Groundwork

Fitness and classes · County · Michigan

Gyms and studios in St. Joseph County, MI

The gyms and studios in St. Joseph County, MI, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 51 out of 100: Upper middle

Ranked #1,028 of 2,088 scored counties
#48 of 67 scored counties in Michigan

Listings
31
5 chain locations (16%)
Official establishments
3
Businesses with payroll, 2023
Household spending a year
$17.1M
On memberships, classes and admissions · $724 a household
Spending per listing
$551K
17% below the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
13.1
12% below the U.S.
Population, 2025
60,968
+0.1% since 2020

See the gyms and studios around any address in St. Joseph 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 St. Joseph County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

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Survey 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 31 gyms and studios in St. Joseph County. Of those, 5 are chain locations, or 16%, against 20% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 13.1, 12% below the U.S. rate of 14.9.

At $724 per household (26% below the U.S. average), households in St. Joseph County spend about $17.1M a year on memberships, classes and admissions. That works out to $551K per location, 17% below the U.S. figure of $662K.

In 2023, official counts showed 3 businesses with payroll in St. Joseph County classed as fitness centers and recreation instruction. That is one for every 7,873 households, against one for every 1,641 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 1 SBA-backed loan worth $150K has gone to businesses classed as fitness centers and recreation instruction in St. Joseph County.

Between 2020 and 2025, the population of St. Joseph County grew 0.1%, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). St. Joseph County scores 51 (upper middle) on the Groundwork market score for gyms and studios, ranking #1,028 of 2,088 scored counties and #48 of 67 scored counties in Michigan.

How St. Joseph County 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.

Gyms, studios and classes in St. Joseph County, MI compared with Michigan and the U.S.
MeasureSt. Joseph CountyMichiganU.S.
Listings per 10k households13.112.514.9
Spending per listing$551K$720K$662K
Households per official establishment7,8732,4681,641
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023n/a+9.6%+8.2%
Population growth, 2020–2025+0.1%+0.6%+3.1%
Spending per household on memberships, classes and admissions$724$902$983
Median household income$66,425$72,875$80,734
Groundwork market score5162

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
3
Employees, 2023
80
Annual payroll, 2023
$1.3M
One-person businesses, 2023
Not publishedNot published for this business type
Map listings, September 2026
315 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
26The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here

SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022

Loans
1
Amount
$150K

SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as fitness centers and recreation instruction in St. Joseph 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 St. Joseph County

Population, 2025 estimate
60,968+0.1% since 2020
Households
23,620
Median age
40.0
Homes lived in by their owners
76%
Vehicles per household
1.9
Land area
501 sq. mi.
People per square mile
122
Median household income
$66,425+27.5% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$81,433
Median home value
$178,300
Jobs located here
19,267
Daytime population
52,362Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in St. Joseph 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 St. Joseph County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

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Gyms, studios and classes across Michigan

Every Michigan market ranked →

The highest-scoring counties in Michigan for gyms and studios, numbered among those based in Michigan, with St. Joseph County marked.

Top counties in Michigan

Counties in Michigan ranked for gyms and studios by Groundwork market score
MarketScoreListingsPer 10k householdsSpending per listingPopulation growthU.S. rank
1Leelanau County, MI851111.4$1M+3.0%#28 of 2,088
2Allegan County, MI814710.3$909K+2.1%#60 of 2,088
3Barry County, MI79176.9$1.3M+2.2%#78 of 2,088
4Antrim County, MI79109.0$921K+5.3%#81 of 2,088
5Clinton County, MI793912.3$838K+1.6%#82 of 2,088
6Cass County, MI77199.0$969K+0.2%#106 of 2,088
7Newaygo County, MI74115.6$1.3M+3.1%#145 of 2,088
8Monroe County, MI74629.8$922K+0.7%#161 of 2,088
9Montcalm County, MI73229.0$791K+4.1%#188 of 2,088
10Hillsdale County, MI72126.7$1.1M0.0%#194 of 2,088
48St. Joseph County, MI513113.1$551K+0.1%#1,028 of 2,088

Other business types in St. Joseph County

Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.

Questions

How many gyms and studios are in St. Joseph County, MI?

There are 31 gyms and studios on map listings in St. Joseph County as of September 2026. 5 of them (16%) are chain locations. The listings count gyms, fitness studios, martial arts and dance studios. Official counts show 3 businesses with payroll classed as fitness centers and recreation instruction in 2023.

How much do households in St. Joseph County, MI spend on memberships, classes and admissions?

About $17.1M a year, or $724 per household. That is 26% below the U.S. average (an index of 74, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 31 gyms and studios on map listings, it comes to $551K per location. It is estimated from the incomes of the 23,620 households in St. Joseph County and national spending patterns by income.

How does St. Joseph County, MI compare with the U.S. for gyms and studios?

St. Joseph County has 13.1 gyms and studios per 10,000 households, 12% below the U.S. rate of 14.9. Spending per location is $551K, 17% below the U.S. figure of $662K. At the national ratio of gyms and studios to household spending, St. Joseph County would have about 26, against 31 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 7,873 households, against one for every 1,641 across the U.S.

How fast is St. Joseph County, MI growing?

Population estimates put St. Joseph County at 60,968 people in 2025, up 0.1% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 23,620 households. Median household income in St. Joseph County is $66,425, 18% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 27.5%, 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. 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. St. Joseph County scores 51 for gyms and studios (upper middle), #1,028 of 2,088 scored counties.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

Run a Groundwork site report on an address in St. Joseph 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 St. Joseph County

Screening a site or an acquisition in St. Joseph 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 St. Joseph 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.