Fitness and classes · County · Iowa
Gyms and studios in Hardin County, IA
How Hardin County, IA 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 30 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,781 of 2,088 scored counties
#56 of 64 scored counties in Iowa
- Listings
- 9
- 1 chain location (11%)
- Official establishments
- n/a
- Fewer than 3, or not published
- Household spending a year
- $5.1M
- On memberships, classes and admissions · $720 a household
- Spending per listing
- $563K
- 15% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 12.8
- 14% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 16,455
- −2.2% since 2020
See the gyms and studios around any address in Hardin 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 Hardin 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
For gyms and studios, Hardin County has a Groundwork market score of 30 (lower middle): #1,781 of 2,088 scored counties and #56 of 64 scored counties in Iowa. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.
Households in Hardin County spend about $5.1M a year on memberships, classes and admissions, or $720 per household, 27% below the U.S. average. Spread across 9 gyms and studios, that is $563K per location, 15% below the U.S. figure of $662K.
There are 9 gyms and studios on map listings in Hardin County as of September 2026. One of them (11%) is a chain location, against 20% across the U.S. That comes to 12.8 for every 10,000 households, 14% below the U.S. rate of 14.9.
Official counts don’t publish a figure for fitness centers and recreation instruction in Hardin County, since they leave out counts under 3. Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Hardin County declined 2.2%, against +3.1% for the U.S.
How Hardin 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.
| Measure | Hardin County | Iowa | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 12.8 | 14.8 | 14.9 |
| Spending per listing | $563K | $603K | $662K |
| Households per official establishment | n/a | 1,888 | 1,641 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +3.9% | +8.2% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −2.2% | +1.5% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on memberships, classes and admissions | $720 | $890 | $983 |
| Median household income | $65,069 | $75,059 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 30 | 44 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- n/a
- Employees, 2023
- n/a
- Annual payroll, 2023
- n/a
- One-person businesses, 2023
- Not publishedNot published for this business type
- Map listings, September 2026
- 91 chain location
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 8The 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 Hardin 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 Hardin County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 16,455−2.2% since 2020
- Households
- 7,038
- Median age
- 44.4
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 74%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.0
- Land area
- 569 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 29
- Median household income
- $65,069+20.1% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $79,622
- Median home value
- $122,500
- Jobs located here
- 6,424
- Daytime population
- 15,239Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Hardin 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 Hardin 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 Iowa
Every Iowa market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in Iowa for gyms and studios, numbered among those based in Iowa, with Hardin County marked.
Top counties in Iowa
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Warren County, IA | 83 | 27 | 13.1 | $805K | +9.0% | #42 of 2,088 |
| 2Benton County, IA | 79 | 9 | 8.8 | $1.1M | +1.8% | #79 of 2,088 |
| 3Buchanan County, IA | 73 | 6 | 7.3 | $1.1M | +1.3% | #173 of 2,088 |
| 4Dallas County, IA | 73 | 59 | 13.9 | $922K | +17.8% | #183 of 2,088 |
| 5Guthrie County, IA | 71 | 5 | 10.9 | $845K | +1.6% | #234 of 2,088 |
| 6Madison County, IA | 70 | 8 | 11.9 | $829K | +3.8% | #251 of 2,088 |
| 7Cedar County, IA | 69 | 6 | 7.9 | $1.1M | −0.7% | #267 of 2,088 |
| 8Allamakee County, IA | 68 | 5 | 8.4 | $935K | +1.2% | #303 of 2,088 |
| 9Harrison County, IA | 68 | 6 | 9.9 | $892K | +0.4% | #308 of 2,088 |
| 10Marshall County, IA | 65 | 11 | 7.1 | $1.1M | −0.5% | #395 of 2,088 |
| 56Hardin County, IA | 30 | 9 | 12.8 | $563K | −2.2% | #1,781 of 2,088 |
Other business types in Hardin 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 classes30
- Gyms24
- Yoga, Pilates and fitness studios
- Martial arts and dance studios
Health care
Child care
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many gyms and studios are in Hardin County, IA?
As of September 2026, map listings count 9 gyms and studios in Hardin County. One of them (11%) is a chain location. The listings count gyms, fitness studios, martial arts and dance studios. No official count is published for fitness centers and recreation instruction in Hardin County: counts under 3 are left out.
How much do households in Hardin County, IA spend on memberships, classes and admissions?
About $5.1M a year, or $720 per household. That is 27% below the U.S. average (an index of 73, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 9 gyms and studios on map listings, it comes to $563K per location. It is estimated from the incomes of the 7,038 households in Hardin County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Hardin County, IA compare with the U.S. for gyms and studios?
Hardin County has 12.8 gyms and studios per 10,000 households, 14% below the U.S. rate of 14.9. Spending per location is $563K, 15% below the U.S. figure of $662K. At the U.S. ratio of gyms and studios to household spending, Hardin County would have about 8, against 9 on map listings.
How fast is Hardin County, IA growing?
Population estimates put Hardin County at 16,455 people in 2025, down 2.2% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 7,038 households. The median household income in Hardin County is $65,069 a year, 19% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 20.1% 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. Hardin County scores 30 for gyms and studios (lower middle), #1,781 of 2,088 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Hardin 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 Hardin County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Hardin 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 Hardin 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.