Fitness and classes · County · Iowa
Gyms and studios in Howard County, IA
The gyms and studios in Howard County, IA, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.
Groundwork market score
Not scored
Counties under 10,000 people aren’t scored, since a few businesses can swing their figures.
- Listings
- 4
- 2 chain locations (50%)
- Official establishments
- n/a
- Fewer than 3, or not published
- Household spending a year
- $2.8M
- On memberships, classes and admissions · $747 a household
- Spending per listing
- $705K
- 6% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 10.6
- 29% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 9,415
- −0.8% since 2020
See the gyms and studios around any address in Howard 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 Howard 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
At $747 per household (24% below the U.S. average), households in Howard County spend about $2.8M a year on memberships, classes and admissions. That works out to $705K per location, 6% above the U.S. figure of $662K.
Howard County has 4 gyms and studios on map listings as of September 2026. That is 10.6 per 10,000 households, 29% below the U.S. rate of 14.9.
Official counts don’t publish a figure for fitness centers and recreation instruction in Howard County, since they leave out counts under 3.
Population estimates put the population change in Howard County from 2020 to 2025 at −0.8%, against +3.1% for the U.S. Counties under 10,000 people aren’t given a market score, since a few businesses can swing their figures.
How Howard 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 | Howard County | Iowa | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 10.6 | 14.8 | 14.9 |
| Spending per listing | $705K | $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 | −0.8% | +1.5% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on memberships, classes and admissions | $747 | $890 | $983 |
| Median household income | $67,446 | $75,059 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | Not scored | 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
- 42 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 4The 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 Howard 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 Howard County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 9,415−0.8% since 2020
- Households
- 3,773
- Median age
- 40.5
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 77%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.2
- Land area
- 473 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 20
- Median household income
- $67,446
- Average household income
- $87,621
- Median home value
- $147,800
- Jobs located here
- 4,105
- Daytime population
- 9,049Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Howard 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 Howard 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 Howard 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 |
| Howard County, IA | Not scored | 4 | 10.6 | $705K | −0.8% |
Other business types in Howard County
None has a Groundwork market score here. Counties under 10,000 people aren’t scored, since a few businesses can swing their figures.
Food and drink
Groceries and convenience
Auto
Beauty and personal care
Fitness and classes
- Gyms, studios and classes
- Gyms
- 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 Howard County, IA?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 4 gyms and studios in Howard County. The listings count gyms, fitness studios, martial arts and dance studios. No official count is published for fitness centers and recreation instruction in Howard County: counts under 3 are left out.
How much do households in Howard County, IA spend on memberships, classes and admissions?
About $2.8M a year, or $747 per household. That is 24% below the U.S. average (an index of 76, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 4 gyms and studios on map listings, it comes to $705K per location. It is estimated from the incomes of the 3,773 households in Howard County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Howard County, IA compare with the U.S. for gyms and studios?
Howard County has 10.6 gyms and studios per 10,000 households, 29% below the U.S. rate of 14.9. Spending per location is $705K, 6% above the U.S. figure of $662K. The count on map listings matches the U.S. ratio of gyms and studios to household spending.
How fast is Howard County, IA growing?
Population estimates put Howard County at 9,415 people in 2025, down 0.8% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 3,773 households. The median household income in Howard County is $67,446 a year, 16% below the U.S. median of $80,734.
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 score leaves out counties under 10,000 people, where a handful of businesses would swing it.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Howard 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 Howard County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Howard 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 Howard 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.