Fitness and classes · County · Iowa
Gyms and studios in Story County, IA
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for gyms and studios in Story County, IA, set against other counties and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 39 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,527 of 2,088 scored counties
#44 of 64 scored counties in Iowa
- Listings
- 70
- 7 chain locations (10%)
- Official establishments
- 27
- −6.9% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $34.5M
- On memberships, classes and admissions · $888 a household
- Spending per listing
- $494K
- 25% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 18.0
- 21% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 101,291
- +2.7% since 2020
See the gyms and studios around any address in Story 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 Story 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 70 gyms and studios in Story County. Chain locations make up 10% of them, against 20% across the U.S. That is 18.0 per 10,000 households, 21% above the U.S. rate of 14.9.
Households in Story County spend about $34.5M a year on memberships, classes and admissions, or $888 per household, 10% below the U.S. average. That works out to $494K per location, 25% below the U.S. figure of $662K.
Official counts show 27 businesses with payroll classed as fitness centers and recreation instruction in Story County in 2023, down 6.9% from 2019. That is one for every 1,441 households, against one for every 1,641 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 1 SBA-backed loan worth $517K has gone to businesses classed as fitness centers and recreation instruction in Story County.
Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Story County grew 2.7%, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%). The Groundwork market score for gyms and studios in Story County is 39 (lower middle), #1,527 of 2,088 scored counties and #44 of 64 scored counties in Iowa.
How Story 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 | Story County | Iowa | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 18.0 | 14.8 | 14.9 |
| Spending per listing | $494K | $603K | $662K |
| Households per official establishment | 1,441 | 1,888 | 1,641 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | −6.9% | +3.9% | +8.2% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +2.7% | +1.5% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on memberships, classes and admissions | $888 | $890 | $983 |
| Median household income | $69,685 | $75,059 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 39 | 44 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 29 → 27−6.9% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 295
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $4.3M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- Not publishedNot published for this business type
- Map listings, September 2026
- 707 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 52The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 1
- Amount
- $517K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as fitness centers and recreation instruction in Story 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 Story County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 101,291+2.7% since 2020
- Households
- 38,904
- Median age
- 33.1
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 56%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 573 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 175
- Median household income
- $69,685+22.8% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $96,918
- Median home value
- $258,700
- Jobs located here
- 47,997
- Daytime population
- 107,341Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Story 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 Story 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 Story 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 |
| 44Story County, IA | 39 | 70 | 18.0 | $494K | +2.7% | #1,527 of 2,088 |
Other business types in Story 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 classes39
- Gyms36
- Yoga, Pilates and fitness studios49
- Martial arts and dance studios57
Health care
Child care
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many gyms and studios are in Story County, IA?
There are 70 gyms and studios on map listings in Story County as of September 2026. 7 of them (10%) are chain locations. The listings count gyms, fitness studios, martial arts and dance studios. Official counts show 27 businesses with payroll classed as fitness centers and recreation instruction in 2023, down 6.9% from 2019.
How much do households in Story County, IA spend on memberships, classes and admissions?
About $34.5M a year, or $888 per household. That is 10% below the U.S. average (an index of 90, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 70 gyms and studios on map listings, it comes to $494K per location. It is estimated from the incomes of the 38,904 households in Story County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Story County, IA compare with the U.S. for gyms and studios?
Story County has 18.0 gyms and studios per 10,000 households, 21% above the U.S. rate of 14.9. Spending per location is $494K, 25% below the U.S. figure of $662K. At the national ratio of gyms and studios to household spending, Story County would have about 52, against 70 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,441 households, against one for every 1,641 across the U.S. The official count fell 6.9% from 2019 to 2023, against +8.2% for the U.S.
How fast is Story County, IA growing?
Population estimates put Story County at 101,291 people in 2025, up 2.7% since 2020, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 38,904 households. Median household income in Story County is $69,685, 14% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 22.8%, 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. Story County scores 39 for gyms and studios (lower middle), #1,527 of 2,088 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Story 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 Story County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Story 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 Story 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.