Groundwork

Fitness and classes · Small-town market · Kansas

Gyms in the Liberal, KS area

Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for gyms in the Liberal, KS area, set against other small-town markets and the U.S.

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 24 out of 100: Low

Ranked #471 of 506 scored small-town markets
#12 of 13 scored small-town markets based in Kansas

Listings
7
0 chain locations (0%)
Official establishments
n/a
Fewer than 3, or not published
Household spending a year
$5.3M
On memberships, classes and admissions · $730 a household
Spending per listing
$757K
42% below the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
9.6
26% above the U.S.
Population, 2025
21,073
−3.6% since 2020

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

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Survey 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 the Liberal area is 24 (low), #471 of 506 scored small-town markets and #12 of 13 scored small-town markets based in Kansas. That puts it in the bottom quarter of small-town markets.

As of September 2026, map listings count 7 gyms in the Liberal area. None of them are chain locations, against 28% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 9.6, 26% above the U.S. rate of 7.6.

At $730 per household (26% below the U.S. average), households in the Liberal area spend about $5.3M a year on memberships, classes and admissions. That works out to $757K per gym, 42% 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.

There is no official count of businesses with payroll classed as fitness and recreational sports centers in the Liberal area: counts under 3 aren’t published. Population estimates put the population change in the Liberal area from 2020 to 2025 at −3.6%, against +3.1% for the U.S.

How the Liberal area compares

The same measures for Kansas 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 Liberal, KS area compared with Kansas and the U.S.
MeasureLiberal areaKansasU.S.
Listings per 10k households9.67.67.6
Spending per listing$757K$1.2M$1.3M
Households per official establishment (all fitness and recreational sports centers)n/a3,8883,109
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023n/a+2.0%+5.8%
Population growth, 2020–2025−3.6%+1.3%+3.1%
Spending per household on memberships, classes and admissions$730$911$983
Median household income$63,827$74,275$80,734
Groundwork market score2452

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
70 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 the Liberal 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 Liberal area

Population, 2025 estimate
21,073−3.6% since 2020
Households
7,257
Median age
32.8
Homes lived in by their owners
62%
Vehicles per household
1.9
Land area
640 sq. mi.
People per square mile
34
Median household income
$63,827+29.5% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$81,284
Median home value
$136,500
Jobs located here
10,899
Daytime population
22,008Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

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

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The highest-scoring small-town markets in Kansas for gyms, numbered among those based in Kansas, with the Liberal area marked.

Top small-town markets in Kansas

Small-town markets in Kansas ranked for gyms by Groundwork market score
MarketScoreListingsPer 10k householdsSpending per listingPopulation growthU.S. rank
1Hutchinson, KS70124.7$1.5M−0.6%#51 of 506
2Ottawa, KS6865.8$1.3M+1.1%#62 of 506
3Garden City, KS5596.8$1.2M−2.1%#196 of 506
4Dodge City, KS4986.8$1.2M−0.6%#261 of 506
5Salina, KS49176.8$1.1M−1.4%#265 of 506
6Emporia, KS48106.8$972K+0.4%#279 of 506
7Arkansas City-Winfield, KS4696.7$1M−0.4%#296 of 506
8Hays, KS43108.2$897K+0.4%#336 of 506
9Pittsburg, KS38106.3$1M+0.1%#379 of 506
10McPherson, KS351310.7$786K−0.4%#411 of 506
12Liberal, KS2479.6$757K−3.6%#471 of 506

Other business types in the Liberal area

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

Questions

How many gyms are in the Liberal, KS area?

The Liberal area has 7 gyms on map listings as of September 2026. None of them are chain locations. The listings count gyms and fitness centers. No official count is published for fitness and recreational sports centers in the Liberal area: counts under 3 are left out.

How much do households in the Liberal, KS area spend on memberships, classes and admissions?

About $5.3M a year, or $730 per household. That is 26% below the U.S. average (an index of 74, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 7 gyms on map listings, it comes to $757K per gym. The spending figure covers all memberships, classes and admissions, not only gyms. It is estimated from the incomes of the 7,257 households in the Liberal area and national spending patterns by income.

How does the Liberal, KS area compare with the U.S. for gyms?

The Liberal area has 9.6 gyms per 10,000 households, 26% above the U.S. rate of 7.6. Spending per gym is $757K, 42% below the U.S. figure of $1.3M. At the national ratio of gyms to household spending, the Liberal area would have about 4, against 7 on map listings.

How fast is the Liberal, KS area growing?

Population estimates put the Liberal area at 21,073 people in 2025, down 3.6% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 7,257 households. The median household income in the Liberal area is $63,827 a year, 21% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 29.5% from the 2015–2019 survey, 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. 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 Liberal area scores 24 for gyms (low), #471 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 Liberal 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 Liberal area

Screening a site or an acquisition in the Liberal 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 Liberal 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.