Fitness and classes · County · Illinois
Gyms in Ford County, IL
How Ford County, IL compares with other counties and the U.S. for gyms: competitors, household spending, official counts and growth.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 15 out of 100: Low
Ranked #1,712 of 1,792 scored counties
#65 of 68 scored counties in Illinois
- Listings
- 8
- 3 chain locations (38%)
- Official establishments
- n/a
- Fewer than 3, or not published
- Household spending a year
- $4.2M
- On memberships, classes and admissions · $729 a household
- Spending per listing
- $531K
- 59% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 13.7
- 80% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 13,216
- −2.2% since 2020
See the gyms around any address in Ford 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 Ford 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
Ford County scores 15 (low) on the Groundwork market score for gyms, ranking #1,712 of 1,792 scored counties and #65 of 68 scored counties in Illinois. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.
At $729 per household (26% below the U.S. average), households in Ford County spend about $4.2M a year on memberships, classes and admissions. Spread across 8 gyms, that is $531K per gym, 59% below the U.S. figure of $1.3M. The spending figure covers all memberships, classes and admissions, not only gyms.
There are 8 gyms on map listings in Ford County as of September 2026. 3 of them (38%) are chain locations, against 28% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 13.7, 80% above the U.S. rate of 7.6.
Official counts don’t publish a figure for fitness and recreational sports centers in Ford County, since they leave out counts under 3. Population estimates show Ford County declined 2.2% from 2020 to 2025, against +3.1% for the U.S.
How Ford 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 | Ford County | Illinois | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 13.7 | 7.7 | 7.6 |
| Spending per listing | $531K | $1.4M | $1.3M |
| Households per official establishment (all fitness and recreational sports centers) | n/a | 3,107 | 3,109 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +2.9% | +5.8% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −2.2% | −0.6% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on memberships, classes and admissions | $729 | $1,054 | $983 |
| Median household income | $62,439 | $83,390 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 15 | 50 |
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
- 83 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 3The 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 Ford 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 Ford County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 13,216−2.2% since 2020
- Households
- 5,828
- Median age
- 41.5
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 72%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 486 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 28
- Median household income
- $62,439+19.9% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $79,163
- Median home value
- $122,000
- Jobs located here
- 5,845
- Daytime population
- 12,564Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Ford 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 Ford 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 Ford 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 |
| 65Ford County, IL | 15 | 8 | 13.7 | $531K | −2.2% | #1,712 of 1,792 |
Other business types in Ford 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 Ford County, IL?
As of September 2026, map listings count 8 gyms in Ford County. 3 of them (38%) are chain locations. The listings count gyms and fitness centers. No official count is published for fitness and recreational sports centers in Ford County: counts under 3 are left out.
How much do households in Ford County, IL spend on memberships, classes and admissions?
About $4.2M a year, or $729 per household. That is 26% below the U.S. average (an index of 74, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 8 gyms on map listings, it comes to $531K 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 5,828 households in Ford County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Ford County, IL compare with the U.S. for gyms?
Ford County has 13.7 gyms per 10,000 households, 80% above the U.S. rate of 7.6. Spending per gym is $531K, 59% below the U.S. figure of $1.3M. At the U.S. ratio of gyms to household spending, Ford County would have about 3, against 8 on map listings.
How fast is Ford County, IL growing?
Population estimates put Ford County at 13,216 people in 2025, down 2.2% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 5,828 households. Median household income in Ford County is $62,439, 23% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 19.9%, 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. Ford County scores 15 for gyms (low), #1,712 of 1,792 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Ford 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 Ford County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Ford 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 Ford 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.