Market rankings · Iowa
Gyms in Iowa
Every metro area, small-town market and county in Iowa, ranked by the Groundwork market score for gyms, with competitor counts and household spending for each.
- Listings
- 1,120
- 315 chain locations (28%)
- Official establishments
- 398
- All fitness and recreational sports centers · +3.7% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $1.2B
- On memberships, classes and admissions
- Listings per 10k households
- 8.5
- 12% above the U.S.
- Spending per listing
- $1M
- 20% below the U.S.
- Rank among states
- #42 of 51
- Market score 39 · Lower middle
A site report maps the gyms on map listings around any address in Iowa by name and distance, and the spending within reach.
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
There are 1,120 gyms on map listings in Iowa as of September 2026. Of those, 315 are chain locations, or 28%, against 28% across the U.S. That comes to 8.5 for every 10,000 households, 12% above the U.S. rate of 7.6.
Household spending on memberships, classes and admissions in Iowa comes to about $1.2B a year: $890 per household, 9% below the U.S. average. Spread across 1,120 gyms, that is $1M per gym, 20% below the U.S. figure of $1.3M. The spending figure covers all memberships, classes and admissions, not only gyms.
In 2023, official counts showed 398 businesses with payroll in Iowa classed as fitness and recreational sports centers, up 3.7% from 2019. That is one for every 3,306 households, against one for every 3,109 across the U.S. Across the U.S., the count rose 5.8% over the same years. That count covers all fitness and recreational sports centers (yoga, Pilates and fitness studios included), not only gyms. Since fiscal 2022, 70 SBA-backed loans worth $26.3M have gone to businesses classed as fitness and recreational sports centers in Iowa.
Among the 50 states and DC, Iowa ranks #42 for gyms, with a Groundwork market score of 39 (lower middle). Of the 9 scored metro areas in or partly in Iowa, the Omaha metro area scores highest (52). Of the 15 scored small-town markets in or partly in Iowa, the Marshalltown area scores highest (71).
Every market in Iowa for gyms
Download the ranking (CSV)Numbered by Groundwork market score among the markets based in Iowa, highest first; the U.S. rank compares each market with every other of its kind. A metro area that crosses a state line is listed in each state it reaches, and numbered only in the state its page is under. How the score works.
Metro areas
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Omaha, NE-IA | 52 | 325 | 8.3 | $1.2M | +4.2% | #170 of 387 |
| 1Waterloo-Cedar Falls, IA | 51 | 50 | 7.2 | $1.1M | +0.5% | #184 of 387 |
| 2Iowa City, IA | 48 | 70 | 9.7 | $992K | +4.1% | #218 of 387 |
| 3Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA | 47 | 294 | 10.0 | $1M | +6.7% | #229 of 387 |
| 4Dubuque, IA | 44 | 29 | 7.1 | $1.3M | +0.1% | #252 of 387 |
| 5Sioux City, IA-NE-SD | 39 | 42 | 7.6 | $1.1M | +1.0% | #292 of 387 |
| 6Cedar Rapids, IA | 38 | 110 | 9.6 | $965K | +1.0% | #301 of 387 |
| 7Davenport-Moline-Rock Island, IA-IL | 34 | 152 | 9.4 | $925K | −0.9% | #325 of 387 |
| 8Ames, IA | 30 | 57 | 11.4 | $782K | +2.2% | #349 of 387 |
Small-town markets
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Marshalltown, IA | 71 | 5 | 3.2 | $2.4M | −0.5% | #41 of 506 |
| 2Le Mars, IA | 62 | 7 | 6.8 | $1.3M | 0.0% | #124 of 506 |
| 3Pella, IA | 55 | 12 | 9.0 | $1M | +2.3% | #208 of 506 |
| 4Burlington, IA-IL | 52 | 11 | 5.5 | $1.3M | −2.5% | #232 of 506 |
| 5Oskaloosa, IA | 50 | 6 | 6.9 | $1.1M | −1.2% | #251 of 506 |
| 6Clinton, IA | 48 | 14 | 7.2 | $1.1M | −0.9% | #277 of 506 |
| 7Spirit Lake, IA | 44 | 9 | 10.2 | $942K | +1.7% | #323 of 506 |
| 8Ottumwa, IA | 44 | 11 | 7.9 | $912K | −0.3% | #324 of 506 |
| 9Muscatine, IA | 40 | 12 | 6.9 | $1.1M | −3.0% | #354 of 506 |
| 10Mason City, IA | 39 | 19 | 8.4 | $976K | −1.5% | #368 of 506 |
| 11Storm Lake, IA | 39 | 7 | 9.3 | $898K | −1.7% | #369 of 506 |
| 12Fort Dodge, IA | 36 | 12 | 7.8 | $956K | −0.4% | #401 of 506 |
| 13Carroll, IA | 32 | 10 | 11.4 | $744K | −2.0% | #430 of 506 |
| 14Fort Madison, IA | 30 | 11 | 7.7 | $940K | −3.6% | #437 of 506 |
| 15Spencer, IA | 29 | 7 | 9.6 | $802K | −0.8% | #444 of 506 |
Counties
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Warren County, IA | 78 | 15 | 7.3 | $1.4M | +9.0% | #93 of 1,792 |
| 2Dallas County, IA | 70 | 34 | 8.0 | $1.6M | +17.8% | #230 of 1,792 |
| 3Pottawattamie County, IA | 69 | 15 | 4.0 | $2.1M | −0.7% | #238 of 1,792 |
| 4Marshall County, IA | 65 | 5 | 3.2 | $2.4M | −0.5% | #341 of 1,792 |
| 5Madison County, IA | 63 | 6 | 9.0 | $1.1M | +3.8% | #439 of 1,792 |
| 6Jasper County, IA | 61 | 10 | 6.7 | $1.2M | +0.9% | #500 of 1,792 |
| 7Plymouth County, IA | 57 | 7 | 6.8 | $1.3M | 0.0% | #646 of 1,792 |
| 8Washington County, IA | 57 | 6 | 6.7 | $1.3M | +0.6% | #652 of 1,792 |
| 9Cedar County, IA | 56 | 5 | 6.6 | $1.3M | −0.7% | #685 of 1,792 |
| 10Jackson County, IA | 55 | 5 | 6.1 | $1.3M | −0.8% | #719 of 1,792 |
| 11Black Hawk County, IA | 55 | 36 | 6.6 | $1.2M | +0.4% | #730 of 1,792 |
| 12Bremer County, IA | 55 | 8 | 8.2 | $1.1M | +1.1% | #735 of 1,792 |
| 13Johnson County, IA | 52 | 64 | 10.1 | $966K | +4.6% | #857 of 1,792 |
| 14Dubuque County, IA | 50 | 29 | 7.1 | $1.3M | +0.1% | #908 of 1,792 |
| 15Marion County, IA | 50 | 12 | 9.0 | $1M | +2.3% | #930 of 1,792 |
| 16Polk County, IA | 46 | 225 | 11.0 | $923K | +4.8% | #1,070 of 1,792 |
| 17Sioux County, IA | 45 | 22 | 17.3 | $564K | +2.5% | #1,120 of 1,792 |
| 18Clinton County, IA | 44 | 14 | 7.2 | $1.1M | −0.9% | #1,126 of 1,792 |
| 19Boone County, IA | 43 | 11 | 10.1 | $911K | +0.4% | #1,169 of 1,792 |
| 20Woodbury County, IA | 42 | 32 | 7.9 | $1.1M | +0.7% | #1,189 of 1,792 |
| 21Wapello County, IA | 42 | 11 | 7.9 | $912K | −0.3% | #1,197 of 1,792 |
| 22Mahaska County, IA | 41 | 6 | 6.9 | $1.1M | −1.2% | #1,216 of 1,792 |
| 23Winneshiek County, IA | 41 | 7 | 8.6 | $1M | −1.6% | #1,218 of 1,792 |
| 24Des Moines County, IA | 39 | 11 | 6.4 | $1.1M | −2.0% | #1,257 of 1,792 |
| 25Linn County, IA | 39 | 102 | 10.7 | $880K | +0.7% | #1,272 of 1,792 |
Show all 99 counties
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 26Hamilton County, IA | 38 | 6 | 9.3 | $916K | −0.5% | #1,297 of 1,792 |
| 27Grundy County, IA | 38 | 6 | 11.7 | $804K | +0.2% | #1,308 of 1,792 |
| 28Dickinson County, IA | 37 | 9 | 10.2 | $942K | +1.7% | #1,322 of 1,792 |
| 29Muscatine County, IA | 36 | 12 | 6.9 | $1.1M | −3.0% | #1,341 of 1,792 |
| 30Mills County, IA | 36 | 7 | 13.0 | $791K | +2.6% | #1,360 of 1,792 |
| 31Story County, IA | 36 | 46 | 11.8 | $751K | +2.7% | #1,363 of 1,792 |
| 32O’Brien County, IA | 35 | 5 | 8.6 | $889K | +0.5% | #1,389 of 1,792 |
| 33Scott County, IA | 35 | 80 | 10.9 | $866K | +0.4% | #1,391 of 1,792 |
| 34Buena Vista County, IA | 33 | 7 | 9.3 | $898K | −1.7% | #1,424 of 1,792 |
| 35Webster County, IA | 32 | 12 | 7.8 | $956K | −0.4% | #1,442 of 1,792 |
| 36Clayton County, IA | 32 | 6 | 8.0 | $937K | −1.1% | #1,443 of 1,792 |
| 37Cerro Gordo County, IA | 29 | 18 | 9.2 | $884K | −1.5% | #1,514 of 1,792 |
| 38Lee County, IA | 28 | 11 | 7.7 | $940K | −3.6% | #1,530 of 1,792 |
| 39Crawford County, IA | 28 | 6 | 9.5 | $827K | −1.5% | #1,538 of 1,792 |
| 40Fayette County, IA | 26 | 7 | 8.4 | $867K | −2.1% | #1,575 of 1,792 |
| 41Carroll County, IA | 26 | 10 | 11.4 | $744K | −2.0% | #1,577 of 1,792 |
| 42Clay County, IA | 25 | 7 | 9.6 | $802K | −0.8% | #1,592 of 1,792 |
| 43Hardin County, IA | 24 | 6 | 8.5 | $845K | −2.2% | #1,608 of 1,792 |
| 44Floyd County, IA | 24 | 6 | 9.2 | $841K | −4.4% | #1,610 of 1,792 |
| 45Tama County, IA | 22 | 7 | 10.4 | $714K | −1.5% | #1,642 of 1,792 |
| 46Poweshiek County, IA | 22 | 12 | 15.4 | $539K | −1.4% | #1,651 of 1,792 |
| 47Jefferson County, IA | 19 | 7 | 10.1 | $723K | −2.5% | #1,677 of 1,792 |
| 48Union County, IA | 12 | 5 | 9.8 | $648K | −2.5% | #1,734 of 1,792 |
| Benton County, IA | Not scored | 4 | 3.9 | $2.4M | +1.8% | |
| Jones County, IA | Not scored | 4 | 4.9 | $1.6M | +2.9% | |
| Buchanan County, IA | Not scored | 3 | 3.6 | $2.2M | +1.3% | |
| Henry County, IA | Not scored | 4 | 5.2 | $1.5M | −5.4% | |
| Delaware County, IA | Not scored | 4 | 5.4 | $1.6M | +1.3% | |
| Iowa County, IA | Not scored | 3 | 4.3 | $1.9M | −1.0% | |
| Page County, IA | Not scored | 1 | 1.6 | $4.3M | −2.3% | |
| Harrison County, IA | Not scored | 2 | 3.3 | $2.7M | +0.4% | |
| Kossuth County, IA | Not scored | 3 | 4.6 | $1.7M | −3.2% | |
| Butler County, IA | Not scored | 4 | 6.8 | $1.2M | −2.0% | |
| Allamakee County, IA | Not scored | 4 | 6.7 | $1.2M | +1.2% | |
| Cass County, IA | Not scored | 3 | 5.1 | $1.5M | −1.2% | |
| Wright County, IA | Not scored | 3 | 5.6 | $1.4M | −0.9% | |
| Appanoose County, IA | Not scored | 4 | 7.7 | $803K | −1.7% | |
| Lyon County, IA | Not scored | 1 | 2.2 | $3.9M | +3.6% | |
| Chickasaw County, IA | Not scored | 0 | 0.0 | n/a | −2.8% | |
| Shelby County, IA | Not scored | 2 | 4.1 | $2.2M | −0.2% | |
| Cherokee County, IA | Not scored | 3 | 5.9 | $1.4M | −2.4% | |
| Guthrie County, IA | Not scored | 4 | 8.7 | $1.1M | +1.6% | |
| Louisa County, IA | Not scored | 2 | 4.7 | $1.8M | −3.7% | |
| Hancock County, IA | Not scored | 1 | 2.1 | $3.5M | −2.2% | |
| Winnebago County, IA | Not scored | 4 | 8.6 | $871K | −3.8% | |
| Mitchell County, IA | Not scored | 4 | 8.7 | $962K | +0.6% | |
| Montgomery County, IA | Not scored | 1 | 2.2 | $3.2M | −3.2% | |
| Franklin County, IA | Not scored | 3 | 7.1 | $931K | −1.2% | |
| Keokuk County, IA | Not scored | 7 | 17.2 | $429K | −2.0% | |
| Calhoun County, IA | Not scored | 1 | 2.5 | $3.1M | −3.4% | |
| Sac County, IA | Not scored | 1 | 2.3 | $3.3M | −2.7% | |
| Clarke County, IA | Not scored | 3 | 7.4 | $1.1M | −1.6% | |
| Humboldt County, IA | Not scored | 0 | 0.0 | n/a | −2.0% | |
| Howard County, IA | Not scored | 3 | 8.0 | $940K | −0.8% | |
| Emmet County, IA | Not scored | 2 | 4.9 | $1.4M | −2.5% | |
| Davis County, IA | Not scored | 1 | 3.1 | $2.6M | +1.3% | |
| Palo Alto County, IA | Not scored | 3 | 7.9 | $1M | −1.0% | |
| Lucas County, IA | Not scored | 4 | 10.8 | $626K | +2.6% | |
| Greene County, IA | Not scored | 2 | 5.1 | $1.5M | −1.0% | |
| Monona County, IA | Not scored | 3 | 7.7 | $970K | −2.4% | |
| Decatur County, IA | Not scored | 4 | 13.1 | $494K | −0.9% | |
| Monroe County, IA | Not scored | 3 | 9.7 | $767K | −2.5% | |
| Adair County, IA | Not scored | 1 | 3.1 | $2.7M | −1.3% | |
| Worth County, IA | Not scored | 1 | 3.1 | $2.6M | −1.3% | |
| Van Buren County, IA | Not scored | 1 | 3.5 | $2.1M | −1.2% | |
| Pocahontas County, IA | Not scored | 2 | 6.7 | $1M | −3.5% | |
| Ida County, IA | Not scored | 4 | 13.1 | $567K | −3.4% | |
| Wayne County, IA | Not scored | 2 | 7.8 | $982K | +3.6% | |
| Fremont County, IA | Not scored | 3 | 10.6 | $805K | −0.8% | |
| Osceola County, IA | Not scored | 0 | 0.0 | n/a | −3.6% | |
| Taylor County, IA | Not scored | 2 | 8.0 | $878K | −0.5% | |
| Audubon County, IA | Not scored | 0 | 0.0 | n/a | −3.0% | |
| Ringgold County, IA | Not scored | 0 | 0.0 | n/a | 0.0% | |
| Adams County, IA | Not scored | 0 | 0.0 | n/a | −2.5% |
Markets with fewer than 5 gyms on map listings, and counties under 10,000 people, aren’t scored; they’re listed last in each table.
Questions
How many gyms are in Iowa?
As of September 2026, map listings count 1,120 gyms in Iowa. 315 of them (28%) are chain locations. The listings count gyms and fitness centers. Official counts show 398 businesses with payroll classed as fitness and recreational sports centers in 2023, up 3.7% 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 Iowa spend on memberships, classes and admissions?
About $1.2B a year, or $890 per household. That is 9% below the U.S. average (an index of 91, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 1,120 gyms on map listings, it comes to $1M 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 1,315,707 households in Iowa and national spending patterns by income.
How does Iowa compare with the U.S. for gyms?
Iowa has 8.5 gyms per 10,000 households, 12% above the U.S. rate of 7.6. Spending per gym is $1M, 20% below the U.S. figure of $1.3M. At the U.S. ratio of gyms to household spending, Iowa would have about 900, against 1,120 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 3,306 households, against one for every 3,109 across the U.S. The official count rose 3.7% from 2019 to 2023, against +5.8% for the U.S.
Which market in Iowa has the highest market score for gyms?
Among 9 scored metro areas in or partly in Iowa, the Omaha metro area scores highest, at 52 (upper middle). Among 15 scored small-town markets in or partly in Iowa, the Marshalltown area scores highest, at 71 (upper middle). Among 48 scored counties in Iowa, Warren County scores highest, at 78 (high). Scores compare each market with others of its kind across the U.S.
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. Iowa scores 39 for gyms (lower middle), #42 of the 50 states and DC.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Iowa. 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.
Gyms in other states
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Top markets for gyms across the U.S. · All business types in Iowa
Related business types in Iowa
- Gyms, studios and classes1,941 listings
- Yoga, Pilates and fitness studios236 listings
- Martial arts and dance studios585 listings
Screening a site or an acquisition in Iowa?
A site report maps the competitors on map listings near an address and sizes the households and spending around it.
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.