Fitness and classes · County · Iowa
Gyms in Story County, IA
The gyms in Story 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 #1,363 of 1,792 scored counties
#31 of 48 scored counties in Iowa
- Listings
- 46
- 6 chain locations (13%)
- Official establishments
- 15
- All fitness and recreational sports centers
- Household spending a year
- $34.5M
- On memberships, classes and admissions · $888 a household
- Spending per listing
- $751K
- 42% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 11.8
- 55% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 101,291
- +2.7% since 2020
See the gyms around any address in Story 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 Story 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
The Groundwork market score for gyms in Story County is 36 (lower middle), #1,363 of 1,792 scored counties and #31 of 48 scored counties in Iowa. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.
Household spending on memberships, classes and admissions in Story County comes to about $34.5M a year: $888 per household, 10% below the U.S. average. Spread across 46 gyms, that is $751K per gym, 42% below the U.S. figure of $1.3M. The spending figure covers all memberships, classes and admissions, not only gyms.
There are 46 gyms on map listings in Story County as of September 2026. 6 of them (13%) are chain locations, against 28% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 11.8, 55% above the U.S. rate of 7.6.
In 2023, official counts showed 15 businesses with payroll in Story County classed as fitness and recreational sports centers. That is one for every 2,594 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 Story County. Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Story County grew 2.7%, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%).
How Story 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 | Story County | Iowa | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 11.8 | 8.5 | 7.6 |
| Spending per listing | $751K | $1M | $1.3M |
| Households per official establishment (all fitness and recreational sports centers) | 2,594 | 3,306 | 3,109 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +3.7% | +5.8% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +2.7% | +1.5% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on memberships, classes and admissions | $888 | $890 | $983 |
| Median household income | $69,685 | $75,059 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 36 | 39 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 16 → 15All fitness and recreational sports centers
- Employees, 2023
- 227
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $3.6M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- Not publishedNot published for this business type
- Map listings, September 2026
- 466 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 27The 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 Story 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 Story County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 101,291+2.7% since 2020
- Households
- 38,904
- Median age
- 33.1
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 56%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 573 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 175
- Median household income
- $69,685+22.8% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $96,918
- Median home value
- $258,700
- Jobs located here
- 47,997
- Daytime population
- 107,341Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Story 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 Story 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 Story 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 |
| 31Story County, IA | 36 | 46 | 11.8 | $751K | +2.7% | #1,363 of 1,792 |
Other business types in Story 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 Story County, IA?
As of September 2026, map listings count 46 gyms in Story County. 6 of them (13%) are chain locations. The listings count gyms and fitness centers. Official counts show 15 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 Story County, IA spend on memberships, classes and admissions?
About $34.5M a year, or $888 per household. That is 10% below the U.S. average (an index of 90, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 46 gyms on map listings, it comes to $751K 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 38,904 households in Story County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Story County, IA compare with the U.S. for gyms?
Story County has 11.8 gyms per 10,000 households, 55% above the U.S. rate of 7.6. Spending per gym is $751K, 42% below the U.S. figure of $1.3M. At the U.S. ratio of gyms to household spending, Story County would have about 27, against 46 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 2,594 households, against one for every 3,109 across the U.S.
How fast is Story County, IA growing?
Population estimates put Story County at 101,291 people in 2025, up 2.7% since 2020, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 38,904 households. Median household income in Story County is $69,685, 14% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 22.8%, 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. Story County scores 36 for gyms (lower middle), #1,363 of 1,792 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Story 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 Story County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Story 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 Story 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.