Fitness and classes · Metro area · Iowa
Gyms and studios in the Waterloo-Cedar Falls, IA metro area
The gyms and studios in the Waterloo-Cedar Falls, IA metro area, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other metro areas.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 58 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #110 of 387 scored metro areas
#1 of 8 scored metro areas based in Iowa
- Listings
- 81
- 16 chain locations (20%)
- Official establishments
- 29
- Businesses with payroll, 2023
- Household spending a year
- $57.4M
- On memberships, classes and admissions · $827 a household
- Spending per listing
- $709K
- 7% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 11.7
- 21% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 169,189
- +0.5% since 2020
See the gyms and studios around any address in the Waterloo-Cedar Falls metro 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 Waterloo-Cedar Falls metro 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
Households in the Waterloo-Cedar Falls metro area spend about $57.4M a year on memberships, classes and admissions, or $827 per household, 16% below the U.S. average. That is about $709K of household spending for each location on map listings, 7% above the U.S. figure of $662K.
There are 81 gyms and studios on map listings in the Waterloo-Cedar Falls metro area as of September 2026. Chain locations make up 20% of them, against 20% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 11.7, 21% below the U.S. rate of 14.9.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as fitness centers and recreation instruction in the Waterloo-Cedar Falls metro area was 29 in 2023. That is one for every 2,393 households, against one for every 1,641 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 5 SBA-backed loans worth $2.7M have gone to businesses classed as fitness centers and recreation instruction in the Waterloo-Cedar Falls metro area.
Population estimates put the population change in the Waterloo-Cedar Falls metro area from 2020 to 2025 at +0.5%, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). The Waterloo-Cedar Falls metro area scores 58 (upper middle) on the Groundwork market score for gyms and studios, ranking #110 of 387 scored metro areas and #1 of 8 scored metro areas based in Iowa.
How the Waterloo-Cedar Falls metro 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 | Waterloo-Cedar Falls metro area | Iowa | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 11.7 | 14.8 | 14.9 |
| Spending per listing | $709K | $603K | $662K |
| Households per official establishment | 2,393 | 1,888 | 1,641 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +3.9% | +8.2% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +0.5% | +1.5% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on memberships, classes and admissions | $827 | $890 | $983 |
| Median household income | $70,811 | $75,059 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 58 | 44 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 29
- Employees, 2023
- 444
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $4.7M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- Not publishedNot published for this business type
- Map listings, September 2026
- 8116 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 87The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 5
- Amount
- $2.7M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as fitness centers and recreation instruction in the Waterloo-Cedar Falls metro 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 Waterloo-Cedar Falls metro area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 169,189+0.5% since 2020
- Households
- 69,396
- Median age
- 37.8
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 69%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 1,503 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 112
- Median household income
- $70,811+23.2% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $92,709
- Median home value
- $194,800
- Jobs located here
- 88,619
- Daytime population
- 179,403Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Waterloo-Cedar Falls metro area?
These figures cover the whole metro area. 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 Waterloo-Cedar Falls metro 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 metro areas in Iowa for gyms and studios, numbered among those based in Iowa (a market based in another state is listed without a number), with the Waterloo-Cedar Falls metro area marked.
Top metro areas in Iowa
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Waterloo-Cedar Falls, IA | 58 | 81 | 11.7 | $709K | +0.5% | #110 of 387 |
| Omaha, NE-IA | 54 | 610 | 15.6 | $659K | +4.2% | #147 of 387 |
| 2Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA | 53 | 510 | 17.3 | $602K | +6.7% | #155 of 387 |
| 3Sioux City, IA-NE-SD | 51 | 71 | 12.8 | $671K | +1.0% | #177 of 387 |
| 4Dubuque, IA | 48 | 55 | 13.4 | $671K | +0.1% | #205 of 387 |
| 5Iowa City, IA | 45 | 124 | 17.1 | $560K | +4.1% | #249 of 387 |
| 6Davenport-Moline-Rock Island, IA-IL | 41 | 251 | 15.5 | $560K | −0.9% | #279 of 387 |
| 7Cedar Rapids, IA | 41 | 190 | 16.7 | $559K | +1.0% | #280 of 387 |
| 8Ames, IA | 34 | 90 | 18.1 | $495K | +2.2% | #330 of 387 |
Other business types in the Waterloo-Cedar Falls metro 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 classes58
- Gyms51
- Yoga, Pilates and fitness studios50
- Martial arts and dance studios65
Health care
Child care
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many gyms and studios are in the Waterloo-Cedar Falls, IA metro area?
As of September 2026, map listings count 81 gyms and studios in the Waterloo-Cedar Falls metro area. 16 of them (20%) are chain locations. The listings count gyms, fitness studios, martial arts and dance studios. Official counts show 29 businesses with payroll classed as fitness centers and recreation instruction in 2023.
How much do households in the Waterloo-Cedar Falls, IA metro area spend on memberships, classes and admissions?
About $57.4M a year, or $827 per household. That is 16% below the U.S. average (an index of 84, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 81 gyms and studios on map listings, it comes to $709K per location. It is estimated from the incomes of the 69,396 households in the Waterloo-Cedar Falls metro area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Waterloo-Cedar Falls, IA metro area compare with the U.S. for gyms and studios?
The Waterloo-Cedar Falls metro area has 11.7 gyms and studios per 10,000 households, 21% below the U.S. rate of 14.9. Spending per location is $709K, 7% above the U.S. figure of $662K. At the U.S. ratio of gyms and studios to household spending, the Waterloo-Cedar Falls metro area would have about 87, against 81 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 2,393 households, against one for every 1,641 across the U.S.
How fast is the Waterloo-Cedar Falls, IA metro area growing?
Population estimates put the Waterloo-Cedar Falls metro area at 169,189 people in 2025, up 0.5% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 69,396 households. The median household income in the Waterloo-Cedar Falls metro area is $70,811 a year, 12% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 23.2% 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. The Waterloo-Cedar Falls metro area scores 58 for gyms and studios (upper middle), #110 of 387 scored metro areas.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in the Waterloo-Cedar Falls metro 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 Waterloo-Cedar Falls metro area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Waterloo-Cedar Falls metro 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 Waterloo-Cedar Falls metro 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.