Groundwork

Fitness and classes · Metro area · Iowa

Gyms and studios in the Cedar Rapids, IA metro area

Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for gyms and studios in the Cedar Rapids, IA metro area, set against other metro areas and the U.S.

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 41 out of 100: Lower middle

Ranked #280 of 387 scored metro areas
#7 of 8 scored metro areas based in Iowa

Listings
190
34 chain locations (18%)
Official establishments
67
+12.5% since 2019
Household spending a year
$106.1M
On memberships, classes and admissions · $931 a household
Spending per listing
$559K
16% below the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
16.7
12% above the U.S.
Population, 2025
279,285
+1.0% since 2020

See the gyms and studios around any address in the Cedar Rapids metro 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 Cedar Rapids metro area. 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 $931 per household (5% below the U.S. average), households in the Cedar Rapids metro area spend about $106.1M a year on memberships, classes and admissions. Spread across 190 gyms and studios, that is $559K per location, 16% below the U.S. figure of $662K.

There are 190 gyms and studios on map listings in the Cedar Rapids metro area as of September 2026. Of those, 34 are chain locations, or 18%, against 20% across the U.S. That comes to 16.7 for every 10,000 households, 12% above the U.S. rate of 14.9.

The official count of businesses with payroll classed as fitness centers and recreation instruction in the Cedar Rapids metro area was 67 in 2023, up 12.5% from 2019. That is one for every 1,701 households, against one for every 1,641 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 8 SBA-backed loans worth $2.4M have gone to businesses classed as fitness centers and recreation instruction in the Cedar Rapids metro area.

Population estimates put the population change in the Cedar Rapids metro area from 2020 to 2025 at +1.0%, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). For gyms and studios, the Cedar Rapids metro area has a Groundwork market score of 41 (lower middle): #280 of 387 scored metro areas and #7 of 8 scored metro areas based in Iowa.

How the Cedar Rapids metro area compares

The same measures for Iowa 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 Cedar Rapids, IA metro area compared with Iowa and the U.S.
MeasureCedar Rapids metro areaIowaU.S.
Listings per 10k households16.714.814.9
Spending per listing$559K$603K$662K
Households per official establishment1,7011,8881,641
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023+12.5%+3.9%+8.2%
Population growth, 2020–2025+1.0%+1.5%+3.1%
Spending per household on memberships, classes and admissions$931$890$983
Median household income$78,080$75,059$80,734
Groundwork market score4144

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
67+12.5% over the period
Employees, 2023
1,161
Annual payroll, 2023
$27.4M
One-person businesses, 2023
Not publishedNot published for this business type
Map listings, September 2026
19034 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
160The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here

SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022

Loans
8
Amount
$2.4M

SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as fitness centers and recreation instruction in the Cedar Rapids metro 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 Cedar Rapids metro area

Population, 2025 estimate
279,285+1.0% since 2020
Households
114,000
Median age
40.4
Homes lived in by their owners
75%
Vehicles per household
1.9
Land area
2,009 sq. mi.
People per square mile
138
Median household income
$78,080+20.7% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$102,989
Median home value
$211,500
Jobs located here
142,164
Daytime population
283,130Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in the Cedar Rapids metro area?

These figures cover the whole metro area. 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 Cedar Rapids metro area. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

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Gyms, studios and classes across Iowa

Every Iowa market ranked →

The highest-scoring metro areas in Iowa for gyms and studios, numbered among those based in Iowa (a market based in another state is listed without a number), with the Cedar Rapids metro area marked.

Top metro areas in Iowa

Metro areas in Iowa ranked for gyms and studios by Groundwork market score
MarketScoreListingsPer 10k householdsSpending per listingPopulation growthU.S. rank
1Waterloo-Cedar Falls, IA588111.7$709K+0.5%#110 of 387
Omaha, NE-IA5461015.6$659K+4.2%#147 of 387
2Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA5351017.3$602K+6.7%#155 of 387
3Sioux City, IA-NE-SD517112.8$671K+1.0%#177 of 387
4Dubuque, IA485513.4$671K+0.1%#205 of 387
5Iowa City, IA4512417.1$560K+4.1%#249 of 387
6Davenport-Moline-Rock Island, IA-IL4125115.5$560K−0.9%#279 of 387
7Cedar Rapids, IA4119016.7$559K+1.0%#280 of 387
8Ames, IA349018.1$495K+2.2%#330 of 387

Other business types in the Cedar Rapids metro area

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

Questions

How many gyms and studios are in the Cedar Rapids, IA metro area?

As of September 2026, map listings count 190 gyms and studios in the Cedar Rapids metro area. 34 of them (18%) are chain locations. The listings count gyms, fitness studios, martial arts and dance studios. Official counts show 67 businesses with payroll classed as fitness centers and recreation instruction in 2023, up 12.5% from 2019.

How much do households in the Cedar Rapids, IA metro area spend on memberships, classes and admissions?

About $106.1M a year, or $931 per household. That is 5% below the U.S. average (an index of 95, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 190 gyms and studios on map listings, it comes to $559K per location. It is estimated from the incomes of the 114,000 households in the Cedar Rapids metro area and national spending patterns by income.

How does the Cedar Rapids, IA metro area compare with the U.S. for gyms and studios?

The Cedar Rapids metro area has 16.7 gyms and studios per 10,000 households, 12% above the U.S. rate of 14.9. Spending per location is $559K, 16% below the U.S. figure of $662K. At the U.S. ratio of gyms and studios to household spending, the Cedar Rapids metro area would have about 160, against 190 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,701 households, against one for every 1,641 across the U.S. The official count rose 12.5% from 2019 to 2023, against +8.2% for the U.S.

How fast is the Cedar Rapids, IA metro area growing?

Population estimates put the Cedar Rapids metro area at 279,285 people in 2025, up 1.0% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 114,000 households. The median household income in the Cedar Rapids metro area is $78,080 a year, 3% below 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. The Cedar Rapids metro area scores 41 for gyms and studios (lower middle), #280 of 387 scored metro areas.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

Run a Groundwork site report on an address in the Cedar Rapids metro 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 Cedar Rapids metro area

Screening a site or an acquisition in the Cedar Rapids metro 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 Cedar Rapids metro 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.