Groundwork

Fitness and classes · Small-town market · Michigan

Gyms in the Hillsdale, MI area

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

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 72 out of 100: Upper middle

Ranked #36 of 506 scored small-town markets
#3 of 17 scored small-town markets based in Michigan

Listings
8
1 chain location (13%)
Official establishments
3
All fitness and recreational sports centers
Household spending a year
$13.2M
On memberships, classes and admissions · $742 a household
Spending per listing
$1.7M
27% above the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
4.5
41% below the U.S.
Population, 2025
45,738
0.0% since 2020

See the gyms around any address in the Hillsdale 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 Hillsdale 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 Hillsdale area is 72 (upper middle), #36 of 506 scored small-town markets and #3 of 17 scored small-town markets based in Michigan. That puts it in the top 10% of small-town markets for gyms.

At $742 per household (25% below the U.S. average), households in the Hillsdale area spend about $13.2M a year on memberships, classes and admissions. That is about $1.7M of household spending for each gym on map listings, 27% above the U.S. figure of $1.3M. The spending figure covers all memberships, classes and admissions, not only gyms.

There are 8 gyms on map listings in the Hillsdale area as of September 2026. One of them (13%) is a chain location, against 28% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 4.5, 41% below the U.S. rate of 7.6.

The official count of businesses with payroll classed as fitness and recreational sports centers in the Hillsdale area was 3 in 2023. That is one for every 5,953 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 show the Hillsdale area held about level from 2020 to 2025, against +3.1% for the U.S.

How the Hillsdale area compares

The same measures for Michigan 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 Hillsdale, MI area compared with Michigan and the U.S.
MeasureHillsdale areaMichiganU.S.
Listings per 10k households4.56.57.6
Spending per listing$1.7M$1.4M$1.3M
Households per official establishment (all fitness and recreational sports centers)5,9534,3833,109
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023n/a+8.1%+5.8%
Population growth, 2020–20250.0%+0.6%+3.1%
Spending per household on memberships, classes and admissions$742$902$983
Median household income$64,242$72,875$80,734
Groundwork market score7260

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
3All fitness and recreational sports centers
Employees, 2023
15
Annual payroll, 2023
$333K
One-person businesses, 2023
Not publishedNot published for this business type
Map listings, September 2026
81 chain location
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
10The 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 Hillsdale 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 Hillsdale area

Population, 2025 estimate
45,7380.0% since 2020
Households
17,860
Median age
43.3
Homes lived in by their owners
82%
Vehicles per household
1.9
Land area
598 sq. mi.
People per square mile
76
Median household income
$64,242+29.5% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$81,816
Median home value
$176,100
Jobs located here
12,372
Daytime population
39,069Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in the Hillsdale 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 Hillsdale 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 Michigan for gyms, numbered among those based in Michigan (a market based in another state is listed without a number), with the Hillsdale area marked.

Top small-town markets in Michigan

Small-town markets in Michigan ranked for gyms by Groundwork market score
MarketScoreListingsPer 10k householdsSpending per listingPopulation growthU.S. rank
1Holland, MI86296.4$1.5M+2.1%#9 of 506
2Coldwater, MI7484.7$1.5M+2.5%#29 of 506
3Hillsdale, MI7284.5$1.7M0.0%#36 of 506
4Adrian, MI71225.7$1.4M−1.6%#45 of 506
Marinette, WI-MI64144.8$1.5M+0.3%#99 of 506
5Owosso, MI64196.8$1.1M−0.4%#106 of 506
6Ludington, MI6186.2$1.2M0.0%#136 of 506
7Houghton, MI59117.1$1.1M+1.8%#162 of 506
8Sturgis, MI53198.0$900K+0.1%#229 of 506
9Big Rapids, MI51148.4$801K+4.7%#248 of 506

Other business types in the Hillsdale area

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

Questions

How many gyms are in the Hillsdale, MI area?

As of September 2026, map listings count 8 gyms in the Hillsdale area. One of them (13%) is a chain location. 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 the Hillsdale, MI area spend on memberships, classes and admissions?

About $13.2M a year, or $742 per household. That is 25% below the U.S. average (an index of 75, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 8 gyms on map listings, it comes to $1.7M 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 17,860 households in the Hillsdale area and national spending patterns by income.

How does the Hillsdale, MI area compare with the U.S. for gyms?

The Hillsdale area has 4.5 gyms per 10,000 households, 41% below the U.S. rate of 7.6. Spending per gym is $1.7M, 27% above the U.S. figure of $1.3M. At the U.S. ratio of gyms to household spending, the Hillsdale area would have about 10, against 8 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 5,953 households, against one for every 3,109 across the U.S.

How fast is the Hillsdale, MI area growing?

Population estimates put the Hillsdale area at 45,738 people in 2025, unchanged since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 17,860 households. Median household income in the Hillsdale area is $64,242, 20% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 29.5%, 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 Hillsdale area scores 72 for gyms (upper middle), #36 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 Hillsdale 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 Hillsdale area

Screening a site or an acquisition in the Hillsdale 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 Hillsdale 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.