Groundwork

Fitness and classes · County · Illinois

Gyms and studios in McHenry County, IL

How McHenry 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 57 out of 100: Upper middle

Ranked #728 of 2,088 scored counties
#20 of 81 scored counties in Illinois

Listings
212
51 chain locations (24%)
Official establishments
79
−4.8% since 2019
Household spending a year
$146M
On memberships, classes and admissions · $1,241 a household
Spending per listing
$688K
4% above the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
18.0
21% above the U.S.
Population, 2025
317,751
+2.5% since 2020

See the gyms and studios around any address in McHenry 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 McHenry County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

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Survey estimates 2020–2024 · population estimates 2025 · official business counts 2023 · map listings September 2026 · Data credits · How we measure

What this means

At $1,241 per household (26% above the U.S. average), households in McHenry County spend about $146M a year on memberships, classes and admissions. That is about $688K of household spending for each location on map listings, 4% above the U.S. figure of $662K.

McHenry County has 212 gyms and studios on map listings as of September 2026. Chain locations make up 24% of them, against 20% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 18.0, 21% above the U.S. rate of 14.9.

In 2023, official counts showed 79 businesses with payroll in McHenry County classed as fitness centers and recreation instruction, down 4.8% from 2019. That is one for every 1,489 households, against one for every 1,641 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 6 SBA-backed loans worth $4.4M have gone to businesses classed as fitness centers and recreation instruction in McHenry County.

Population estimates put the population change in McHenry County from 2020 to 2025 at +2.5%, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). McHenry County scores 57 (upper middle) on the Groundwork market score for gyms and studios, ranking #728 of 2,088 scored counties and #20 of 81 scored counties in Illinois.

How McHenry 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.

Gyms, studios and classes in McHenry County, IL compared with Illinois and the U.S.
MeasureMcHenry CountyIllinoisU.S.
Listings per 10k households18.014.614.9
Spending per listing$688K$720K$662K
Households per official establishment1,4891,6681,641
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023−4.8%+3.0%+8.2%
Population growth, 2020–2025+2.5%−0.6%+3.1%
Spending per household on memberships, classes and admissions$1,241$1,054$983
Median household income$104,802$83,390$80,734
Groundwork market score5751

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
83 → 79−4.8% over the period
Employees, 2023
1,649
Annual payroll, 2023
$26.3M
One-person businesses, 2023
Not publishedNot published for this business type
Map listings, September 2026
21251 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
220The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here

SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022

Loans
6
Amount
$4.4M

SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as fitness centers and recreation instruction in McHenry 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 McHenry County

Population, 2025 estimate
317,751+2.5% since 2020
Households
117,594
Median age
41.3
Homes lived in by their owners
83%
Vehicles per household
2.0
Land area
603 sq. mi.
People per square mile
518
Median household income
$104,802+20.7% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$130,520
Median home value
$308,100
Jobs located here
93,473
Daytime population
243,217Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in McHenry 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 McHenry County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

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Gyms, 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 McHenry County marked.

Top counties in Illinois

Counties in Illinois ranked for gyms and studios by Groundwork market score
MarketScoreListingsPer 10k householdsSpending per listingPopulation growthU.S. rank
1Boone County, IL77178.7$1.1M+0.4%#102 of 2,088
2Piatt County, IL69913.0$800K+0.6%#285 of 2,088
3Jersey County, IL6856.3$1.5M−1.5%#294 of 2,088
4Mercer County, IL6657.6$1.1M−2.6%#362 of 2,088
5Kendall County, IL667215.9$792K+9.9%#381 of 2,088
6Douglas County, IL64810.3$821K+0.5%#447 of 2,088
7Woodford County, IL632114.3$755K−0.8%#490 of 2,088
8Will County, IL6138815.9$803K+2.2%#554 of 2,088
9Bond County, IL6169.8$802K+0.6%#555 of 2,088
10Ogle County, IL612411.5$787K−0.7%#556 of 2,088
20McHenry County, IL5721218.0$688K+2.5%#728 of 2,088

Other business types in McHenry County

Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.

Questions

How many gyms and studios are in McHenry County, IL?

Map listings as of September 2026 show 212 gyms and studios in McHenry County. 51 of them (24%) are chain locations. The listings count gyms, fitness studios, martial arts and dance studios. Official counts show 79 businesses with payroll classed as fitness centers and recreation instruction in 2023, down 4.8% from 2019.

How much do households in McHenry County, IL spend on memberships, classes and admissions?

About $146M a year, or $1,241 per household. That is 26% above the U.S. average (an index of 126, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 212 gyms and studios on map listings, it comes to $688K per location. It is estimated from the incomes of the 117,594 households in McHenry County and national spending patterns by income.

How does McHenry County, IL compare with the U.S. for gyms and studios?

McHenry County has 18.0 gyms and studios per 10,000 households, 21% above the U.S. rate of 14.9. Spending per location is $688K, 4% above the U.S. figure of $662K. At the U.S. ratio of gyms and studios to household spending, McHenry County would have about 220, against 212 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,489 households, against one for every 1,641 across the U.S. The official count fell 4.8% from 2019 to 2023, against +8.2% for the U.S.

How fast is McHenry County, IL growing?

Population estimates put McHenry County at 317,751 people in 2025, up 2.5% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 117,594 households. The median household income in McHenry County is $104,802 a year, 30% above the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 20.7% from the 2015–2019 survey, 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. McHenry County scores 57 for gyms and studios (upper middle), #728 of 2,088 scored counties.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

Run a Groundwork site report on an address in McHenry 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 McHenry County

Screening a site or an acquisition in McHenry 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 McHenry 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.