Fitness and classes · County · Iowa
Gyms and studios in Mahaska County, IA
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for gyms and studios in Mahaska County, IA, set against other counties and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 34 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,668 of 2,088 scored counties
#51 of 64 scored counties in Iowa
- Listings
- 12
- 3 chain locations (25%)
- Official establishments
- n/a
- Fewer than 3, or not published
- Household spending a year
- $6.7M
- On memberships, classes and admissions · $768 a household
- Spending per listing
- $559K
- 15% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 13.7
- 8% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 21,880
- −1.2% since 2020
See the gyms and studios around any address in Mahaska 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 Mahaska 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
Mahaska County scores 34 (lower middle) on the Groundwork market score for gyms and studios, ranking #1,668 of 2,088 scored counties and #51 of 64 scored counties in Iowa. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.
As of September 2026, map listings count 12 gyms and studios in Mahaska County. Chain locations make up 25% of them, against 20% across the U.S. That comes to 13.7 for every 10,000 households, 8% below the U.S. rate of 14.9.
At $768 per household (22% below the U.S. average), households in Mahaska County spend about $6.7M a year on memberships, classes and admissions. That is about $559K of household spending for each location on map listings, 15% below the U.S. figure of $662K.
There is no official count of businesses with payroll classed as fitness centers and recreation instruction in Mahaska County: counts under 3 aren’t published. Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Mahaska County declined 1.2%, against +3.1% for the U.S.
How Mahaska 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 | Mahaska County | Iowa | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 13.7 | 14.8 | 14.9 |
| Spending per listing | $559K | $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 | −1.2% | +1.5% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on memberships, classes and admissions | $768 | $890 | $983 |
| Median household income | $70,940 | $75,059 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 34 | 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
- 123 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 10The 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 Mahaska 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 Mahaska County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 21,880−1.2% since 2020
- Households
- 8,743
- Median age
- 39.4
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 68%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.1
- Land area
- 571 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 39
- Median household income
- $70,940+29.4% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $86,932
- Median home value
- $157,800
- Jobs located here
- 8,845
- Daytime population
- 19,874Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Mahaska 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 Mahaska 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 Mahaska 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 |
| 51Mahaska County, IA | 34 | 12 | 13.7 | $559K | −1.2% | #1,668 of 2,088 |
Other business types in Mahaska 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 classes34
- Gyms41
- Yoga, Pilates and fitness studios
- Martial arts and dance studios20
Health care
Child care
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many gyms and studios are in Mahaska County, IA?
Mahaska County has 12 gyms and studios on map listings as of September 2026. 3 of them (25%) are chain locations. The listings count gyms, fitness studios, martial arts and dance studios. No official count is published for fitness centers and recreation instruction in Mahaska County: counts under 3 are left out.
How much do households in Mahaska County, IA spend on memberships, classes and admissions?
About $6.7M a year, or $768 per household. That is 22% below the U.S. average (an index of 78, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 12 gyms and studios on map listings, it comes to $559K per location. It is estimated from the incomes of the 8,743 households in Mahaska County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Mahaska County, IA compare with the U.S. for gyms and studios?
Mahaska County has 13.7 gyms and studios per 10,000 households, 8% below the U.S. rate of 14.9. Spending per location is $559K, 15% below the U.S. figure of $662K. At the national ratio of gyms and studios to household spending, Mahaska County would have about 10, against 12 on map listings.
How fast is Mahaska County, IA growing?
Population estimates put Mahaska County at 21,880 people in 2025, down 1.2% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 8,743 households. Median household income in Mahaska County is $70,940, 12% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 29.4%, 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. Mahaska County scores 34 for gyms and studios (lower middle), #1,668 of 2,088 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Mahaska 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 Mahaska County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Mahaska 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 Mahaska 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.