Fitness and classes · County · Iowa
Gyms and studios in Mills County, IA
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for gyms and studios in Mills County, IA, set against other counties and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 48 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,180 of 2,088 scored counties
#29 of 64 scored counties in Iowa
- Listings
- 10
- 2 chain locations (20%)
- Official establishments
- 3
- Businesses with payroll, 2023
- Household spending a year
- $5.5M
- On memberships, classes and admissions · $1,026 a household
- Spending per listing
- $553K
- 16% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 18.5
- 24% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 14,793
- +2.6% since 2020
See the gyms and studios around any address in Mills 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 Mills 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
Map listings as of September 2026 show 10 gyms and studios in Mills County. Of those, 2 are chain locations, or 20%, against 20% across the U.S. That is 18.5 per 10,000 households, 24% above the U.S. rate of 14.9.
Household spending on memberships, classes and admissions in Mills County comes to about $5.5M a year: $1,026 per household, 4% above the U.S. average. That works out to $553K per location, 16% below the U.S. figure of $662K.
Official counts show 3 businesses with payroll classed as fitness centers and recreation instruction in Mills County in 2023. That is one for every 1,798 households, against one for every 1,641 across the U.S.
Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Mills County grew 2.6%, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). Mills County scores 48 (lower middle) on the Groundwork market score for gyms and studios, ranking #1,180 of 2,088 scored counties and #29 of 64 scored counties in Iowa.
How Mills 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 | Mills County | Iowa | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 18.5 | 14.8 | 14.9 |
| Spending per listing | $553K | $603K | $662K |
| Households per official establishment | 1,798 | 1,888 | 1,641 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +3.9% | +8.2% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +2.6% | +1.5% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on memberships, classes and admissions | $1,026 | $890 | $983 |
| Median household income | $90,753 | $75,059 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 48 | 44 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 3 → 3
- Employees, 2023
- 50
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $617K
- One-person businesses, 2023
- Not publishedNot published for this business type
- Map listings, September 2026
- 102 chain locations
- 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 Mills 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 Mills County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 14,793+2.6% since 2020
- Households
- 5,394
- Median age
- 42.4
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 84%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.2
- Land area
- 437 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 33
- Median household income
- $90,753+25.9% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $109,810
- Median home value
- $237,800
- Jobs located here
- 3,516
- Daytime population
- 10,867Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Mills 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 Mills 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 Mills 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 |
| 29Mills County, IA | 48 | 10 | 18.5 | $553K | +2.6% | #1,180 of 2,088 |
Other business types in Mills 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 classes48
- Gyms36
- 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 Mills County, IA?
There are 10 gyms and studios on map listings in Mills County as of September 2026. 2 of them (20%) are chain locations. The listings count gyms, fitness studios, martial arts and dance studios. Official counts show 3 businesses with payroll classed as fitness centers and recreation instruction in 2023.
How much do households in Mills County, IA spend on memberships, classes and admissions?
About $5.5M a year, or $1,026 per household. That is 4% above the U.S. average (an index of 104, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 10 gyms and studios on map listings, it comes to $553K per location. It is estimated from the incomes of the 5,394 households in Mills County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Mills County, IA compare with the U.S. for gyms and studios?
Mills County has 18.5 gyms and studios per 10,000 households, 24% above the U.S. rate of 14.9. Spending per location is $553K, 16% below the U.S. figure of $662K. At the national ratio of gyms and studios to household spending, Mills County would have about 8, against 10 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,798 households, against one for every 1,641 across the U.S.
How fast is Mills County, IA growing?
Population estimates put Mills County at 14,793 people in 2025, up 2.6% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 5,394 households. Median household income in Mills County is $90,753, 12% above the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 25.9%, 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. Mills County scores 48 for gyms and studios (lower middle), #1,180 of 2,088 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Mills 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 Mills County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Mills 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 Mills 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.