Fitness and classes · Metro area · North Dakota
Gyms and studios in the Fargo, ND-MN metro area
How the Fargo, ND-MN metro area compares with other metro areas and the U.S. for gyms and studios: competitors, household spending, official counts and growth.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 63 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #81 of 387 scored metro areas
#2 of 4 scored metro areas based in North Dakota
- Listings
- 147
- 43 chain locations (29%)
- Official establishments
- 66
- +14.6% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $103M
- On memberships, classes and admissions · $933 a household
- Spending per listing
- $701K
- 6% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 13.3
- 11% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 269,528
- +7.7% since 2020
See the gyms and studios around any address in the Fargo metro 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 Fargo metro 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 $933 per household (5% below the U.S. average), households in the Fargo metro area spend about $103M a year on memberships, classes and admissions. Spread across 147 gyms and studios, that is $701K per location, 6% above the U.S. figure of $662K.
The Fargo metro area has 147 gyms and studios on map listings as of September 2026. Chain locations make up 29% of them, against 20% across the U.S. That comes to 13.3 for every 10,000 households, 11% below the U.S. rate of 14.9.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as fitness centers and recreation instruction in the Fargo metro area was 66 in 2023, up 14.6% from 2019. That is one for every 1,673 households, against one for every 1,641 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 11 SBA-backed loans worth $4.2M have gone to businesses classed as fitness centers and recreation instruction in the Fargo metro area.
Population estimates put the population change in the Fargo metro area from 2020 to 2025 at +7.7%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). The Groundwork market score for gyms and studios in the Fargo metro area is 63 (upper middle), #81 of 387 scored metro areas and #2 of 4 scored metro areas based in North Dakota. That puts it in the top quarter of metro areas.
How the Fargo metro area compares
The same measures for North Dakota 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 | Fargo metro area | North Dakota | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 13.3 | 13.0 | 14.9 |
| Spending per listing | $701K | $711K | $662K |
| Households per official establishment | 1,673 | 1,761 | 1,641 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +14.6% | +13.3% | +8.2% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +7.7% | +2.5% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on memberships, classes and admissions | $933 | $922 | $983 |
| Median household income | $76,756 | $76,657 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 63 | 59 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 66+14.6% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 1,366
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $29.9M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- Not publishedNot published for this business type
- Map listings, September 2026
- 14743 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 156The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 11
- Amount
- $4.2M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as fitness centers and recreation instruction in the Fargo metro 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 Fargo metro area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 269,528+7.7% since 2020
- Households
- 110,387
- Median age
- 34.5
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 55%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.8
- Land area
- 2,810 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 92
- Median household income
- $76,756+18.7% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $102,833
- Median home value
- $289,100
- Jobs located here
- 152,491
- Daytime population
- 275,728Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Fargo metro area?
These figures cover the whole metro area. 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 Fargo metro 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 North Dakota
Every North Dakota market ranked →The highest-scoring metro areas in North Dakota for gyms and studios, numbered among those based in North Dakota, with the Fargo metro area marked.
Top metro areas in North Dakota
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Bismarck, ND | 70 | 67 | 12.0 | $834K | +4.5% | #34 of 387 |
| 2Fargo, ND-MN | 63 | 147 | 13.3 | $701K | +7.7% | #81 of 387 |
| 3Grand Forks, ND-MN | 58 | 55 | 12.6 | $662K | +0.8% | #113 of 387 |
| 4Minot, ND | 43 | 42 | 13.2 | $708K | −2.4% | #257 of 387 |
Other business types in the Fargo metro 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 classes63
- Gyms53
- Yoga, Pilates and fitness studios54
- 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 Fargo, ND-MN metro area?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 147 gyms and studios in the Fargo metro area. 43 of them (29%) are chain locations. The listings count gyms, fitness studios, martial arts and dance studios. Official counts show 66 businesses with payroll classed as fitness centers and recreation instruction in 2023, up 14.6% from 2019.
How much do households in the Fargo, ND-MN metro area spend on memberships, classes and admissions?
About $103M a year, or $933 per household. That is 5% below the U.S. average (an index of 95, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 147 gyms and studios on map listings, it comes to $701K per location. It is estimated from the incomes of the 110,387 households in the Fargo metro area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Fargo, ND-MN metro area compare with the U.S. for gyms and studios?
The Fargo metro area has 13.3 gyms and studios per 10,000 households, 11% below the U.S. rate of 14.9. Spending per location is $701K, 6% above the U.S. figure of $662K. At the U.S. ratio of gyms and studios to household spending, the Fargo metro area would have about 156, against 147 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,673 households, against one for every 1,641 across the U.S. The official count rose 14.6% from 2019 to 2023, against +8.2% for the U.S.
How fast is the Fargo, ND-MN metro area growing?
Population estimates put the Fargo metro area at 269,528 people in 2025, up 7.7% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 110,387 households. The median household income in the Fargo metro area is $76,756 a year, 5% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 18.7% 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. The Fargo metro area scores 63 for gyms and studios (upper middle), #81 of 387 scored metro areas.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in the Fargo metro 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 Fargo metro area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Fargo metro 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 Fargo metro 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.