Groundwork

Fitness and classes · County · Michigan

Gyms in Oakland County, MI

How Oakland County, MI compares with other counties and the U.S. for gyms: competitors, household spending, official counts and growth.

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 58 out of 100: Upper middle

Ranked #608 of 1,792 scored counties
#31 of 60 scored counties in Michigan

Listings
493
164 chain locations (33%)
Official establishments
199
All fitness and recreational sports centers · +4.2% since 2019
Household spending a year
$651.7M
On memberships, classes and admissions · $1,229 a household
Spending per listing
$1.3M
2% above the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
9.3
22% above the U.S.
Population, 2025
1,288,337
+1.2% since 2020

See the gyms around any address in Oakland 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 Oakland County. 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

At $1,229 per household (25% above the U.S. average), households in Oakland County spend about $651.7M a year on memberships, classes and admissions. That is about $1.3M of household spending for each gym on map listings, 2% above the U.S. figure of $1.3M. The spending figure covers all memberships, classes and admissions, not only gyms.

Oakland County has 493 gyms on map listings as of September 2026. 164 of them (33%) are chain locations, against 28% across the U.S. That comes to 9.3 for every 10,000 households, 22% above the U.S. rate of 7.6.

Official counts show 199 businesses with payroll classed as fitness and recreational sports centers in Oakland County in 2023, up 4.2% from 2019. That is one for every 2,666 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. Since fiscal 2022, 48 SBA-backed loans worth $25M have gone to businesses classed as fitness and recreational sports centers in Oakland County.

Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Oakland County grew 1.2%, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). Oakland County scores 58 (upper middle) on the Groundwork market score for gyms, ranking #608 of 1,792 scored counties and #31 of 60 scored counties in Michigan.

How Oakland 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.

Gyms in Oakland County, MI compared with Michigan and the U.S.
MeasureOakland CountyMichiganU.S.
Listings per 10k households9.36.57.6
Spending per listing$1.3M$1.4M$1.3M
Households per official establishment (all fitness and recreational sports centers)2,6664,3833,109
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023+4.2%+8.1%+5.8%
Population growth, 2020–2025+1.2%+0.6%+3.1%
Spending per household on memberships, classes and admissions$1,229$902$983
Median household income$97,760$72,875$80,734
Groundwork market score5860

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
191 → 199All fitness and recreational sports centers · +4.2% over the period
Employees, 2023
4,521
Annual payroll, 2023
$78.8M
One-person businesses, 2023
Not publishedNot published for this business type
Map listings, September 2026
493164 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
501The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here

SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022

Loans
48
Amount
$25M

SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as fitness and recreational sports centers in Oakland 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 Oakland County

Population, 2025 estimate
1,288,337+1.2% since 2020
Households
530,460
Median age
42.5
Homes lived in by their owners
73%
Vehicles per household
1.7
Land area
867 sq. mi.
People per square mile
1,475
Median household income
$97,760+22.7% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$134,121
Median home value
$343,600
Jobs located here
726,660
Daytime population
1,442,622Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

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

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The highest-scoring counties in Michigan for gyms, numbered among those based in Michigan, with Oakland County marked.

Top counties in Michigan

Counties in Michigan ranked for gyms by Groundwork market score
MarketScoreListingsPer 10k householdsSpending per listingPopulation growthU.S. rank
1Antrim County, MI8054.5$1.8M+5.3%#66 of 1,792
2Monroe County, MI79284.4$2M+0.7%#76 of 1,792
3Lapeer County, MI79174.9$1.8M+1.0%#78 of 1,792
4Allegan County, MI79296.4$1.5M+2.1%#83 of 1,792
5Montcalm County, MI7883.3$2.2M+4.1%#85 of 1,792
6Barry County, MI78104.1$2.2M+2.2%#86 of 1,792
7Clinton County, MI77237.3$1.4M+1.6%#110 of 1,792
8Livingston County, MI74526.8$1.8M+1.7%#143 of 1,792
9Cass County, MI74115.2$1.7M+0.2%#146 of 1,792
10Newaygo County, MI7363.1$2.4M+3.1%#156 of 1,792
31Oakland County, MI584939.3$1.3M+1.2%#608 of 1,792

Other business types in Oakland County

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

Questions

How many gyms are in Oakland County, MI?

Map listings as of September 2026 show 493 gyms in Oakland County. 164 of them (33%) are chain locations. The listings count gyms and fitness centers. Official counts show 199 businesses with payroll classed as fitness and recreational sports centers in 2023, up 4.2% from 2019. 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 Oakland County, MI spend on memberships, classes and admissions?

About $651.7M a year, or $1,229 per household. That is 25% above the U.S. average (an index of 125, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 493 gyms on map listings, it comes to $1.3M 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 530,460 households in Oakland County and national spending patterns by income.

How does Oakland County, MI compare with the U.S. for gyms?

Oakland County has 9.3 gyms per 10,000 households, 22% above the U.S. rate of 7.6. Spending per gym is $1.3M, 2% above the U.S. figure of $1.3M. At the U.S. ratio of gyms to household spending, Oakland County would have about 501, against 493 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 2,666 households, against one for every 3,109 across the U.S. The official count rose 4.2% from 2019 to 2023, against +5.8% for the U.S.

How fast is Oakland County, MI growing?

Population estimates put Oakland County at 1,288,337 people in 2025, up 1.2% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 530,460 households. Median household income in Oakland County is $97,760, 21% above the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 22.7%, 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. Oakland County scores 58 for gyms (upper middle), #608 of 1,792 scored counties.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Oakland 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 Oakland County

Screening a site or an acquisition in Oakland 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 Oakland 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.