Fitness and classes · County · Michigan
Gyms in Van Buren County, MI
The gyms in Van Buren County, MI, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 72 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #188 of 1,792 scored counties
#12 of 60 scored counties in Michigan
- Listings
- 16
- 7 chain locations (44%)
- Official establishments
- 3
- All fitness and recreational sports centers
- Household spending a year
- $24.3M
- On memberships, classes and admissions · $794 a household
- Spending per listing
- $1.5M
- 17% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 5.2
- 32% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 76,071
- +0.7% since 2020
See the gyms around any address in Van Buren 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 Van Buren 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 16 gyms in Van Buren County. Of those, 7 are chain locations, or 44%, against 28% across the U.S. That is 5.2 per 10,000 households, 32% below the U.S. rate of 7.6.
At $794 per household (19% below the U.S. average), households in Van Buren County spend about $24.3M a year on memberships, classes and admissions. Spread across 16 gyms, that is $1.5M per gym, 17% 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.
In 2023, official counts showed 3 businesses with payroll in Van Buren County classed as fitness and recreational sports centers. That is one for every 10,207 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 $400K has gone to businesses classed as fitness and recreational sports centers in Van Buren County.
Population estimates show Van Buren County grew 0.7% from 2020 to 2025, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). The Groundwork market score for gyms in Van Buren County is 72 (upper middle), #188 of 1,792 scored counties and #12 of 60 scored counties in Michigan. That puts it in the top quarter of counties.
How Van Buren 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 | Van Buren County | Michigan | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 5.2 | 6.5 | 7.6 |
| Spending per listing | $1.5M | $1.4M | $1.3M |
| Households per official establishment (all fitness and recreational sports centers) | 10,207 | 4,383 | 3,109 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +8.1% | +5.8% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +0.7% | +0.6% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on memberships, classes and admissions | $794 | $902 | $983 |
| Median household income | $68,114 | $72,875 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 72 | 60 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 4 → 3All fitness and recreational sports centers
- Employees, 2023
- 8
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $288K
- One-person businesses, 2023
- Not publishedNot published for this business type
- Map listings, September 2026
- 167 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 19The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 1
- Amount
- $400K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as fitness and recreational sports centers in Van Buren 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 Van Buren County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 76,071+0.7% since 2020
- Households
- 30,622
- Median age
- 42.4
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 81%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 608 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 125
- Median household income
- $68,114+25.0% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $85,909
- Median home value
- $206,500
- Jobs located here
- 19,397
- Daytime population
- 64,659Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Van Buren 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 Van Buren 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 Van Buren 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 |
| 12Van Buren County, MI | 72 | 16 | 5.2 | $1.5M | +0.7% | #188 of 1,792 |
Other business types in Van Buren 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 Van Buren County, MI?
Van Buren County has 16 gyms on map listings as of September 2026. 7 of them (44%) 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 Van Buren County, MI spend on memberships, classes and admissions?
About $24.3M a year, or $794 per household. That is 19% below the U.S. average (an index of 81, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 16 gyms on map listings, it comes to $1.5M per gym. The spending figure covers all memberships, classes and admissions, not only gyms. It is estimated from the incomes of the 30,622 households in Van Buren County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Van Buren County, MI compare with the U.S. for gyms?
Van Buren County has 5.2 gyms per 10,000 households, 32% below the U.S. rate of 7.6. Spending per gym is $1.5M, 17% above the U.S. figure of $1.3M. At the national ratio of gyms to household spending, Van Buren County would have about 19, against 16 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 10,207 households, against one for every 3,109 across the U.S.
How fast is Van Buren County, MI growing?
Population estimates put Van Buren County at 76,071 people in 2025, up 0.7% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 30,622 households. The median household income in Van Buren County is $68,114 a year, 16% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 25.0% 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. Van Buren County scores 72 for gyms (upper middle), #188 of 1,792 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Van Buren 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 Van Buren County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Van Buren 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 Van Buren 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.