Fitness and classes · County · Iowa
Gyms and studios in Polk County, IA
How Polk 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 45 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,318 of 2,088 scored counties
#35 of 64 scored counties in Iowa
- Listings
- 390
- 102 chain locations (26%)
- Official establishments
- 160
- −2.4% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $207.6M
- On memberships, classes and admissions · $1,011 a household
- Spending per listing
- $532K
- 20% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 19.0
- 28% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 516,546
- +4.8% since 2020
See the gyms and studios around any address in Polk 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 Polk 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
Household spending on memberships, classes and admissions in Polk County comes to about $207.6M a year: $1,011 per household, 3% above the U.S. average. That is about $532K of household spending for each location on map listings, 20% below the U.S. figure of $662K.
Polk County has 390 gyms and studios on map listings as of September 2026. 102 of them (26%) are chain locations, against 20% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 19.0, 28% above the U.S. rate of 14.9.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as fitness centers and recreation instruction in Polk County was 160 in 2023, down 2.4% from 2019. That is one for every 1,283 households, against one for every 1,641 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 28 SBA-backed loans worth $13.4M have gone to businesses classed as fitness centers and recreation instruction in Polk County.
Population estimates show Polk County grew 4.8% from 2020 to 2025, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). Polk County scores 45 (lower middle) on the Groundwork market score for gyms and studios, ranking #1,318 of 2,088 scored counties and #35 of 64 scored counties in Iowa.
How Polk 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 | Polk County | Iowa | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 19.0 | 14.8 | 14.9 |
| Spending per listing | $532K | $603K | $662K |
| Households per official establishment | 1,283 | 1,888 | 1,641 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | −2.4% | +3.9% | +8.2% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +4.8% | +1.5% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on memberships, classes and admissions | $1,011 | $890 | $983 |
| Median household income | $83,576 | $75,059 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 45 | 44 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 164 → 160−2.4% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 2,614
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $35.6M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- Not publishedNot published for this business type
- Map listings, September 2026
- 390102 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 314The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 28
- Amount
- $13.4M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as fitness centers and recreation instruction in Polk 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 Polk County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 516,546+4.8% since 2020
- Households
- 205,358
- Median age
- 37.1
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 67%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.8
- Land area
- 573 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 879
- Median household income
- $83,576+23.6% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $109,398
- Median home value
- $262,100
- Jobs located here
- 309,340
- Daytime population
- 566,731Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Polk 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 Polk 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 Polk 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 |
| 35Polk County, IA | 45 | 390 | 19.0 | $532K | +4.8% | #1,318 of 2,088 |
Other business types in Polk 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 classes45
- Gyms46
- Yoga, Pilates and fitness studios50
- Martial arts and dance studios54
Health care
Child care
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many gyms and studios are in Polk County, IA?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 390 gyms and studios in Polk County. 102 of them (26%) are chain locations. The listings count gyms, fitness studios, martial arts and dance studios. Official counts show 160 businesses with payroll classed as fitness centers and recreation instruction in 2023, down 2.4% from 2019.
How much do households in Polk County, IA spend on memberships, classes and admissions?
About $207.6M a year, or $1,011 per household. That is 3% above the U.S. average (an index of 103, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 390 gyms and studios on map listings, it comes to $532K per location. It is estimated from the incomes of the 205,358 households in Polk County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Polk County, IA compare with the U.S. for gyms and studios?
Polk County has 19.0 gyms and studios per 10,000 households, 28% above the U.S. rate of 14.9. Spending per location is $532K, 20% below the U.S. figure of $662K. At the U.S. ratio of gyms and studios to household spending, Polk County would have about 314, against 390 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,283 households, against one for every 1,641 across the U.S. The official count fell 2.4% from 2019 to 2023, against +8.2% for the U.S.
How fast is Polk County, IA growing?
Population estimates put Polk County at 516,546 people in 2025, up 4.8% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 205,358 households. The median household income in Polk County is $83,576 a year, 4% above the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 23.6% 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. Polk County scores 45 for gyms and studios (lower middle), #1,318 of 2,088 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Polk 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 Polk County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Polk 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 Polk 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.