Fitness and classes · Small-town market · Louisiana
Gyms and studios in the Ruston, LA area
The gyms and studios in the Ruston, LA area, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other small-town markets.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 18 out of 100: Low
Ranked #509 of 535 scored small-town markets
#5 of 8 scored small-town markets based in Louisiana
- Listings
- 26
- 7 chain locations (27%)
- Official establishments
- 9
- Businesses with payroll, 2023
- Household spending a year
- $9.5M
- On memberships, classes and admissions · $512 a household
- Spending per listing
- $364K
- 45% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 14.1
- 5% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 48,360
- +0.1% since 2020
See the gyms and studios around any address in the Ruston 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 Ruston 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 Groundwork market score for gyms and studios in the Ruston area is 18 (low), #509 of 535 scored small-town markets and #5 of 8 scored small-town markets based in Louisiana. That puts it in the bottom quarter of small-town markets.
At $512 per household (48% below the U.S. average), households in the Ruston area spend about $9.5M a year on memberships, classes and admissions. Spread across 26 gyms and studios, that is $364K per location, 45% below the U.S. figure of $662K.
The Ruston area has 26 gyms and studios on map listings as of September 2026. Of those, 7 are chain locations, or 27%, against 20% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 14.1, 5% below the U.S. rate of 14.9.
Official counts show 9 businesses with payroll classed as fitness centers and recreation instruction in the Ruston area in 2023. That is one for every 2,054 households, against one for every 1,641 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 1 SBA-backed loan worth $524K has gone to businesses classed as fitness centers and recreation instruction in the Ruston area. Population estimates show the Ruston area grew 0.1% from 2020 to 2025, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%).
How the Ruston area compares
The same measures for Louisiana 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 | Ruston area | Louisiana | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 14.1 | 14.6 | 14.9 |
| Spending per listing | $364K | $443K | $662K |
| Households per official establishment | 2,054 | 2,099 | 1,641 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +2.9% | +8.2% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +0.1% | −0.7% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on memberships, classes and admissions | $512 | $646 | $983 |
| Median household income | $39,172 | $60,756 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 18 | 21 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 9
- Employees, 2023
- 45
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $661K
- One-person businesses, 2023
- Not publishedNot published for this business type
- Map listings, September 2026
- 267 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 14The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 1
- Amount
- $524K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as fitness centers and recreation instruction in the Ruston 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 Ruston area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 48,360+0.1% since 2020
- Households
- 18,487
- Median age
- 32.7
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 54%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.8
- Land area
- 472 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 102
- Median household income
- $39,172+10.5% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $66,113
- Median home value
- $210,100
- Jobs located here
- 18,570
- Daytime population
- 48,307Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Ruston 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 Ruston 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 Louisiana
Every Louisiana market ranked →The highest-scoring small-town markets in Louisiana for gyms and studios, numbered among those based in Louisiana (a market based in another state is listed without a number), with the Ruston area marked.
Top small-town markets in Louisiana
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1DeRidder, LA | 55 | 12 | 8.7 | $733K | +0.2% | #205 of 535 |
| 2New Iberia, LA | 30 | 32 | 11.9 | $467K | −4.6% | #473 of 535 |
| 3Opelousas, LA | 28 | 31 | 9.6 | $483K | −1.9% | #479 of 535 |
| Natchez, MS-LA | 19 | 21 | 10.1 | $473K | −0.9% | #506 of 535 |
| 4Bogalusa, LA | 18 | 18 | 10.2 | $468K | −0.9% | #508 of 535 |
| 5Ruston, LA | 18 | 26 | 14.1 | $364K | +0.1% | #509 of 535 |
| 6Morgan City, LA | 12 | 21 | 11.4 | $458K | −5.3% | #522 of 535 |
| 7Natchitoches, LA | 12 | 18 | 12.4 | $425K | −3.5% | #523 of 535 |
| 8Minden, LA | 4 | 17 | 11.9 | $380K | −5.2% | #535 of 535 |
Other business types in the Ruston 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 classes18
- Gyms22
- Yoga, Pilates and fitness studios
- Martial arts and dance studios28
Health care
Child care
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many gyms and studios are in the Ruston, LA area?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 26 gyms and studios in the Ruston area. 7 of them (27%) are chain locations. The listings count gyms, fitness studios, martial arts and dance studios. Official counts show 9 businesses with payroll classed as fitness centers and recreation instruction in 2023.
How much do households in the Ruston, LA area spend on memberships, classes and admissions?
About $9.5M a year, or $512 per household. That is 48% below the U.S. average (an index of 52, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 26 gyms and studios on map listings, it comes to $364K per location. It is estimated from the incomes of the 18,487 households in the Ruston area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Ruston, LA area compare with the U.S. for gyms and studios?
The Ruston area has 14.1 gyms and studios per 10,000 households, 5% below the U.S. rate of 14.9. Spending per location is $364K, 45% below the U.S. figure of $662K. At the U.S. ratio of gyms and studios to household spending, the Ruston area would have about 14, against 26 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 2,054 households, against one for every 1,641 across the U.S.
How fast is the Ruston, LA area growing?
Population estimates put the Ruston area at 48,360 people in 2025, up 0.1% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 18,487 households. The median household income in the Ruston area is $39,172 a year, 51% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 10.5% 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 Ruston area scores 18 for gyms and studios (low), #509 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 Ruston 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 Ruston area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Ruston 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 Ruston 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.