Groundwork

Fitness and classes · County · Michigan

Gyms and studios in Van Buren County, MI

Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for gyms and studios in Van Buren County, MI, set against other counties and the U.S.

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 72 out of 100: Upper middle

Ranked #203 of 2,088 scored counties
#11 of 67 scored counties in Michigan

Listings
27
7 chain locations (26%)
Official establishments
6
Businesses with payroll, 2023
Household spending a year
$24.3M
On memberships, classes and admissions · $794 a household
Spending per listing
$901K
36% above the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
8.8
41% below the U.S.
Population, 2025
76,071
+0.7% since 2020

See the gyms and studios around any address in Van Buren 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 Van Buren 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

For gyms and studios, Van Buren County has a Groundwork market score of 72 (upper middle): #203 of 2,088 scored counties and #11 of 67 scored counties in Michigan. That puts it in the top 10% of counties for gyms and studios.

Households in Van Buren County spend about $24.3M a year on memberships, classes and admissions, or $794 per household, 19% below the U.S. average. Spread across 27 gyms and studios, that is $901K per location, 36% above the U.S. figure of $662K.

Van Buren County has 27 gyms and studios on map listings as of September 2026. 7 of them (26%) are chain locations, against 20% across the U.S. That comes to 8.8 for every 10,000 households, 41% below the U.S. rate of 14.9.

Official counts show 6 businesses with payroll classed as fitness centers and recreation instruction in Van Buren County in 2023. That is one for every 5,104 households, against one for every 1,641 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 1 SBA-backed loan worth $400K has gone to businesses classed as fitness centers and recreation instruction in Van Buren County. Population estimates show Van Buren County grew 0.7% from 2020 to 2025, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%).

How Van Buren 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 Van Buren County, MI compared with Michigan and the U.S.
MeasureVan Buren CountyMichiganU.S.
Listings per 10k households8.812.514.9
Spending per listing$901K$720K$662K
Households per official establishment5,1042,4681,641
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023n/a+9.6%+8.2%
Population growth, 2020–2025+0.7%+0.6%+3.1%
Spending per household on memberships, classes and admissions$794$902$983
Median household income$68,114$72,875$80,734
Groundwork market score7262

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
4 → 6
Employees, 2023
14
Annual payroll, 2023
$311K
One-person businesses, 2023
Not publishedNot published for this business type
Map listings, September 2026
277 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
37The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here

SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022

Loans
1
Amount
$400K

SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as fitness centers and recreation instruction in Van Buren 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 Van Buren County

Population, 2025 estimate
76,071+0.7% since 2020
Households
30,622
Median age
42.4
Homes lived in by their owners
81%
Vehicles per household
1.9
Land area
608 sq. mi.
People per square mile
125
Median household income
$68,114+25.0% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$85,909
Median home value
$206,500
Jobs located here
19,397
Daytime population
64,659Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in Van Buren 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 Van Buren 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 Van Buren 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
11Van Buren County, MI72278.8$901K+0.7%#203 of 2,088

Other business types in Van Buren County

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

Questions

How many gyms and studios are in Van Buren County, MI?

Map listings as of September 2026 show 27 gyms and studios in Van Buren County. 7 of them (26%) 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 Van Buren County, MI spend on memberships, classes and admissions?

About $24.3M a year, or $794 per household. That is 19% below the U.S. average (an index of 81, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 27 gyms and studios on map listings, it comes to $901K per location. It is estimated from the incomes of the 30,622 households in Van Buren County and national spending patterns by income.

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

Van Buren County has 8.8 gyms and studios per 10,000 households, 41% below the U.S. rate of 14.9. Spending per location is $901K, 36% above the U.S. figure of $662K. At the U.S. ratio of gyms and studios to household spending, Van Buren County would have about 37, against 27 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 5,104 households, against one for every 1,641 across the U.S.

How fast is Van Buren County, MI growing?

Population estimates put Van Buren County at 76,071 people in 2025, up 0.7% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 30,622 households. The median household income in Van Buren County is $68,114 a year, 16% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 25.0% 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. Van Buren County scores 72 for gyms and studios (upper middle), #203 of 2,088 scored counties.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Van Buren 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 Van Buren County

Screening a site or an acquisition in Van Buren 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 Van Buren 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.