Groundwork

Fitness and classes · County · Iowa

Gyms in Mahaska County, IA

Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for gyms in Mahaska County, IA, set against other counties and the U.S.

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 41 out of 100: Lower middle

Ranked #1,216 of 1,792 scored counties
#22 of 48 scored counties in Iowa

Listings
6
3 chain locations (50%)
Official establishments
n/a
Fewer than 3, or not published
Household spending a year
$6.7M
On memberships, classes and admissions · $768 a household
Spending per listing
$1.1M
14% below the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
6.9
9% below the U.S.
Population, 2025
21,880
−1.2% since 2020

See the gyms around any address in Mahaska 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 Mahaska County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

Free10 actions over 3 days, no card

Survey estimates 2020–2024 · population estimates 2025 · official business counts 2023 · map listings September 2026 · Data credits · How we measure

What this means

Household spending on memberships, classes and admissions in Mahaska County comes to about $6.7M a year: $768 per household, 22% below the U.S. average. That works out to $1.1M per gym, 14% below the U.S. figure of $1.3M. The spending figure covers all memberships, classes and admissions, not only gyms.

Mahaska County has 6 gyms on map listings as of September 2026. Of those, 3 are chain locations, or 50%, against 28% across the U.S. That comes to 6.9 for every 10,000 households, 9% below the U.S. rate of 7.6.

Official counts don’t publish a figure for fitness and recreational sports centers in Mahaska County, since they leave out counts under 3.

Population estimates put the population change in Mahaska County from 2020 to 2025 at −1.2%, against +3.1% for the U.S. For gyms, Mahaska County has a Groundwork market score of 41 (lower middle): #1,216 of 1,792 scored counties and #22 of 48 scored counties in Iowa.

How Mahaska County 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.

Gyms in Mahaska County, IA compared with Iowa and the U.S.
MeasureMahaska CountyIowaU.S.
Listings per 10k households6.98.57.6
Spending per listing$1.1M$1M$1.3M
Households per official establishment (all fitness and recreational sports centers)n/a3,3063,109
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023n/a+3.7%+5.8%
Population growth, 2020–2025−1.2%+1.5%+3.1%
Spending per household on memberships, classes and admissions$768$890$983
Median household income$70,940$75,059$80,734
Groundwork market score4139

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
63 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
5The 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 Mahaska 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 Mahaska County

Population, 2025 estimate
21,880−1.2% since 2020
Households
8,743
Median age
39.4
Homes lived in by their owners
68%
Vehicles per household
2.1
Land area
571 sq. mi.
People per square mile
39
Median household income
$70,940+29.4% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$86,932
Median home value
$157,800
Jobs located here
8,845
Daytime population
19,874Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in Mahaska 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 Mahaska County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

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The highest-scoring counties in Iowa for gyms, numbered among those based in Iowa, with Mahaska County marked.

Top counties in Iowa

Counties in Iowa ranked for gyms by Groundwork market score
MarketScoreListingsPer 10k householdsSpending per listingPopulation growthU.S. rank
1Warren County, IA78157.3$1.4M+9.0%#93 of 1,792
2Dallas County, IA70348.0$1.6M+17.8%#230 of 1,792
3Pottawattamie County, IA69154.0$2.1M−0.7%#238 of 1,792
4Marshall County, IA6553.2$2.4M−0.5%#341 of 1,792
5Madison County, IA6369.0$1.1M+3.8%#439 of 1,792
6Jasper County, IA61106.7$1.2M+0.9%#500 of 1,792
7Plymouth County, IA5776.8$1.3M0.0%#646 of 1,792
8Washington County, IA5766.7$1.3M+0.6%#652 of 1,792
9Cedar County, IA5656.6$1.3M−0.7%#685 of 1,792
10Jackson County, IA5556.1$1.3M−0.8%#719 of 1,792
22Mahaska County, IA4166.9$1.1M−1.2%#1,216 of 1,792

Other business types in Mahaska County

Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.

Questions

How many gyms are in Mahaska County, IA?

Map listings as of September 2026 show 6 gyms in Mahaska County. 3 of them (50%) are chain locations. The listings count gyms and fitness centers. No official count is published for fitness and recreational sports centers in Mahaska County: counts under 3 are left out.

How much do households in Mahaska County, IA spend on memberships, classes and admissions?

About $6.7M a year, or $768 per household. That is 22% below the U.S. average (an index of 78, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 6 gyms on map listings, it comes to $1.1M 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 8,743 households in Mahaska County and national spending patterns by income.

How does Mahaska County, IA compare with the U.S. for gyms?

Mahaska County has 6.9 gyms per 10,000 households, 9% below the U.S. rate of 7.6. Spending per gym is $1.1M, 14% below the U.S. figure of $1.3M. At the U.S. ratio of gyms to household spending, Mahaska County would have about 5, against 6 on map listings.

How fast is Mahaska County, IA growing?

Population estimates put Mahaska County at 21,880 people in 2025, down 1.2% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 8,743 households. Median household income in Mahaska County is $70,940, 12% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 29.4%, 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. Mahaska County scores 41 for gyms (lower middle), #1,216 of 1,792 scored counties.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Mahaska 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 Mahaska County

Screening a site or an acquisition in Mahaska 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 Mahaska 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.