Fitness and classes · County · Maryland
Gyms in Howard County, MD
How Howard County, MD compares with other counties and the U.S. for gyms: competitors, household spending, official counts and growth.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 61 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #491 of 1,792 scored counties
#15 of 23 scored counties in Maryland
- Listings
- 121
- 36 chain locations (30%)
- Official establishments
- 50
- All fitness and recreational sports centers · −10.7% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $171.8M
- On memberships, classes and admissions · $1,419 a household
- Spending per listing
- $1.4M
- 9% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 10.0
- 32% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 339,183
- +1.9% since 2020
See the gyms around any address in Howard 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 Howard 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
As of September 2026, map listings count 121 gyms in Howard County. Chain locations make up 30% of them, against 28% across the U.S. That comes to 10.0 for every 10,000 households, 32% above the U.S. rate of 7.6.
At $1,419 per household (44% above the U.S. average), households in Howard County spend about $171.8M a year on memberships, classes and admissions. Spread across 121 gyms, that is $1.4M per gym, 9% above the U.S. figure of $1.3M. That spending covers all memberships, classes and admissions, which gyms share with other businesses in the trade.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as fitness and recreational sports centers in Howard County was 50 in 2023, down 10.7% from 2019. That is one for every 2,421 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, 6 SBA-backed loans worth $4.4M have gone to businesses classed as fitness and recreational sports centers in Howard County.
Population estimates put the population change in Howard County from 2020 to 2025 at +1.9%, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). For gyms, Howard County has a Groundwork market score of 61 (upper middle): #491 of 1,792 scored counties and #15 of 23 scored counties in Maryland.
How Howard County compares
The same measures for Maryland 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 | Howard County | Maryland | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 10.0 | 6.6 | 7.6 |
| Spending per listing | $1.4M | $1.6M | $1.3M |
| Households per official establishment (all fitness and recreational sports centers) | 2,421 | 3,356 | 3,109 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | −10.7% | −4.2% | +5.8% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +1.9% | +1.4% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on memberships, classes and admissions | $1,419 | $1,042 | $983 |
| Median household income | $149,763 | $103,678 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 61 | 65 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 56 → 50All fitness and recreational sports centers · −10.7% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 1,344
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $22.5M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- Not publishedNot published for this business type
- Map listings, September 2026
- 12136 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 132The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 6
- Amount
- $4.4M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as fitness and recreational sports centers in Howard 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 Howard County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 339,183+1.9% since 2020
- Households
- 121,065
- Median age
- 40.7
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 71%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 251 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 1,340
- Median household income
- $149,763+23.6% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $184,243
- Median home value
- $597,900
- Jobs located here
- 185,575
- Daytime population
- 363,145Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Howard 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 Howard County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.
Free10 actions over 3 days, no cardGyms across Maryland
Every Maryland market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in Maryland for gyms, numbered among those based in Maryland, with Howard County marked.
Top counties in Maryland
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Charles County, MD | 89 | 37 | 6.1 | $1.9M | +5.9% | #18 of 1,792 |
| 2Queen Anne’s County, MD | 81 | 16 | 8.0 | $1.4M | +8.8% | #62 of 1,792 |
| 3Calvert County, MD | 80 | 27 | 8.1 | $1.6M | +1.7% | #71 of 1,792 |
| 4Prince George’s County, MD | 79 | 175 | 5.0 | $2M | +0.5% | #77 of 1,792 |
| 5St. Mary’s County, MD | 78 | 21 | 4.9 | $2.3M | +2.4% | #84 of 1,792 |
| 6Cecil County, MD | 74 | 25 | 6.2 | $1.4M | +3.2% | #151 of 1,792 |
| 7Frederick County, MD | 72 | 84 | 8.0 | $1.5M | +11.0% | #190 of 1,792 |
| 8Harford County, MD | 67 | 70 | 6.9 | $1.5M | +2.0% | #287 of 1,792 |
| 9Dorchester County, MD | 66 | 5 | 3.7 | $1.7M | +3.4% | #309 of 1,792 |
| 10Montgomery County, MD | 65 | 265 | 6.8 | $1.9M | +1.3% | #344 of 1,792 |
| 15Howard County, MD | 61 | 121 | 10.0 | $1.4M | +1.9% | #491 of 1,792 |
Other business types in Howard 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 Howard County, MD?
Howard County has 121 gyms on map listings as of September 2026. 36 of them (30%) are chain locations. The listings count gyms and fitness centers. Official counts show 50 businesses with payroll classed as fitness and recreational sports centers in 2023, down 10.7% from 2019. That count covers all fitness and recreational sports centers (yoga, Pilates and fitness studios included), not only gyms.
How much do households in Howard County, MD spend on memberships, classes and admissions?
About $171.8M a year, or $1,419 per household. That is 44% above the U.S. average (an index of 144, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 121 gyms on map listings, it comes to $1.4M per gym. The spending figure covers all memberships, classes and admissions, not only gyms. It is estimated from the incomes of the 121,065 households in Howard County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Howard County, MD compare with the U.S. for gyms?
Howard County has 10.0 gyms per 10,000 households, 32% above the U.S. rate of 7.6. Spending per gym is $1.4M, 9% above the U.S. figure of $1.3M. At the national ratio of gyms to household spending, Howard County would have about 132, against 121 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 2,421 households, against one for every 3,109 across the U.S. The official count fell 10.7% from 2019 to 2023, against +5.8% for the U.S.
How fast is Howard County, MD growing?
Population estimates put Howard County at 339,183 people in 2025, up 1.9% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 121,065 households. The median household income in Howard County is $149,763 a year, 86% above the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 23.6% 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. 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. Howard County scores 61 for gyms (upper middle), #491 of 1,792 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Howard 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 Howard County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Howard 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 Howard 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.