Fitness and classes · Small-town market · Iowa
Gyms in the Fort Madison, IA area
The gyms in the Fort Madison, IA area, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other small-town markets.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 30 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #437 of 506 scored small-town markets
#14 of 15 scored small-town markets based in Iowa
- Listings
- 11
- 4 chain locations (36%)
- Official establishments
- 5
- All fitness and recreational sports centers
- Household spending a year
- $10.3M
- On memberships, classes and admissions · $722 a household
- Spending per listing
- $940K
- 28% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 7.7
- In line with the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 32,306
- −3.6% since 2020
See the gyms around any address in the Fort Madison 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 Fort Madison 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 Fort Madison area scores 30 (lower middle) on the Groundwork market score for gyms, ranking #437 of 506 scored small-town markets and #14 of 15 scored small-town markets based in Iowa. That puts it in the bottom quarter of small-town markets.
Map listings as of September 2026 show 11 gyms in the Fort Madison area. Of those, 4 are chain locations, or 36%, against 28% across the U.S. That comes to 7.7 for every 10,000 households, in line with the U.S. rate of 7.6.
Households in the Fort Madison area spend about $10.3M a year on memberships, classes and admissions, or $722 per household, 27% below the U.S. average. Spread across 11 gyms, that is $940K per gym, 28% below the U.S. figure of $1.3M. That spending covers all memberships, classes and admissions, which gyms share with other businesses in the trade.
Official counts show 5 businesses with payroll classed as fitness and recreational sports centers in the Fort Madison area in 2023. That is one for every 2,865 households, against one for every 3,109 across the U.S. The official count takes in all fitness and recreational sports centers, not only gyms: yoga, Pilates and fitness studios are counted too. Since fiscal 2022, 1 SBA-backed loan worth $58K has gone to businesses classed as fitness and recreational sports centers in the Fort Madison area. Population estimates show the Fort Madison area declined 3.6% from 2020 to 2025, against +3.1% for the U.S.
How the Fort Madison 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 | Fort Madison area | Iowa | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 7.7 | 8.5 | 7.6 |
| Spending per listing | $940K | $1M | $1.3M |
| Households per official establishment (all fitness and recreational sports centers) | 2,865 | 3,306 | 3,109 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +3.7% | +5.8% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −3.6% | +1.5% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on memberships, classes and admissions | $722 | $890 | $983 |
| Median household income | $62,382 | $75,059 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 30 | 39 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 5All fitness and recreational sports centers
- Employees, 2023
- 80
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $964K
- One-person businesses, 2023
- Not publishedNot published for this business type
- Map listings, September 2026
- 114 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 8The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 1
- Amount
- $58K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as fitness and recreational sports centers in the Fort Madison 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 Fort Madison area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 32,306−3.6% since 2020
- Households
- 14,323
- Median age
- 42.9
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 76%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.0
- Land area
- 518 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 64
- Median household income
- $62,382
- Average household income
- $79,169
- Median home value
- $141,400
- Jobs located here
- 13,626
- Daytime population
- 31,700Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Fort Madison area?
These figures cover the whole small-town market. 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 Fort Madison 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 small-town markets in Iowa for gyms, numbered among those based in Iowa, with the Fort Madison area marked.
Top small-town markets in Iowa
| 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 |
| 14Fort Madison, IA | 30 | 11 | 7.7 | $940K | −3.6% | #437 of 506 |
Other business types in the Fort Madison 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 Fort Madison, IA area?
There are 11 gyms on map listings in the Fort Madison area as of September 2026. 4 of them (36%) are chain locations. The listings count gyms and fitness centers. Official counts show 5 businesses with payroll classed as fitness and recreational sports centers in 2023. That count covers all fitness and recreational sports centers (yoga, Pilates and fitness studios included), not only gyms.
How much do households in the Fort Madison, IA area spend on memberships, classes and admissions?
About $10.3M a year, or $722 per household. That is 27% below the U.S. average (an index of 73, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 11 gyms on map listings, it comes to $940K per gym. The spending figure covers all memberships, classes and admissions, not only gyms. It is estimated from the incomes of the 14,323 households in the Fort Madison area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Fort Madison, IA area compare with the U.S. for gyms?
The Fort Madison area has 7.7 gyms per 10,000 households, in line with the U.S. rate of 7.6. Spending per gym is $940K, 28% below the U.S. figure of $1.3M. At the national ratio of gyms to household spending, the Fort Madison area would have about 8, against 11 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 2,865 households, against one for every 3,109 across the U.S.
How fast is the Fort Madison, IA area growing?
Population estimates put the Fort Madison area at 32,306 people in 2025, down 3.6% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 14,323 households. The median household income in the Fort Madison area is $62,382 a year, 23% below the U.S. median of $80,734.
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. A small-town market is a town of 10,000 to 50,000 people and the county or counties tied to it by commuting. 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 Fort Madison area scores 30 for gyms (lower middle), #437 of 506 scored small-town markets.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in the Fort Madison 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 Fort Madison area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Fort Madison 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 Fort Madison 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.