Fitness and classes · County · Iowa
Gyms in Mills County, IA
The gyms in Mills County, IA, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 36 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,360 of 1,792 scored counties
#30 of 48 scored counties in Iowa
- Listings
- 7
- 2 chain locations (29%)
- Official establishments
- 3
- All fitness and recreational sports centers
- Household spending a year
- $5.5M
- On memberships, classes and admissions · $1,026 a household
- Spending per listing
- $791K
- 39% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 13.0
- 71% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 14,793
- +2.6% since 2020
See the gyms around any address in Mills 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 Mills County. 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
Mills County scores 36 (lower middle) on the Groundwork market score for gyms, ranking #1,360 of 1,792 scored counties and #30 of 48 scored counties in Iowa. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.
At $1,026 per household (4% above the U.S. average), households in Mills County spend about $5.5M a year on memberships, classes and admissions. That is about $791K of household spending for each gym on map listings, 39% below the U.S. figure of $1.3M. The spending figure covers all memberships, classes and admissions, not only gyms.
There are 7 gyms on map listings in Mills County as of September 2026. Chain locations make up 29% of them, against 28% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 13.0, 71% above the U.S. rate of 7.6.
Official counts show 3 businesses with payroll classed as fitness and recreational sports centers in Mills County in 2023. That is one for every 1,798 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. Population estimates put the population change in Mills County from 2020 to 2025 at +2.6%, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%).
How Mills 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.
| Measure | Mills County | Iowa | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 13.0 | 8.5 | 7.6 |
| Spending per listing | $791K | $1M | $1.3M |
| Households per official establishment (all fitness and recreational sports centers) | 1,798 | 3,306 | 3,109 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +3.7% | +5.8% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +2.6% | +1.5% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on memberships, classes and admissions | $1,026 | $890 | $983 |
| Median household income | $90,753 | $75,059 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 36 | 39 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 3 → 3All fitness and recreational sports centers
- Employees, 2023
- 50
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $617K
- One-person businesses, 2023
- Not publishedNot published for this business type
- Map listings, September 2026
- 72 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 4The 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 Mills 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 Mills County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 14,793+2.6% since 2020
- Households
- 5,394
- Median age
- 42.4
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 84%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.2
- Land area
- 437 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 33
- Median household income
- $90,753+25.9% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $109,810
- Median home value
- $237,800
- Jobs located here
- 3,516
- Daytime population
- 10,867Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Mills 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 Mills County. 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 counties in Iowa for gyms, numbered among those based in Iowa, with Mills County marked.
Top counties in Iowa
| 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 |
| 30Mills County, IA | 36 | 7 | 13.0 | $791K | +2.6% | #1,360 of 1,792 |
Other business types in Mills County
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 Mills County, IA?
As of September 2026, map listings count 7 gyms in Mills County. 2 of them (29%) are chain locations. The listings count gyms and fitness centers. Official counts show 3 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 Mills County, IA spend on memberships, classes and admissions?
About $5.5M a year, or $1,026 per household. That is 4% above the U.S. average (an index of 104, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 7 gyms on map listings, it comes to $791K 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 5,394 households in Mills County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Mills County, IA compare with the U.S. for gyms?
Mills County has 13.0 gyms per 10,000 households, 71% above the U.S. rate of 7.6. Spending per gym is $791K, 39% below the U.S. figure of $1.3M. At the U.S. ratio of gyms to household spending, Mills County would have about 4, against 7 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,798 households, against one for every 3,109 across the U.S.
How fast is Mills County, IA growing?
Population estimates put Mills County at 14,793 people in 2025, up 2.6% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 5,394 households. Median household income in Mills County is $90,753, 12% above the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 25.9%, 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. Mills County scores 36 for gyms (lower middle), #1,360 of 1,792 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Mills 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 Mills County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Mills 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 Mills 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.