Groundwork

Fitness and classes · County · Minnesota

Gyms in Clay County, MN

The gyms in Clay County, MN, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 64 out of 100: Upper middle

Ranked #400 of 1,792 scored counties
#14 of 57 scored counties in Minnesota

Listings
18
9 chain locations (50%)
Official establishments
8
All fitness and recreational sports centers
Household spending a year
$24.4M
On memberships, classes and admissions · $921 a household
Spending per listing
$1.4M
4% above the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
6.8
11% below the U.S.
Population, 2025
67,734
+3.6% since 2020

See the gyms around any address in Clay 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 Clay 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

Households in Clay County spend about $24.4M a year on memberships, classes and admissions, or $921 per household, 6% below the U.S. average. That works out to $1.4M per gym, 4% above the U.S. figure of $1.3M. The spending figure covers all memberships, classes and admissions, not only gyms.

Clay County has 18 gyms on map listings as of September 2026. Of those, 9 are chain locations, or 50%, against 28% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 6.8, 11% below the U.S. rate of 7.6.

In 2023, official counts showed 8 businesses with payroll in Clay County classed as fitness and recreational sports centers. That is one for every 3,305 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 put the population change in Clay County from 2020 to 2025 at +3.6%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). Clay County scores 64 (upper middle) on the Groundwork market score for gyms, ranking #400 of 1,792 scored counties and #14 of 57 scored counties in Minnesota. That puts it in the top quarter of counties.

How Clay County compares

The same measures for Minnesota 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 Clay County, MN compared with Minnesota and the U.S.
MeasureClay CountyMinnesotaU.S.
Listings per 10k households6.88.47.6
Spending per listing$1.4M$1.3M$1.3M
Households per official establishment (all fitness and recreational sports centers)3,3053,0863,109
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023n/a−0.1%+5.8%
Population growth, 2020–2025+3.6%+2.1%+3.1%
Spending per household on memberships, classes and admissions$921$1,085$983
Median household income$81,172$89,062$80,734
Groundwork market score6454

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
5 → 8All fitness and recreational sports centers
Employees, 2023
50
Annual payroll, 2023
$1.4M
One-person businesses, 2023
Not publishedNot published for this business type
Map listings, September 2026
189 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
0
Amount
$0

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

Population, 2025 estimate
67,734+3.6% since 2020
Households
26,442
Median age
34.9
Homes lived in by their owners
66%
Vehicles per household
1.9
Land area
1,045 sq. mi.
People per square mile
63
Median household income
$81,172+24.4% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$99,798
Median home value
$265,500
Jobs located here
20,888
Daytime population
54,566Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in Clay 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 Clay 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 Minnesota for gyms, numbered among those based in Minnesota, with Clay County marked.

Top counties in Minnesota

Counties in Minnesota ranked for gyms by Groundwork market score
MarketScoreListingsPer 10k householdsSpending per listingPopulation growthU.S. rank
1Scott County, MN84346.2$2.3M+5.1%#39 of 1,792
2Isanti County, MN8495.5$1.7M+7.3%#43 of 1,792
3Cass County, MN7864.7$1.8M+4.2%#89 of 1,792
4Anoka County, MN77997.2$1.6M+4.7%#104 of 1,792
5Chisago County, MN72209.4$1.2M+4.3%#196 of 1,792
6Olmsted County, MN71446.6$1.8M+2.3%#200 of 1,792
7Nicollet County, MN6886.2$1.6M−0.7%#268 of 1,792
8Washington County, MN68928.7$1.6M+6.9%#269 of 1,792
9Carver County, MN684110.0$1.5M+6.6%#271 of 1,792
10Wabasha County, MN6766.6$1.4M+0.7%#291 of 1,792
14Clay County, MN64186.8$1.4M+3.6%#400 of 1,792

Other business types in Clay County

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

Questions

How many gyms are in Clay County, MN?

Map listings as of September 2026 show 18 gyms in Clay County. 9 of them (50%) are chain locations. The listings count gyms and fitness centers. Official counts show 8 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 Clay County, MN spend on memberships, classes and admissions?

About $24.4M a year, or $921 per household. That is 6% below the U.S. average (an index of 94, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 18 gyms on map listings, it comes to $1.4M 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 26,442 households in Clay County and national spending patterns by income.

How does Clay County, MN compare with the U.S. for gyms?

Clay County has 6.8 gyms per 10,000 households, 11% below the U.S. rate of 7.6. Spending per gym is $1.4M, 4% above the U.S. figure of $1.3M. At the U.S. ratio of gyms to household spending, Clay County would have about 19, against 18 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 3,305 households, against one for every 3,109 across the U.S.

How fast is Clay County, MN growing?

Population estimates put Clay County at 67,734 people in 2025, up 3.6% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 26,442 households. Median household income in Clay County is $81,172, in line with the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 24.4%, 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. Clay County scores 64 for gyms (upper middle), #400 of 1,792 scored counties.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

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

Screening a site or an acquisition in Clay 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 Clay 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.