Fitness and classes · Small-town market · Michigan
Gyms and studios in the Houghton, MI area
How the Houghton, MI area compares with other small-town markets and the U.S. for gyms and studios: competitors, household spending, official counts and growth.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 52 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #254 of 535 scored small-town markets
#11 of 18 scored small-town markets based in Michigan
- Listings
- 19
- 3 chain locations (16%)
- Official establishments
- 6
- Businesses with payroll, 2023
- Household spending a year
- $11.6M
- On memberships, classes and admissions · $751 a household
- Spending per listing
- $610K
- 8% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 12.3
- 17% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 40,028
- +1.8% since 2020
See the gyms and studios around any address in the Houghton 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 Houghton 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
As of September 2026, map listings count 19 gyms and studios in the Houghton area. Of those, 3 are chain locations, or 16%, against 20% across the U.S. That comes to 12.3 for every 10,000 households, 17% below the U.S. rate of 14.9.
Households in the Houghton area spend about $11.6M a year on memberships, classes and admissions, or $751 per household, 24% below the U.S. average. That is about $610K of household spending for each location on map listings, 8% below the U.S. figure of $662K.
Official counts show 6 businesses with payroll classed as fitness centers and recreation instruction in the Houghton area in 2023. That is one for every 2,573 households, against one for every 1,641 across the U.S.
Population estimates put the population change in the Houghton area from 2020 to 2025 at +1.8%, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). The Houghton area scores 52 (upper middle) on the Groundwork market score for gyms and studios, ranking #254 of 535 scored small-town markets and #11 of 18 scored small-town markets based in Michigan.
How the Houghton area compares
The same measures for Michigan 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 | Houghton area | Michigan | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 12.3 | 12.5 | 14.9 |
| Spending per listing | $610K | $720K | $662K |
| Households per official establishment | 2,573 | 2,468 | 1,641 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +9.6% | +8.2% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +1.8% | +0.6% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on memberships, classes and admissions | $751 | $902 | $983 |
| Median household income | $58,128 | $72,875 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 52 | 62 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 6
- Employees, 2023
- 36
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $213K
- One-person businesses, 2023
- Not publishedNot published for this business type
- Map listings, September 2026
- 193 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 18The 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 the Houghton 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 Houghton area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 40,028+1.8% since 2020
- Households
- 15,440
- Median age
- 37.5
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 73%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.8
- Land area
- 1,549 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 26
- Median household income
- $58,128+31.5% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $80,984
- Median home value
- $160,800
- Jobs located here
- 12,154
- Daytime population
- 38,592Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Houghton 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 Houghton 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 Michigan
Every Michigan market ranked →The highest-scoring small-town markets in Michigan for gyms and studios, numbered among those based in Michigan (a market based in another state is listed without a number), with the Houghton area marked.
Top small-town markets in Michigan
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Holland, MI | 86 | 47 | 10.3 | $909K | +2.1% | #7 of 535 |
| 2Cadillac, MI | 80 | 13 | 6.6 | $1.1M | +2.0% | #14 of 535 |
| 3Hillsdale, MI | 75 | 12 | 6.7 | $1.1M | 0.0% | #26 of 535 |
| Marinette, WI-MI | 71 | 20 | 6.8 | $1M | +0.3% | #42 of 535 |
| 4Big Rapids, MI | 71 | 16 | 9.6 | $700K | +4.7% | #48 of 535 |
| 5Coldwater, MI | 70 | 17 | 10.1 | $710K | +2.5% | #55 of 535 |
| 6Ludington, MI | 65 | 13 | 10.2 | $766K | 0.0% | #95 of 535 |
| 7Adrian, MI | 65 | 42 | 10.8 | $737K | −1.6% | #96 of 535 |
| 8Alma, MI | 56 | 14 | 9.5 | $752K | −1.1% | #193 of 535 |
| 9Owosso, MI | 56 | 33 | 11.7 | $644K | −0.4% | #198 of 535 |
| 11Houghton, MI | 52 | 19 | 12.3 | $610K | +1.8% | #254 of 535 |
Other business types in the Houghton 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 classes52
- Gyms59
- 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 the Houghton, MI area?
The Houghton area has 19 gyms and studios on map listings as of September 2026. 3 of them (16%) are chain locations. The listings count gyms, fitness studios, martial arts and dance studios. Official counts show 6 businesses with payroll classed as fitness centers and recreation instruction in 2023.
How much do households in the Houghton, MI area spend on memberships, classes and admissions?
About $11.6M a year, or $751 per household. That is 24% below the U.S. average (an index of 76, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 19 gyms and studios on map listings, it comes to $610K per location. It is estimated from the incomes of the 15,440 households in the Houghton area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Houghton, MI area compare with the U.S. for gyms and studios?
The Houghton area has 12.3 gyms and studios per 10,000 households, 17% below the U.S. rate of 14.9. Spending per location is $610K, 8% below the U.S. figure of $662K. At the national ratio of gyms and studios to household spending, the Houghton area would have about 18, against 19 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 2,573 households, against one for every 1,641 across the U.S.
How fast is the Houghton, MI area growing?
Population estimates put the Houghton area at 40,028 people in 2025, up 1.8% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 15,440 households. Median household income in the Houghton area is $58,128, 28% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 31.5%, 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 Houghton area scores 52 for gyms and studios (upper middle), #254 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 Houghton 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 Houghton area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Houghton 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 Houghton 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.