Fitness and classes · Small-town market · Louisiana
Gyms in the Ruston, LA area
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for gyms in the Ruston, LA area, set against other small-town markets and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 22 out of 100: Low
Ranked #477 of 506 scored small-town markets
#4 of 8 scored small-town markets based in Louisiana
- Listings
- 18
- 6 chain locations (33%)
- Official establishments
- 5
- All fitness and recreational sports centers
- Household spending a year
- $9.5M
- On memberships, classes and admissions · $512 a household
- Spending per listing
- $526K
- 60% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 9.7
- 28% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 48,360
- +0.1% since 2020
See the gyms around any address in the Ruston 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 Ruston 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
The Ruston area scores 22 (low) on the Groundwork market score for gyms, ranking #477 of 506 scored small-town markets and #4 of 8 scored small-town markets based in Louisiana. That puts it in the bottom quarter of small-town markets.
As of September 2026, map listings count 18 gyms in the Ruston area. 6 of them (33%) 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.
At $512 per household (48% below the U.S. average), households in the Ruston area spend about $9.5M a year on memberships, classes and admissions. That works out to $526K per gym, 60% 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.
Official counts show 5 businesses with payroll classed as fitness and recreational sports centers in the Ruston area in 2023. That is one for every 3,697 households, against one for every 3,109 across the U.S. The official count takes in all fitness and recreational sports centers, not only gyms: yoga, Pilates and fitness studios are counted too. Since fiscal 2022, 1 SBA-backed loan worth $524K has gone to businesses classed as fitness and recreational sports centers in the Ruston area. Population estimates put the population change in the Ruston area from 2020 to 2025 at +0.1%, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%).
How the Ruston area compares
The same measures for Louisiana 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 | Ruston area | Louisiana | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 9.7 | 8.2 | 7.6 |
| Spending per listing | $526K | $788K | $1.3M |
| Households per official establishment (all fitness and recreational sports centers) | 3,697 | 3,546 | 3,109 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +3.9% | +5.8% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +0.1% | −0.7% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on memberships, classes and admissions | $512 | $646 | $983 |
| Median household income | $39,172 | $60,756 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 22 | 20 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 5All fitness and recreational sports centers
- Employees, 2023
- 28
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $479K
- One-person businesses, 2023
- Not publishedNot published for this business type
- Map listings, September 2026
- 186 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 7The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 1
- Amount
- $524K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as fitness and recreational sports centers in the Ruston 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 Ruston area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 48,360+0.1% since 2020
- Households
- 18,487
- Median age
- 32.7
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 54%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.8
- Land area
- 472 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 102
- Median household income
- $39,172+10.5% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $66,113
- Median home value
- $210,100
- Jobs located here
- 18,570
- Daytime population
- 48,307Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Ruston 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 Ruston area. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.
Free10 actions over 3 days, no cardGyms across Louisiana
Every Louisiana market ranked →The highest-scoring small-town markets in Louisiana for gyms, numbered among those based in Louisiana (a market based in another state is listed without a number), with the Ruston area marked.
Top small-town markets in Louisiana
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1DeRidder, LA | 54 | 7 | 5.1 | $1.3M | +0.2% | #217 of 506 |
| 2New Iberia, LA | 37 | 14 | 5.2 | $1.1M | −4.6% | #392 of 506 |
| 3Opelousas, LA | 22 | 18 | 5.6 | $833K | −1.9% | #475 of 506 |
| 4Ruston, LA | 22 | 18 | 9.7 | $526K | +0.1% | #477 of 506 |
| 5Bogalusa, LA | 16 | 11 | 6.2 | $766K | −0.9% | #485 of 506 |
| Natchez, MS-LA | 16 | 13 | 6.3 | $763K | −0.9% | #486 of 506 |
| 6Morgan City, LA | 13 | 12 | 6.5 | $802K | −5.3% | #491 of 506 |
| 7Natchitoches, LA | 8 | 13 | 9.0 | $589K | −3.5% | #501 of 506 |
| 8Minden, LA | 5 | 10 | 7.0 | $645K | −5.2% | #504 of 506 |
Other business types in the Ruston 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 Ruston, LA area?
The Ruston area has 18 gyms on map listings as of September 2026. 6 of them (33%) are chain locations. The listings count gyms and fitness centers. Official counts show 5 businesses with payroll classed as fitness and recreational sports centers in 2023. That count covers all fitness and recreational sports centers (yoga, Pilates and fitness studios included), not only gyms.
How much do households in the Ruston, LA area spend on memberships, classes and admissions?
About $9.5M a year, or $512 per household. That is 48% below the U.S. average (an index of 52, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 18 gyms on map listings, it comes to $526K per gym. The spending figure covers all memberships, classes and admissions, not only gyms. It is estimated from the incomes of the 18,487 households in the Ruston area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Ruston, LA area compare with the U.S. for gyms?
The Ruston area has 9.7 gyms per 10,000 households, 28% above the U.S. rate of 7.6. Spending per gym is $526K, 60% below the U.S. figure of $1.3M. At the national ratio of gyms to household spending, the Ruston area would have about 7, against 18 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 3,697 households, against one for every 3,109 across the U.S.
How fast is the Ruston, LA area growing?
Population estimates put the Ruston area at 48,360 people in 2025, up 0.1% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 18,487 households. The median household income in the Ruston area is $39,172 a year, 51% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 10.5% 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 Ruston area scores 22 for gyms (low), #477 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 Ruston 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 Ruston area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Ruston 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 Ruston 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.