Fitness and classes · Small-town market · Illinois
Gyms and studios in the Ottawa, IL area
How the Ottawa, IL area compares with other small-town markets 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 #182 of 535 scored small-town markets
#7 of 20 scored small-town markets based in Illinois
- Listings
- 69
- 18 chain locations (26%)
- Official establishments
- 21
- Businesses with payroll, 2023
- Household spending a year
- $51.7M
- On memberships, classes and admissions · $835 a household
- Spending per listing
- $749K
- 13% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 11.2
- 25% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 145,902
- −1.6% since 2020
See the gyms and studios around any address in the Ottawa area
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 the Ottawa area. 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
As of September 2026, map listings count 69 gyms and studios in the Ottawa area. 18 of them (26%) are chain locations, against 20% across the U.S. That comes to 11.2 for every 10,000 households, 25% below the U.S. rate of 14.9.
Household spending on memberships, classes and admissions in the Ottawa area comes to about $51.7M a year: $835 per household, 15% below the U.S. average. That is about $749K of household spending for each location on map listings, 13% above the U.S. figure of $662K.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as fitness centers and recreation instruction in the Ottawa area was 21 in 2023. That is one for every 2,946 households, against one for every 1,641 across the U.S.
Between 2020 and 2025, the population of the Ottawa area declined 1.6%, against +3.1% for the U.S. The Ottawa area scores 57 (upper middle) on the Groundwork market score for gyms and studios, ranking #182 of 535 scored small-town markets and #7 of 20 scored small-town markets based in Illinois.
How the Ottawa area 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 | Ottawa area | Illinois | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 11.2 | 14.6 | 14.9 |
| Spending per listing | $749K | $720K | $662K |
| Households per official establishment | 2,946 | 1,668 | 1,641 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +3.0% | +8.2% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −1.6% | −0.6% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on memberships, classes and admissions | $835 | $1,054 | $983 |
| Median household income | $72,230 | $83,390 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 57 | 51 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 21
- Employees, 2023
- 273
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $3.2M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- Not publishedNot published for this business type
- Map listings, September 2026
- 6918 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 78The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 0
- Amount
- $0
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as fitness centers and recreation instruction in the Ottawa area, 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 the Ottawa area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 145,902−1.6% since 2020
- Households
- 61,866
- Median age
- 43.0
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 75%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 2,164 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 68
- Median household income
- $72,230+24.2% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $91,689
- Median home value
- $156,400
- Jobs located here
- 52,301
- Daytime population
- 131,372Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Ottawa area?
These figures cover the whole small-town market. 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 the Ottawa area. 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 small-town markets in Illinois for gyms and studios, numbered among those based in Illinois, with the Ottawa area marked.
Top small-town markets in Illinois
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Rochelle, IL | 69 | 24 | 11.5 | $787K | −0.7% | #64 of 535 |
| 2Pontiac, IL | 64 | 15 | 10.3 | $818K | −2.1% | #104 of 535 |
| 3Effingham, IL | 64 | 25 | 13.8 | $634K | −0.9% | #113 of 535 |
| 4Mount Vernon, IL | 60 | 12 | 8.1 | $885K | −2.3% | #145 of 535 |
| 5Sterling, IL | 59 | 26 | 11.2 | $672K | −2.6% | #164 of 535 |
| 6Taylorville, IL | 58 | 13 | 9.6 | $774K | −1.5% | #172 of 535 |
| 7Ottawa, IL | 57 | 69 | 11.2 | $749K | −1.6% | #182 of 535 |
| 8Marion-Herrin, IL | 54 | 30 | 10.4 | $758K | +0.2% | #220 of 535 |
| 9Centralia, IL | 52 | 12 | 7.7 | $902K | −3.4% | #244 of 535 |
| 10Danville, IL | 49 | 30 | 10.0 | $683K | −3.7% | #294 of 535 |
Other business types in the Ottawa area
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 classes57
- Gyms64
- Yoga, Pilates and fitness studios63
- Martial arts and dance studios65
Health care
Child care
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many gyms and studios are in the Ottawa, IL area?
The Ottawa area has 69 gyms and studios on map listings as of September 2026. 18 of them (26%) are chain locations. The listings count gyms, fitness studios, martial arts and dance studios. Official counts show 21 businesses with payroll classed as fitness centers and recreation instruction in 2023.
How much do households in the Ottawa, IL area spend on memberships, classes and admissions?
About $51.7M a year, or $835 per household. That is 15% below the U.S. average (an index of 85, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 69 gyms and studios on map listings, it comes to $749K per location. It is estimated from the incomes of the 61,866 households in the Ottawa area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Ottawa, IL area compare with the U.S. for gyms and studios?
The Ottawa area has 11.2 gyms and studios per 10,000 households, 25% below the U.S. rate of 14.9. Spending per location is $749K, 13% above the U.S. figure of $662K. At the national ratio of gyms and studios to household spending, the Ottawa area would have about 78, against 69 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 2,946 households, against one for every 1,641 across the U.S.
How fast is the Ottawa, IL area growing?
Population estimates put the Ottawa area at 145,902 people in 2025, down 1.6% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 61,866 households. Median household income in the Ottawa area is $72,230, 11% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 24.2%, 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. A small-town market is a town of 10,000 to 50,000 people and the county or counties tied to it by commuting. 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. The Ottawa area scores 57 for gyms and studios (upper middle), #182 of 535 scored small-town markets.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in the Ottawa area. 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 the Ottawa area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Ottawa area?
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 the Ottawa area. 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.