Fitness and classes · Small-town market · Minnesota
Gyms and studios in the Willmar, MN area
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for gyms and studios in the Willmar, MN area, set against other small-town markets and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 55 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #213 of 535 scored small-town markets
#8 of 18 scored small-town markets based in Minnesota
- Listings
- 25
- 12 chain locations (48%)
- Official establishments
- 8
- Businesses with payroll, 2023
- Household spending a year
- $15.2M
- On memberships, classes and admissions · $865 a household
- Spending per listing
- $609K
- 8% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 14.2
- 5% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 44,720
- +2.3% since 2020
See the gyms and studios around any address in the Willmar 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 Willmar 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
At $865 per household (12% below the U.S. average), households in the Willmar area spend about $15.2M a year on memberships, classes and admissions. Spread across 25 gyms and studios, that is $609K per location, 8% below the U.S. figure of $662K.
The Willmar area has 25 gyms and studios on map listings as of September 2026. 12 of them (48%) are chain locations, against 20% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 14.2, 5% below the U.S. rate of 14.9.
In 2023, official counts showed 8 businesses with payroll in the Willmar area classed as fitness centers and recreation instruction. That is one for every 2,200 households, against one for every 1,641 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 1 SBA-backed loan worth $78K has gone to businesses classed as fitness centers and recreation instruction in the Willmar area.
Population estimates put the population change in the Willmar area from 2020 to 2025 at +2.3%, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). For gyms and studios, the Willmar area has a Groundwork market score of 55 (upper middle): #213 of 535 scored small-town markets and #8 of 18 scored small-town markets based in Minnesota.
How the Willmar area compares
The same measures for Minnesota 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 | Willmar area | Minnesota | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 14.2 | 14.7 | 14.9 |
| Spending per listing | $609K | $739K | $662K |
| Households per official establishment | 2,200 | 1,674 | 1,641 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +2.1% | +8.2% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +2.3% | +2.1% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on memberships, classes and admissions | $865 | $1,085 | $983 |
| Median household income | $76,592 | $89,062 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 55 | 62 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 8
- Employees, 2023
- 126
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $1.9M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- Not publishedNot published for this business type
- Map listings, September 2026
- 2512 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 23The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 1
- Amount
- $78K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as fitness centers and recreation instruction in the Willmar 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 Willmar area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 44,720+2.3% since 2020
- Households
- 17,603
- Median age
- 39.7
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 73%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.0
- Land area
- 797 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 55
- Median household income
- $76,592+27.0% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $96,382
- Median home value
- $243,200
- Jobs located here
- 24,957
- Daytime population
- 46,873Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Willmar 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 Willmar 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 Minnesota
Every Minnesota market ranked →The highest-scoring small-town markets in Minnesota for gyms and studios, numbered among those based in Minnesota (a market based in another state is listed without a number), with the Willmar area marked.
Top small-town markets in Minnesota
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Fergus Falls, MN | 75 | 32 | 12.7 | $667K | +1.6% | #29 of 535 |
| 2Grand Rapids, MN | 70 | 19 | 10.2 | $775K | +0.9% | #50 of 535 |
| 3Austin, MN | 70 | 20 | 12.7 | $655K | +2.3% | #58 of 535 |
| 4Owatonna, MN | 64 | 18 | 11.9 | $779K | +0.2% | #106 of 535 |
| 5Brainerd, MN | 64 | 51 | 12.1 | $705K | +4.3% | #110 of 535 |
| 6Albert Lea, MN | 60 | 14 | 10.9 | $743K | −1.5% | #149 of 535 |
| 7Worthington, MN | 58 | 10 | 13.0 | $626K | +0.6% | #176 of 535 |
| 8Willmar, MN | 55 | 25 | 14.2 | $609K | +2.3% | #213 of 535 |
| 9Faribault-Northfield, MN | 54 | 38 | 16.2 | $589K | +4.2% | #228 of 535 |
| Wahpeton, ND-MN | 54 | 14 | 14.7 | $588K | 0.0% | #229 of 535 |
Other business types in the Willmar 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 classes55
- Gyms48
- Yoga, Pilates and fitness studios
- Martial arts and dance studios77
Health care
Child care
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many gyms and studios are in the Willmar, MN area?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 25 gyms and studios in the Willmar area. 12 of them (48%) are chain locations. The listings count gyms, fitness studios, martial arts and dance studios. Official counts show 8 businesses with payroll classed as fitness centers and recreation instruction in 2023.
How much do households in the Willmar, MN area spend on memberships, classes and admissions?
About $15.2M a year, or $865 per household. That is 12% below the U.S. average (an index of 88, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 25 gyms and studios on map listings, it comes to $609K per location. It is estimated from the incomes of the 17,603 households in the Willmar area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Willmar, MN area compare with the U.S. for gyms and studios?
The Willmar area has 14.2 gyms and studios per 10,000 households, 5% below the U.S. rate of 14.9. Spending per location is $609K, 8% below the U.S. figure of $662K. At the U.S. ratio of gyms and studios to household spending, the Willmar area would have about 23, against 25 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 2,200 households, against one for every 1,641 across the U.S.
How fast is the Willmar, MN area growing?
Population estimates put the Willmar area at 44,720 people in 2025, up 2.3% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 17,603 households. The median household income in the Willmar area is $76,592 a year, 5% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 27.0% 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. 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 Willmar area scores 55 for gyms and studios (upper middle), #213 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 Willmar 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 Willmar area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Willmar 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 Willmar 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.