Fitness and classes · County · Illinois
Gyms in Cook County, IL
The gyms in Cook County, IL, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 61 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #482 of 1,792 scored counties
#8 of 68 scored counties in Illinois
- Listings
- 1,458
- 430 chain locations (29%)
- Official establishments
- 632
- All fitness and recreational sports centers · +4.3% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $2.3B
- On memberships, classes and admissions · $1,085 a household
- Spending per listing
- $1.6M
- 20% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 6.9
- 9% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 5,194,625
- −1.3% since 2020
See the gyms around any address in Cook 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 Cook 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
Households in Cook County spend about $2.3B a year on memberships, classes and admissions, or $1,085 per household, 10% above the U.S. average. That works out to $1.6M per gym, 20% above the U.S. figure of $1.3M. The spending figure covers all memberships, classes and admissions, not only gyms.
There are 1,458 gyms on map listings in Cook County as of September 2026. 430 of them (29%) are chain locations, against 28% across the U.S. That comes to 6.9 for every 10,000 households, 9% below the U.S. rate of 7.6.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as fitness and recreational sports centers in Cook County was 632 in 2023, up 4.3% from 2019. That is one for every 3,323 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. Since fiscal 2022, 74 SBA-backed loans worth $30.2M have gone to businesses classed as fitness and recreational sports centers in Cook County.
Population estimates show Cook County declined 1.3% from 2020 to 2025, against +3.1% for the U.S. For gyms, Cook County has a Groundwork market score of 61 (upper middle): #482 of 1,792 scored counties and #8 of 68 scored counties in Illinois.
How Cook County compares
The same measures for Illinois 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 | Cook County | Illinois | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 6.9 | 7.7 | 7.6 |
| Spending per listing | $1.6M | $1.4M | $1.3M |
| Households per official establishment (all fitness and recreational sports centers) | 3,323 | 3,107 | 3,109 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +4.3% | +2.9% | +5.8% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −1.3% | −0.6% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on memberships, classes and admissions | $1,085 | $1,054 | $983 |
| Median household income | $83,498 | $83,390 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 61 | 50 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 606 → 632All fitness and recreational sports centers · +4.3% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 12,985
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $309.4M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- Not publishedNot published for this business type
- Map listings, September 2026
- 1,458430 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 1,751The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 74
- Amount
- $30.2M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as fitness and recreational sports centers in Cook 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 Cook County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 5,194,625−1.3% since 2020
- Households
- 2,100,230
- Median age
- 39.2
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 58%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.4
- Land area
- 945 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 5,484
- Median household income
- $83,498+29.1% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $120,729
- Median home value
- $324,500
- Jobs located here
- 2,683,238
- Daytime population
- 5,468,881Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Cook 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 Cook County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.
Free10 actions over 3 days, no cardGyms across Illinois
Every Illinois market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in Illinois for gyms, numbered among those based in Illinois, with Cook County marked.
Top counties in Illinois
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Boone County, IL | 71 | 10 | 5.1 | $1.9M | +0.4% | #198 of 1,792 |
| 2Piatt County, IL | 69 | 5 | 7.2 | $1.4M | +0.6% | #254 of 1,792 |
| 3Clinton County, IL | 66 | 10 | 6.9 | $1.4M | +0.6% | #321 of 1,792 |
| 4Kendall County, IL | 66 | 42 | 9.3 | $1.4M | +9.9% | #323 of 1,792 |
| 5Will County, IL | 65 | 202 | 8.3 | $1.5M | +2.2% | #356 of 1,792 |
| 6Kankakee County, IL | 63 | 21 | 5.1 | $1.7M | −1.7% | #415 of 1,792 |
| 7Kane County, IL | 62 | 170 | 9.2 | $1.3M | +1.8% | #456 of 1,792 |
| 8Cook County, IL | 61 | 1,458 | 6.9 | $1.6M | −1.3% | #482 of 1,792 |
| 9McHenry County, IL | 61 | 113 | 9.6 | $1.3M | +2.5% | #497 of 1,792 |
| 10Monroe County, IL | 59 | 10 | 7.2 | $1.7M | −0.3% | #547 of 1,792 |
Other business types in Cook 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 Cook County, IL?
As of September 2026, map listings count 1,458 gyms in Cook County. 430 of them (29%) are chain locations. The listings count gyms and fitness centers. Official counts show 632 businesses with payroll classed as fitness and recreational sports centers in 2023, up 4.3% from 2019. 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 Cook County, IL spend on memberships, classes and admissions?
About $2.3B a year, or $1,085 per household. That is 10% above the U.S. average (an index of 110, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 1,458 gyms on map listings, it comes to $1.6M 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 2,100,230 households in Cook County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Cook County, IL compare with the U.S. for gyms?
Cook County has 6.9 gyms per 10,000 households, 9% below the U.S. rate of 7.6. Spending per gym is $1.6M, 20% above the U.S. figure of $1.3M. At the U.S. ratio of gyms to household spending, Cook County would have about 1,751, against 1,458 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 3,323 households, against one for every 3,109 across the U.S. The official count rose 4.3% from 2019 to 2023, against +5.8% for the U.S.
How fast is Cook County, IL growing?
Population estimates put Cook County at 5,194,625 people in 2025, down 1.3% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 2,100,230 households. Median household income in Cook County is $83,498, 3% above the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 29.1%, 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. Cook County scores 61 for gyms (upper middle), #482 of 1,792 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Cook 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 Cook County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Cook 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 Cook 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.