Fitness and classes · Small-town market · Iowa
Gyms and studios in the Mason City, IA area
How the Mason City, IA area compares with other small-town markets and the U.S. for gyms and studios: competitors, household spending, official counts and growth.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 35 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #434 of 535 scored small-town markets
#14 of 15 scored small-town markets based in Iowa
- Listings
- 34
- 10 chain locations (29%)
- Official establishments
- 12
- Businesses with payroll, 2023
- Household spending a year
- $18.5M
- On memberships, classes and admissions · $816 a household
- Spending per listing
- $545K
- 18% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 15.0
- In line with the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 49,710
- −1.5% since 2020
See the gyms and studios around any address in the Mason City 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 Mason City area. 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
The Mason City area scores 35 (lower middle) on the Groundwork market score for gyms and studios, ranking #434 of 535 scored small-town markets and #14 of 15 scored small-town markets based in Iowa. That puts it in the bottom quarter of small-town markets.
Household spending on memberships, classes and admissions in the Mason City area comes to about $18.5M a year: $816 per household, 17% below the U.S. average. Spread across 34 gyms and studios, that is $545K per location, 18% below the U.S. figure of $662K.
The Mason City area has 34 gyms and studios on map listings as of September 2026. Chain locations make up 29% of them, against 20% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 15.0, in line with the U.S. rate of 14.9.
Official counts show 12 businesses with payroll classed as fitness centers and recreation instruction in the Mason City area in 2023. That is one for every 1,893 households, against one for every 1,641 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 2 SBA-backed loans worth $110K have gone to businesses classed as fitness centers and recreation instruction in the Mason City area. Population estimates show the Mason City area declined 1.5% from 2020 to 2025, against +3.1% for the U.S.
How the Mason City 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.
| Measure | Mason City area | Iowa | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 15.0 | 14.8 | 14.9 |
| Spending per listing | $545K | $603K | $662K |
| Households per official establishment | 1,893 | 1,888 | 1,641 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +3.9% | +8.2% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −1.5% | +1.5% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on memberships, classes and admissions | $816 | $890 | $983 |
| Median household income | $68,926 | $75,059 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 35 | 44 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 12
- Employees, 2023
- 124
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $1.3M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- Not publishedNot published for this business type
- Map listings, September 2026
- 3410 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 28The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 2
- Amount
- $110K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as fitness centers and recreation instruction in the Mason City 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 Mason City area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 49,710−1.5% since 2020
- Households
- 22,716
- Median age
- 45.5
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 72%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 968 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 52
- Median household income
- $68,926+26.7% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $91,964
- Median home value
- $162,900
- Jobs located here
- 24,592
- Daytime population
- 51,205Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Mason City area?
These figures cover the whole small-town market. 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 Mason City area. 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 small-town markets in Iowa for gyms and studios, numbered among those based in Iowa, with the Mason City area marked.
Top small-town markets in Iowa
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Marshalltown, IA | 71 | 11 | 7.1 | $1.1M | −0.5% | #41 of 535 |
| 2Ottumwa, IA | 55 | 16 | 11.4 | $627K | −0.3% | #210 of 535 |
| 3Clinton, IA | 52 | 25 | 12.8 | $628K | −0.9% | #251 of 535 |
| 4Le Mars, IA | 48 | 15 | 14.5 | $627K | 0.0% | #308 of 535 |
| 5Pella, IA | 46 | 23 | 17.3 | $525K | +2.3% | #328 of 535 |
| 6Burlington, IA-IL | 45 | 22 | 11.1 | $651K | −2.5% | #332 of 535 |
| 7Fort Dodge, IA | 45 | 19 | 12.4 | $604K | −0.4% | #334 of 535 |
| 8Carroll, IA | 45 | 13 | 14.8 | $572K | −2.0% | #338 of 535 |
| 9Storm Lake, IA | 45 | 11 | 14.6 | $572K | −1.7% | #339 of 535 |
| 10Oskaloosa, IA | 41 | 12 | 13.7 | $559K | −1.2% | #371 of 535 |
| 14Mason City, IA | 35 | 34 | 15.0 | $545K | −1.5% | #434 of 535 |
Other business types in the Mason City area
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 classes35
- Gyms39
- Yoga, Pilates and fitness studios49
- Martial arts and dance studios51
Health care
Child care
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many gyms and studios are in the Mason City, IA area?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 34 gyms and studios in the Mason City area. 10 of them (29%) are chain locations. The listings count gyms, fitness studios, martial arts and dance studios. Official counts show 12 businesses with payroll classed as fitness centers and recreation instruction in 2023.
How much do households in the Mason City, IA area spend on memberships, classes and admissions?
About $18.5M a year, or $816 per household. That is 17% below the U.S. average (an index of 83, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 34 gyms and studios on map listings, it comes to $545K per location. It is estimated from the incomes of the 22,716 households in the Mason City area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Mason City, IA area compare with the U.S. for gyms and studios?
The Mason City area has 15.0 gyms and studios per 10,000 households, in line with the U.S. rate of 14.9. Spending per location is $545K, 18% below the U.S. figure of $662K. At the U.S. ratio of gyms and studios to household spending, the Mason City area would have about 28, against 34 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,893 households, against one for every 1,641 across the U.S.
How fast is the Mason City, IA area growing?
Population estimates put the Mason City area at 49,710 people in 2025, down 1.5% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 22,716 households. The median household income in the Mason City area is $68,926 a year, 15% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 26.7% 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. A small-town market is a town of 10,000 to 50,000 people and the county or counties tied to it by commuting. 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 Mason City area scores 35 for gyms and studios (lower middle), #434 of 535 scored small-town markets.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in the Mason City 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 Mason City area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Mason City 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 Mason City 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.