Groundwork

Fitness and classes · County · Missouri

Gyms and studios in St. Louis County, MO

Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for gyms and studios in St. Louis County, MO, set against other counties and the U.S.

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 48 out of 100: Lower middle

Ranked #1,146 of 2,088 scored counties
#41 of 62 scored counties in Missouri

Listings
635
154 chain locations (24%)
Official establishments
313
+13.0% since 2019
Household spending a year
$452M
On memberships, classes and admissions · $1,092 a household
Spending per listing
$712K
8% above the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
15.3
3% above the U.S.
Population, 2025
990,911
−1.2% since 2020

See the gyms and studios around any address in St. Louis 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. Louis 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

At $1,092 per household (11% above the U.S. average), households in St. Louis County spend about $452M a year on memberships, classes and admissions. That works out to $712K per location, 8% above the U.S. figure of $662K.

There are 635 gyms and studios on map listings in St. Louis County as of September 2026. Chain locations make up 24% of them, against 20% across the U.S. That comes to 15.3 for every 10,000 households, 3% above the U.S. rate of 14.9.

The official count of businesses with payroll classed as fitness centers and recreation instruction in St. Louis County was 313 in 2023, up 13.0% from 2019. That is one for every 1,322 households, against one for every 1,641 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 28 SBA-backed loans worth $16.3M have gone to businesses classed as fitness centers and recreation instruction in St. Louis County.

Between 2020 and 2025, the population of St. Louis County declined 1.2%, against +3.1% for the U.S. The Groundwork market score for gyms and studios in St. Louis County is 48 (lower middle), #1,146 of 2,088 scored counties and #41 of 62 scored counties in Missouri.

How St. Louis County compares

The same measures for Missouri 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. Louis County, MO compared with Missouri and the U.S.
MeasureSt. Louis CountyMissouriU.S.
Listings per 10k households15.312.714.9
Spending per listing$712K$685K$662K
Households per official establishment1,3222,0231,641
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023+13.0%+11.3%+8.2%
Population growth, 2020–2025−1.2%+1.9%+3.1%
Spending per household on memberships, classes and admissions$1,092$869$983
Median household income$82,936$70,702$80,734
Groundwork market score4855

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
277 → 313+13.0% over the period
Employees, 2023
6,252
Annual payroll, 2023
$98.9M
One-person businesses, 2023
Not publishedNot published for this business type
Map listings, September 2026
635154 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
683The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here

SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022

Loans
28
Amount
$16.3M

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

Population, 2025 estimate
990,911−1.2% since 2020
Households
413,849
Median age
41.2
Homes lived in by their owners
69%
Vehicles per household
1.7
Land area
509 sq. mi.
People per square mile
1,958
Median household income
$82,936+23.0% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$123,036
Median home value
$276,800
Jobs located here
655,776
Daytime population
1,175,839Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in St. Louis 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. Louis 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 Missouri

Every Missouri market ranked →

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

Top counties in Missouri

Counties in Missouri ranked for gyms and studios by Groundwork market score
MarketScoreListingsPer 10k householdsSpending per listingPopulation growthU.S. rank
1Lincoln County, MO93167.0$1.3M+11.4%#5 of 2,088
2Warren County, MO90107.2$1.3M+9.2%#12 of 2,088
3Callaway County, MO8084.9$1.7M+3.2%#63 of 2,088
4Cass County, MO775111.8$843K+7.1%#115 of 2,088
5Morgan County, MO7666.9$1M+6.8%#125 of 2,088
6Stone County, MO74107.4$996K+4.1%#157 of 2,088
7Ray County, MO7366.6$1.2M+1.1%#170 of 2,088
8Clinton County, MO7378.4$965K+2.1%#179 of 2,088
9Jefferson County, MO739911.2$819K+2.7%#186 of 2,088
10Lawrence County, MO72106.8$1M+3.7%#197 of 2,088
41St. Louis County, MO4863515.3$712K−1.2%#1,146 of 2,088

Other business types in St. Louis County

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

Questions

How many gyms and studios are in St. Louis County, MO?

As of September 2026, map listings count 635 gyms and studios in St. Louis County. 154 of them (24%) are chain locations. The listings count gyms, fitness studios, martial arts and dance studios. Official counts show 313 businesses with payroll classed as fitness centers and recreation instruction in 2023, up 13.0% from 2019.

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

About $452M a year, or $1,092 per household. That is 11% above the U.S. average (an index of 111, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 635 gyms and studios on map listings, it comes to $712K per location. It is estimated from the incomes of the 413,849 households in St. Louis County and national spending patterns by income.

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

St. Louis County has 15.3 gyms and studios per 10,000 households, 3% above the U.S. rate of 14.9. Spending per location is $712K, 8% above the U.S. figure of $662K. At the U.S. ratio of gyms and studios to household spending, St. Louis County would have about 683, against 635 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,322 households, against one for every 1,641 across the U.S. The official count rose 13.0% from 2019 to 2023, against +8.2% for the U.S.

How fast is St. Louis County, MO growing?

Population estimates put St. Louis County at 990,911 people in 2025, down 1.2% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 413,849 households. The median household income in St. Louis County is $82,936 a year, 3% above the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 23.0% 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. St. Louis County scores 48 for gyms and studios (lower middle), #1,146 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. Louis 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. Louis County

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