Fitness and classes · Metro area · Iowa
Gyms in the Ames, IA metro area
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for gyms in the Ames, IA metro area, set against other metro areas and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 30 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #349 of 387 scored metro areas
#8 of 8 scored metro areas based in Iowa
- Listings
- 57
- 7 chain locations (12%)
- Official establishments
- 17
- All fitness and recreational sports centers
- Household spending a year
- $44.6M
- On memberships, classes and admissions · $894 a household
- Spending per listing
- $782K
- 40% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 11.4
- 50% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 128,090
- +2.2% since 2020
See the gyms around any address in the Ames metro area
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 the Ames metro area. 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
The Ames metro area scores 30 (lower middle) on the Groundwork market score for gyms, ranking #349 of 387 scored metro areas and #8 of 8 scored metro areas based in Iowa. That puts it in the bottom quarter of metro areas.
Household spending on memberships, classes and admissions in the Ames metro area comes to about $44.6M a year: $894 per household, 9% below the U.S. average. That is about $782K of household spending for each gym on map listings, 40% below the U.S. figure of $1.3M. The spending figure covers all memberships, classes and admissions, not only gyms.
The Ames metro area has 57 gyms on map listings as of September 2026. 7 of them (12%) are chain locations, against 28% across the U.S. That comes to 11.4 for every 10,000 households, 50% above the U.S. rate of 7.6.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as fitness and recreational sports centers in the Ames metro area was 17 in 2023. That is one for every 2,932 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, 1 SBA-backed loan worth $517K has gone to businesses classed as fitness and recreational sports centers in the Ames metro area. Between 2020 and 2025, the population of the Ames metro area grew 2.2%, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%).
How the Ames metro area compares
The same measures for Iowa 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 | Ames metro area | Iowa | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 11.4 | 8.5 | 7.6 |
| Spending per listing | $782K | $1M | $1.3M |
| Households per official establishment (all fitness and recreational sports centers) | 2,932 | 3,306 | 3,109 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +3.7% | +5.8% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +2.2% | +1.5% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on memberships, classes and admissions | $894 | $890 | $983 |
| Median household income | $73,127 | $75,059 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 30 | 39 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 17All fitness and recreational sports centers
- Employees, 2023
- 242
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $3.6M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- Not publishedNot published for this business type
- Map listings, September 2026
- 577 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 34The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 1
- Amount
- $517K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as fitness and recreational sports centers in the Ames metro area, 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 the Ames metro area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 128,090+2.2% since 2020
- Households
- 49,840
- Median age
- 35.1
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 61%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 1,143 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 111
- Median household income
- $73,127+24.8% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $97,543
- Median home value
- $246,300
- Jobs located here
- 57,558
- Daytime population
- 130,790Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Ames metro area?
These figures cover the whole metro area. 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 the Ames metro area. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.
Free10 actions over 3 days, no cardGyms across Iowa
Every Iowa market ranked →The highest-scoring metro areas in Iowa for gyms, numbered among those based in Iowa (a market based in another state is listed without a number), with the Ames metro area marked.
Top metro areas in Iowa
| 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 |
Other business types in the Ames metro area
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 the Ames, IA metro area?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 57 gyms in the Ames metro area. 7 of them (12%) are chain locations. The listings count gyms and fitness centers. Official counts show 17 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 the Ames, IA metro area spend on memberships, classes and admissions?
About $44.6M a year, or $894 per household. That is 9% below the U.S. average (an index of 91, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 57 gyms on map listings, it comes to $782K 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 49,840 households in the Ames metro area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Ames, IA metro area compare with the U.S. for gyms?
The Ames metro area has 11.4 gyms per 10,000 households, 50% above the U.S. rate of 7.6. Spending per gym is $782K, 40% below the U.S. figure of $1.3M. At the U.S. ratio of gyms to household spending, the Ames metro area would have about 34, against 57 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 2,932 households, against one for every 3,109 across the U.S.
How fast is the Ames, IA metro area growing?
Population estimates put the Ames metro area at 128,090 people in 2025, up 2.2% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 49,840 households. Median household income in the Ames metro area is $73,127, 9% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 24.8%, 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. The Ames metro area scores 30 for gyms (lower middle), #349 of 387 scored metro areas.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in the Ames metro area. 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 the Ames metro area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Ames metro area?
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 the Ames metro area. 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.