Fitness and classes · Metro area · Iowa
Gyms in the Iowa City, IA metro area
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for gyms in the Iowa City, IA metro area, set against other metro areas and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 48 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #218 of 387 scored metro areas
#2 of 8 scored metro areas based in Iowa
- Listings
- 70
- 22 chain locations (31%)
- Official establishments
- 22
- All fitness and recreational sports centers · +5.0% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $69.5M
- On memberships, classes and admissions · $961 a household
- Spending per listing
- $992K
- 24% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 9.7
- 28% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 182,711
- +4.1% since 2020
See the gyms around any address in the Iowa City 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 Iowa City 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
At $961 per household (2% below the U.S. average), households in the Iowa City metro area spend about $69.5M a year on memberships, classes and admissions. Spread across 70 gyms, that is $992K per gym, 24% below the U.S. figure of $1.3M. The spending figure covers all memberships, classes and admissions, not only gyms.
There are 70 gyms on map listings in the Iowa City metro area as of September 2026. 22 of them (31%) are chain locations, against 28% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 9.7, 28% above the U.S. rate of 7.6.
Official counts show 22 businesses with payroll classed as fitness and recreational sports centers in the Iowa City metro area in 2023, up 5.0% from 2019. That is one for every 3,287 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, 7 SBA-backed loans worth $2.1M have gone to businesses classed as fitness and recreational sports centers in the Iowa City metro area.
Population estimates put the population change in the Iowa City metro area from 2020 to 2025 at +4.1%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). For gyms, the Iowa City metro area has a Groundwork market score of 48 (lower middle): #218 of 387 scored metro areas and #2 of 8 scored metro areas based in Iowa.
How the Iowa City 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 | Iowa City metro area | Iowa | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 9.7 | 8.5 | 7.6 |
| Spending per listing | $992K | $1M | $1.3M |
| Households per official establishment (all fitness and recreational sports centers) | 3,287 | 3,306 | 3,109 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +5.0% | +3.7% | +5.8% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +4.1% | +1.5% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on memberships, classes and admissions | $961 | $890 | $983 |
| Median household income | $75,088 | $75,059 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 48 | 39 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 22All fitness and recreational sports centers · +5.0% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 286
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $2.8M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- Not publishedNot published for this business type
- Map listings, September 2026
- 7022 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 53The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 7
- Amount
- $2.1M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as fitness and recreational sports centers in the Iowa City 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 Iowa City metro area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 182,711+4.1% since 2020
- Households
- 72,313
- Median age
- 35.3
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 61%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.8
- Land area
- 1,182 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 152
- Median household income
- $75,088+20.1% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $107,246
- Median home value
- $293,600
- Jobs located here
- 96,346
- Daytime population
- 190,647Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Iowa City 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 Iowa City 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 Iowa City 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 Iowa City 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 Iowa City, IA metro area?
As of September 2026, map listings count 70 gyms in the Iowa City metro area. 22 of them (31%) are chain locations. The listings count gyms and fitness centers. Official counts show 22 businesses with payroll classed as fitness and recreational sports centers in 2023, up 5.0% 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 the Iowa City, IA metro area spend on memberships, classes and admissions?
About $69.5M a year, or $961 per household. That is 2% below the U.S. average (an index of 98, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 70 gyms on map listings, it comes to $992K 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 72,313 households in the Iowa City metro area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Iowa City, IA metro area compare with the U.S. for gyms?
The Iowa City metro area has 9.7 gyms per 10,000 households, 28% above the U.S. rate of 7.6. Spending per gym is $992K, 24% below the U.S. figure of $1.3M. At the U.S. ratio of gyms to household spending, the Iowa City metro area would have about 53, against 70 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 3,287 households, against one for every 3,109 across the U.S. The official count rose 5.0% from 2019 to 2023, against +5.8% for the U.S.
How fast is the Iowa City, IA metro area growing?
Population estimates put the Iowa City metro area at 182,711 people in 2025, up 4.1% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 72,313 households. Median household income in the Iowa City metro area is $75,088, 7% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 20.1%, 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. The Iowa City metro area scores 48 for gyms (lower middle), #218 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 Iowa City 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 Iowa City metro area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Iowa City 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 Iowa City 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.