Groundwork

Fitness and classes · County · Iowa

Gyms and studios in Dubuque County, IA

Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for gyms and studios in Dubuque County, IA, set against other counties and the U.S.

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 48 out of 100: Lower middle

Ranked #1,158 of 2,088 scored counties
#27 of 64 scored counties in Iowa

Listings
55
13 chain locations (24%)
Official establishments
25
+13.6% since 2019
Household spending a year
$36.9M
On memberships, classes and admissions · $900 a household
Spending per listing
$671K
In line with the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
13.4
10% below the U.S.
Population, 2025
99,381
+0.1% since 2020

See the gyms and studios around any address in Dubuque 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 Dubuque 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 $900 per household (8% below the U.S. average), households in Dubuque County spend about $36.9M a year on memberships, classes and admissions. Spread across 55 gyms and studios, that is $671K per location, in line with the U.S. figure of $662K.

There are 55 gyms and studios on map listings in Dubuque County as of September 2026. 13 of them (24%) are chain locations, against 20% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 13.4, 10% below the U.S. rate of 14.9.

In 2023, official counts showed 25 businesses with payroll in Dubuque County classed as fitness centers and recreation instruction, up 13.6% from 2019. That is one for every 1,640 households, against one for every 1,641 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 5 SBA-backed loans worth $809K have gone to businesses classed as fitness centers and recreation instruction in Dubuque County.

Population estimates put the population change in Dubuque County from 2020 to 2025 at +0.1%, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). The Groundwork market score for gyms and studios in Dubuque County is 48 (lower middle), #1,158 of 2,088 scored counties and #27 of 64 scored counties in Iowa.

How Dubuque County 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 Dubuque County, IA compared with Iowa and the U.S.
MeasureDubuque CountyIowaU.S.
Listings per 10k households13.414.814.9
Spending per listing$671K$603K$662K
Households per official establishment1,6401,8881,641
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023+13.6%+3.9%+8.2%
Population growth, 2020–2025+0.1%+1.5%+3.1%
Spending per household on memberships, classes and admissions$900$890$983
Median household income$77,630$75,059$80,734
Groundwork market score4844

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
22 → 25+13.6% over the period
Employees, 2023
449
Annual payroll, 2023
$5.8M
One-person businesses, 2023
Not publishedNot published for this business type
Map listings, September 2026
5513 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
56The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here

SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022

Loans
5
Amount
$809K

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

Population, 2025 estimate
99,381+0.1% since 2020
Households
40,989
Median age
39.9
Homes lived in by their owners
73%
Vehicles per household
1.9
Land area
608 sq. mi.
People per square mile
163
Median household income
$77,630+23.2% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$100,177
Median home value
$237,300
Jobs located here
58,941
Daytime population
105,695Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in Dubuque 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 Dubuque 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 Iowa

Every Iowa market ranked →

The highest-scoring counties in Iowa for gyms and studios, numbered among those based in Iowa, with Dubuque County marked.

Top counties in Iowa

Counties in Iowa ranked for gyms and studios by Groundwork market score
MarketScoreListingsPer 10k householdsSpending per listingPopulation growthU.S. rank
1Warren County, IA832713.1$805K+9.0%#42 of 2,088
2Benton County, IA7998.8$1.1M+1.8%#79 of 2,088
3Buchanan County, IA7367.3$1.1M+1.3%#173 of 2,088
4Dallas County, IA735913.9$922K+17.8%#183 of 2,088
5Guthrie County, IA71510.9$845K+1.6%#234 of 2,088
6Madison County, IA70811.9$829K+3.8%#251 of 2,088
7Cedar County, IA6967.9$1.1M−0.7%#267 of 2,088
8Allamakee County, IA6858.4$935K+1.2%#303 of 2,088
9Harrison County, IA6869.9$892K+0.4%#308 of 2,088
10Marshall County, IA65117.1$1.1M−0.5%#395 of 2,088
27Dubuque County, IA485513.4$671K+0.1%#1,158 of 2,088

Other business types in Dubuque County

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

Questions

How many gyms and studios are in Dubuque County, IA?

As of September 2026, map listings count 55 gyms and studios in Dubuque County. 13 of them (24%) are chain locations. The listings count gyms, fitness studios, martial arts and dance studios. Official counts show 25 businesses with payroll classed as fitness centers and recreation instruction in 2023, up 13.6% from 2019.

How much do households in Dubuque County, IA spend on memberships, classes and admissions?

About $36.9M a year, or $900 per household. That is 8% below the U.S. average (an index of 92, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 55 gyms and studios on map listings, it comes to $671K per location. It is estimated from the incomes of the 40,989 households in Dubuque County and national spending patterns by income.

How does Dubuque County, IA compare with the U.S. for gyms and studios?

Dubuque County has 13.4 gyms and studios per 10,000 households, 10% below the U.S. rate of 14.9. Spending per location is $671K, in line with the U.S. figure of $662K. At the U.S. ratio of gyms and studios to household spending, Dubuque County would have about 56, against 55 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,640 households, against one for every 1,641 across the U.S. The official count rose 13.6% from 2019 to 2023, against +8.2% for the U.S.

How fast is Dubuque County, IA growing?

Population estimates put Dubuque County at 99,381 people in 2025, up 0.1% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 40,989 households. The median household income in Dubuque County is $77,630 a year, 4% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 23.2% 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. Dubuque County scores 48 for gyms and studios (lower middle), #1,158 of 2,088 scored counties.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

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

Screening a site or an acquisition in Dubuque 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 Dubuque 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.