Fitness and classes · County · Michigan
Gyms in Houghton County, MI
The gyms in Houghton County, MI, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 50 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #934 of 1,792 scored counties
#42 of 60 scored counties in Michigan
- Listings
- 11
- 3 chain locations (27%)
- Official establishments
- 3
- All fitness and recreational sports centers
- Household spending a year
- $10.8M
- On memberships, classes and admissions · $754 a household
- Spending per listing
- $980K
- 25% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 7.7
- In line with the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 37,842
- +1.6% since 2020
See the gyms around any address in Houghton 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 Houghton 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 11 gyms in Houghton County. 3 of them (27%) are chain locations, against 28% across the U.S. That comes to 7.7 for every 10,000 households, in line with the U.S. rate of 7.6.
Household spending on memberships, classes and admissions in Houghton County comes to about $10.8M a year: $754 per household, 23% below the U.S. average. That works out to $980K per gym, 25% 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.
In 2023, official counts showed 3 businesses with payroll in Houghton County classed as fitness and recreational sports centers. That is one for every 4,768 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.
Population estimates show Houghton County grew 1.6% from 2020 to 2025, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). Houghton County scores 50 (upper middle) on the Groundwork market score for gyms, ranking #934 of 1,792 scored counties and #42 of 60 scored counties in Michigan.
How Houghton County 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.
| Measure | Houghton County | Michigan | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 7.7 | 6.5 | 7.6 |
| Spending per listing | $980K | $1.4M | $1.3M |
| Households per official establishment (all fitness and recreational sports centers) | 4,768 | 4,383 | 3,109 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +8.1% | +5.8% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +1.6% | +0.6% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on memberships, classes and admissions | $754 | $902 | $983 |
| Median household income | $58,899 | $72,875 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 50 | 60 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 3 → 3All fitness and recreational sports centers
- Employees, 2023
- 29
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $150K
- One-person businesses, 2023
- Not publishedNot published for this business type
- Map listings, September 2026
- 113 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 8The 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 Houghton 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 Houghton County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 37,842+1.6% since 2020
- Households
- 14,305
- Median age
- 36.5
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 72%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.8
- Land area
- 1,009 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 37
- Median household income
- $58,899+36.4% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $80,899
- Median home value
- $159,900
- Jobs located here
- 11,811
- Daytime population
- 36,847Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Houghton 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 Houghton County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.
Free10 actions over 3 days, no cardGyms across Michigan
Every Michigan market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in Michigan for gyms, numbered among those based in Michigan, with Houghton County marked.
Top counties in Michigan
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Antrim County, MI | 80 | 5 | 4.5 | $1.8M | +5.3% | #66 of 1,792 |
| 2Monroe County, MI | 79 | 28 | 4.4 | $2M | +0.7% | #76 of 1,792 |
| 3Lapeer County, MI | 79 | 17 | 4.9 | $1.8M | +1.0% | #78 of 1,792 |
| 4Allegan County, MI | 79 | 29 | 6.4 | $1.5M | +2.1% | #83 of 1,792 |
| 5Montcalm County, MI | 78 | 8 | 3.3 | $2.2M | +4.1% | #85 of 1,792 |
| 6Barry County, MI | 78 | 10 | 4.1 | $2.2M | +2.2% | #86 of 1,792 |
| 7Clinton County, MI | 77 | 23 | 7.3 | $1.4M | +1.6% | #110 of 1,792 |
| 8Livingston County, MI | 74 | 52 | 6.8 | $1.8M | +1.7% | #143 of 1,792 |
| 9Cass County, MI | 74 | 11 | 5.2 | $1.7M | +0.2% | #146 of 1,792 |
| 10Newaygo County, MI | 73 | 6 | 3.1 | $2.4M | +3.1% | #156 of 1,792 |
| 42Houghton County, MI | 50 | 11 | 7.7 | $980K | +1.6% | #934 of 1,792 |
Other business types in Houghton 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 Houghton County, MI?
Houghton County has 11 gyms on map listings as of September 2026. 3 of them (27%) are chain locations. The listings count gyms and fitness centers. Official counts show 3 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 Houghton County, MI spend on memberships, classes and admissions?
About $10.8M a year, or $754 per household. That is 23% below the U.S. average (an index of 77, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 11 gyms on map listings, it comes to $980K per gym. The spending figure covers all memberships, classes and admissions, not only gyms. It is estimated from the incomes of the 14,305 households in Houghton County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Houghton County, MI compare with the U.S. for gyms?
Houghton County has 7.7 gyms per 10,000 households, in line with the U.S. rate of 7.6. Spending per gym is $980K, 25% below the U.S. figure of $1.3M. At the national ratio of gyms to household spending, Houghton County would have about 8, against 11 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 4,768 households, against one for every 3,109 across the U.S.
How fast is Houghton County, MI growing?
Population estimates put Houghton County at 37,842 people in 2025, up 1.6% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 14,305 households. The median household income in Houghton County is $58,899 a year, 27% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 36.4% 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. Houghton County scores 50 for gyms (upper middle), #934 of 1,792 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Houghton 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 Houghton County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Houghton 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 Houghton 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.