Land area
- 945 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 5,484
- Median household income
- $83,498+29.1% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $120,729
- Median home value
- $324,500
- Jobs located here
- 2,683,238
- Daytime population
- 5,468,881Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Cook County?
These figures cover the whole county. A site report draws rings around one address and counts what’s inside them: households, spending, jobs, and the gyms and studios on map listings by name and distance.
Or open the report at the center of Cook County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.
Free10 actions over 3 days, no cardGyms, studios and classes across Illinois
Every Illinois market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in Illinois for gyms and studios, numbered among those based in Illinois, with Cook County marked.
Top counties in Illinois
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Boone County, IL | 77 | 17 | 8.7 | $1.1M | +0.4% | #102 of 2,088 |
| 2Piatt County, IL | 69 | 9 | 13.0 | $800K | +0.6% | #285 of 2,088 |
| 3Jersey County, IL | 68 | 5 | 6.3 | $1.5M | −1.5% | #294 of 2,088 |
| 4Mercer County, IL | 66 | 5 | 7.6 | $1.1M | −2.6% | #362 of 2,088 |
| 5Kendall County, IL | 66 | 72 | 15.9 | $792K | +9.9% | #381 of 2,088 |
| 6Douglas County, IL | 64 | 8 | 10.3 | $821K | +0.5% | #447 of 2,088 |
| 7Woodford County, IL | 63 | 21 | 14.3 | $755K | −0.8% | #490 of 2,088 |
| 8Will County, IL | 61 | 388 | 15.9 | $803K | +2.2% | #554 of 2,088 |
| 9Bond County, IL | 61 | 6 | 9.8 | $802K | +0.6% | #555 of 2,088 |
| 10Ogle County, IL | 61 | 24 | 11.5 | $787K | −0.7% | #556 of 2,088 |
| 23Cook County, IL | 55 | 2,945 | 14.0 | $774K | −1.3% | #794 of 2,088 |
Other business types in Cook County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
Groceries and convenience
Auto
Beauty and personal care
Fitness and classes
- Gyms, studios and classes55
- Gyms61
- Yoga, Pilates and fitness studios51
- Martial arts and dance studios58
Health care
Child care
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many gyms and studios are in Cook County, IL?
There are 2,945 gyms and studios on map listings in Cook County as of September 2026. 646 of them (22%) are chain locations. The listings count gyms, fitness studios, martial arts and dance studios. Official counts show 1,219 businesses with payroll classed as fitness centers and recreation instruction in 2023, up 3.1% from 2019.
How much do households in Cook County, IL spend on memberships, classes and admissions?
About $2.3B a year, or $1,085 per household. That is 10% above the U.S. average (an index of 110, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 2,945 gyms and studios on map listings, it comes to $774K per location. It is estimated from the incomes of the 2,100,230 households in Cook County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Cook County, IL compare with the U.S. for gyms and studios?
Cook County has 14.0 gyms and studios per 10,000 households, 6% below the U.S. rate of 14.9. Spending per location is $774K, 17% above the U.S. figure of $662K. At the national ratio of gyms and studios to household spending, Cook County would have about 3,441, against 2,945 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,723 households, against one for every 1,641 across the U.S. The official count rose 3.1% from 2019 to 2023, against +8.2% for the U.S.
How fast is Cook County, IL growing?
Population estimates put Cook County at 5,194,625 people in 2025, down 1.3% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 2,100,230 households. Median household income in Cook County is $83,498, 3% above the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 29.1%, before inflation.
What is the Groundwork market score?
The Groundwork market score runs from 0 to 100 and compares a market with others of its kind for one business type: states with states, metro areas with metro areas, small-town markets and counties with their own. It weighs household spending per competitor (35%), households per business with payroll (25%), population growth (20%) and spending power (20%), each ranked against those peers. A higher score means that, taken together, the market has more household spending and more households for each business already there, faster population growth and more spending per household than similar markets. It describes a market, not any one site or deal. Cook County scores 55 for gyms and studios (upper middle), #794 of 2,088 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Cook County. It maps the gyms and studios on map listings near the site and sizes the households and spending within the distance you choose. New accounts get 10 actions over 3 days, no card.
How the score works · Top markets for gyms and studios · All 56 business types in Cook County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Cook County?
A site report maps the competitors on map listings near an address and sizes the households and spending around it.
The button opens the report at the center of Cook County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.
This product uses the Census Bureau Data API but is not endorsed or certified by the Census Bureau.
Figures are estimates for research only. Not investment or real estate advice.