Fitness and classes · County · Arkansas
Gyms in Howard County, AR
The gyms in Howard County, AR, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.
Groundwork market score
Not scored
The score needs at least 5 listings; this market has 4.
- Listings
- 4
- 0 chain locations (0%)
- Official establishments
- 3
- All fitness and recreational sports centers
- Household spending a year
- $2.3M
- On memberships, classes and admissions · $459 a household
- Spending per listing
- $585K
- 55% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 7.8
- 3% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 12,306
- −3.6% since 2020
See the gyms around any address in Howard County
The site report maps the gyms 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 Howard County. 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 $459 per household (53% below the U.S. average), households in Howard County spend about $2.3M a year on memberships, classes and admissions. That works out to $585K per gym, 55% below the U.S. figure of $1.3M. The spending figure covers all memberships, classes and admissions, not only gyms.
There are 4 gyms on map listings in Howard County as of September 2026. Per 10,000 households, that is 7.8, 3% above the U.S. rate of 7.6.
In 2023, official counts showed 3 businesses with payroll in Howard County classed as fitness and recreational sports centers. That is one for every 1,699 households, against one for every 3,109 across the U.S. That count covers all fitness and recreational sports centers (yoga, Pilates and fitness studios included), not only gyms.
Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Howard County declined 3.6%, against +3.1% for the U.S. With 4 gyms on map listings, Howard County isn’t given a market score: the score needs at least 5, since one listing more or less would swing it.
How Howard County compares
The same measures for Arkansas and the whole U.S. Spending per listing divides a year of household spending on all memberships, classes and admissions by the gyms 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 | Howard County | Arkansas | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 7.8 | 6.7 | 7.6 |
| Spending per listing | $585K | $919K | $1.3M |
| Households per official establishment (all fitness and recreational sports centers) | 1,699 | 4,693 | 3,109 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +8.0% | +5.8% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −3.6% | +3.3% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on memberships, classes and admissions | $459 | $617 | $983 |
| Median household income | $45,603 | $60,773 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | Not scored | 40 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 3All fitness and recreational sports centers
- Employees, 2023
- 7
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $80K
- One-person businesses, 2023
- Not publishedNot published for this business type
- Map listings, September 2026
- 40 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 2The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 0
- Amount
- $0
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as fitness and recreational sports centers in Howard 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. These official figures cover all fitness and recreational sports centers, not only gyms.
Population and households in Howard County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 12,306−3.6% since 2020
- Households
- 5,098
- Median age
- 38.5
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 73%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.0
- Land area
- 587 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 21
- Median household income
- $45,603+26.5% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $62,719
- Median home value
- $153,900
- Jobs located here
- 6,243
- Daytime population
- 13,655Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Howard 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 on map listings by name and distance.
Or open the report at the center of Howard County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.
Free10 actions over 3 days, no cardGyms across Arkansas
Every Arkansas market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in Arkansas for gyms, numbered among those based in Arkansas, with Howard County marked.
Top counties in Arkansas
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Lonoke County, AR | 65 | 15 | 5.3 | $1.3M | +3.5% | #369 of 1,792 |
| 2Benton County, AR | 60 | 90 | 8.0 | $1.1M | +16.0% | #536 of 1,792 |
| 3Saline County, AR | 59 | 32 | 6.4 | $1.1M | +7.6% | #580 of 1,792 |
| 4Faulkner County, AR | 48 | 40 | 8.1 | $821K | +8.2% | #1,011 of 1,792 |
| 5Miller County, AR | 46 | 7 | 4.3 | $1.2M | −0.5% | #1,049 of 1,792 |
| 6Garland County, AR | 46 | 23 | 5.3 | $1M | −0.6% | #1,059 of 1,792 |
| 7Craighead County, AR | 45 | 34 | 7.7 | $813K | +4.8% | #1,113 of 1,792 |
| 8Crawford County, AR | 45 | 19 | 8.1 | $712K | +4.1% | #1,118 of 1,792 |
| 9Mississippi County, AR | 44 | 5 | 3.2 | $1.7M | −6.7% | #1,121 of 1,792 |
| 10White County, AR | 43 | 22 | 7.4 | $701K | +4.2% | #1,180 of 1,792 |
| Howard County, AR | Not scored | 4 | 7.8 | $585K | −3.6% |
Other business types in Howard County
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
Health care
Child care
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many gyms are in Howard County, AR?
As of September 2026, map listings count 4 gyms in Howard County. The listings count gyms and fitness centers. Official counts show 3 businesses with payroll classed as fitness and recreational sports centers in 2023. The official count takes in all fitness and recreational sports centers, not only gyms: yoga, Pilates and fitness studios are counted too.
How much do households in Howard County, AR spend on memberships, classes and admissions?
About $2.3M a year, or $459 per household. That is 53% below the U.S. average (an index of 47, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 4 gyms on map listings, it comes to $585K per gym. That spending covers all memberships, classes and admissions, which gyms share with other businesses in the trade. It is estimated from the incomes of the 5,098 households in Howard County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Howard County, AR compare with the U.S. for gyms?
Howard County has 7.8 gyms per 10,000 households, 3% above the U.S. rate of 7.6. Spending per gym is $585K, 55% below the U.S. figure of $1.3M. At the U.S. ratio of gyms to household spending, Howard County would have about 2, against 4 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,699 households, against one for every 3,109 across the U.S.
How fast is Howard County, AR growing?
Population estimates put Howard County at 12,306 people in 2025, down 3.6% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 5,098 households. Median household income in Howard County is $45,603, 44% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 26.5%, 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. Howard County has no market score for gyms: the score needs at least 5 on map listings, and it has 4.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Howard County. It maps the gyms 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 · All 56 business types in Howard County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Howard 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 Howard 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.