Groundwork

Fitness and classes · County · Arkansas

Gyms in Independence County, AR

Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for gyms in Independence County, AR, set against other counties and the U.S.

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 22 out of 100: Low

Ranked #1,645 of 1,792 scored counties
#24 of 33 scored counties in Arkansas

Listings
12
4 chain locations (33%)
Official establishments
n/a
Fewer than 3, or not published
Household spending a year
$8.1M
On memberships, classes and admissions · $555 a household
Spending per listing
$677K
48% below the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
8.2
8% above the U.S.
Population, 2025
38,785
+2.2% since 2020

See the gyms around any address in Independence 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 Independence 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

Independence County scores 22 (low) on the Groundwork market score for gyms, ranking #1,645 of 1,792 scored counties and #24 of 33 scored counties in Arkansas. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.

Household spending on memberships, classes and admissions in Independence County comes to about $8.1M a year: $555 per household, 44% below the U.S. average. That is about $677K of household spending for each gym on map listings, 48% below the U.S. figure of $1.3M. The spending figure covers all memberships, classes and admissions, not only gyms.

Independence County has 12 gyms on map listings as of September 2026. Chain locations make up 33% of them, against 28% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 8.2, 8% above the U.S. rate of 7.6.

Official counts don’t publish a figure for fitness and recreational sports centers in Independence County, since they leave out counts under 3. Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Independence County grew 2.2%, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%).

How Independence 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.

Gyms in Independence County, AR compared with Arkansas and the U.S.
MeasureIndependence CountyArkansasU.S.
Listings per 10k households8.26.77.6
Spending per listing$677K$919K$1.3M
Households per official establishment (all fitness and recreational sports centers)n/a4,6933,109
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023n/a+8.0%+5.8%
Population growth, 2020–2025+2.2%+3.3%+3.1%
Spending per household on memberships, classes and admissions$555$617$983
Median household income$56,609$60,773$80,734
Groundwork market score2240

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
n/aAll fitness and recreational sports centers
Employees, 2023
n/a
Annual payroll, 2023
n/a
One-person businesses, 2023
Not publishedNot published for this business type
Map listings, September 2026
124 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
6The 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 Independence 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 Independence County

Population, 2025 estimate
38,785+2.2% since 2020
Households
14,638
Median age
39.7
Homes lived in by their owners
69%
Vehicles per household
2.0
Land area
764 sq. mi.
People per square mile
50
Median household income
$56,609+27.7% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$78,952
Median home value
$142,600
Jobs located here
18,686
Daytime population
41,118Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in Independence 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 Independence County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

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The highest-scoring counties in Arkansas for gyms, numbered among those based in Arkansas, with Independence County marked.

Top counties in Arkansas

Counties in Arkansas ranked for gyms by Groundwork market score
MarketScoreListingsPer 10k householdsSpending per listingPopulation growthU.S. rank
1Lonoke County, AR65155.3$1.3M+3.5%#369 of 1,792
2Benton County, AR60908.0$1.1M+16.0%#536 of 1,792
3Saline County, AR59326.4$1.1M+7.6%#580 of 1,792
4Faulkner County, AR48408.1$821K+8.2%#1,011 of 1,792
5Miller County, AR4674.3$1.2M−0.5%#1,049 of 1,792
6Garland County, AR46235.3$1M−0.6%#1,059 of 1,792
7Craighead County, AR45347.7$813K+4.8%#1,113 of 1,792
8Crawford County, AR45198.1$712K+4.1%#1,118 of 1,792
9Mississippi County, AR4453.2$1.7M−6.7%#1,121 of 1,792
10White County, AR43227.4$701K+4.2%#1,180 of 1,792
24Independence County, AR22128.2$677K+2.2%#1,645 of 1,792

Other business types in Independence County

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

Questions

How many gyms are in Independence County, AR?

Map listings as of September 2026 show 12 gyms in Independence County. 4 of them (33%) are chain locations. The listings count gyms and fitness centers. No official count is published for fitness and recreational sports centers in Independence County: counts under 3 are left out.

How much do households in Independence County, AR spend on memberships, classes and admissions?

About $8.1M a year, or $555 per household. That is 44% below the U.S. average (an index of 56, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 12 gyms on map listings, it comes to $677K 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 14,638 households in Independence County and national spending patterns by income.

How does Independence County, AR compare with the U.S. for gyms?

Independence County has 8.2 gyms per 10,000 households, 8% above the U.S. rate of 7.6. Spending per gym is $677K, 48% below the U.S. figure of $1.3M. At the U.S. ratio of gyms to household spending, Independence County would have about 6, against 12 on map listings.

How fast is Independence County, AR growing?

Population estimates put Independence County at 38,785 people in 2025, up 2.2% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 14,638 households. Median household income in Independence County is $56,609, 30% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 27.7%, 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. Independence County scores 22 for gyms (low), #1,645 of 1,792 scored counties.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Independence 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 Independence County

Screening a site or an acquisition in Independence 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 Independence 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.