Fitness and classes · County · Minnesota
Gyms in Stearns County, MN
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for gyms in Stearns County, MN, set against other counties and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 45 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,115 of 1,792 scored counties
#33 of 57 scored counties in Minnesota
- Listings
- 69
- 30 chain locations (43%)
- Official establishments
- 18
- All fitness and recreational sports centers · −25.0% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $55.4M
- On memberships, classes and admissions · $902 a household
- Spending per listing
- $802K
- 38% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 11.2
- 47% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 164,110
- +3.6% since 2020
See the gyms around any address in Stearns 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 Stearns 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 69 gyms in Stearns County. Of those, 30 are chain locations, or 43%, against 28% across the U.S. That is 11.2 per 10,000 households, 47% above the U.S. rate of 7.6.
At $902 per household (8% below the U.S. average), households in Stearns County spend about $55.4M a year on memberships, classes and admissions. That works out to $802K per gym, 38% 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.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as fitness and recreational sports centers in Stearns County was 18 in 2023, down 25.0% from 2019. That is one for every 3,411 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 $448K has gone to businesses classed as fitness and recreational sports centers in Stearns County.
Population estimates show Stearns County grew 3.6% from 2020 to 2025, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). Stearns County scores 45 (lower middle) on the Groundwork market score for gyms, ranking #1,115 of 1,792 scored counties and #33 of 57 scored counties in Minnesota.
How Stearns 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.
| Measure | Stearns County | Minnesota | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 11.2 | 8.4 | 7.6 |
| Spending per listing | $802K | $1.3M | $1.3M |
| Households per official establishment (all fitness and recreational sports centers) | 3,411 | 3,086 | 3,109 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | −25.0% | −0.1% | +5.8% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +3.6% | +2.1% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on memberships, classes and admissions | $902 | $1,085 | $983 |
| Median household income | $77,066 | $89,062 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 45 | 54 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 24 → 18All fitness and recreational sports centers · −25.0% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 294
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $4.4M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- Not publishedNot published for this business type
- Map listings, September 2026
- 6930 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 43The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 1
- Amount
- $448K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as fitness and recreational sports centers in Stearns 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 Stearns County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 164,110+3.6% since 2020
- Households
- 61,403
- Median age
- 37.2
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 68%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.0
- Land area
- 1,343 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 120
- Median household income
- $77,066+22.7% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $98,367
- Median home value
- $273,400
- Jobs located here
- 83,579
- Daytime population
- 169,051Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Stearns 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 Stearns County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.
Free10 actions over 3 days, no cardGyms across Minnesota
Every Minnesota market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in Minnesota for gyms, numbered among those based in Minnesota, with Stearns County marked.
Top counties in Minnesota
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Scott County, MN | 84 | 34 | 6.2 | $2.3M | +5.1% | #39 of 1,792 |
| 2Isanti County, MN | 84 | 9 | 5.5 | $1.7M | +7.3% | #43 of 1,792 |
| 3Cass County, MN | 78 | 6 | 4.7 | $1.8M | +4.2% | #89 of 1,792 |
| 4Anoka County, MN | 77 | 99 | 7.2 | $1.6M | +4.7% | #104 of 1,792 |
| 5Chisago County, MN | 72 | 20 | 9.4 | $1.2M | +4.3% | #196 of 1,792 |
| 6Olmsted County, MN | 71 | 44 | 6.6 | $1.8M | +2.3% | #200 of 1,792 |
| 7Nicollet County, MN | 68 | 8 | 6.2 | $1.6M | −0.7% | #268 of 1,792 |
| 8Washington County, MN | 68 | 92 | 8.7 | $1.6M | +6.9% | #269 of 1,792 |
| 9Carver County, MN | 68 | 41 | 10.0 | $1.5M | +6.6% | #271 of 1,792 |
| 10Wabasha County, MN | 67 | 6 | 6.6 | $1.4M | +0.7% | #291 of 1,792 |
| 33Stearns County, MN | 45 | 69 | 11.2 | $802K | +3.6% | #1,115 of 1,792 |
Other business types in Stearns 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 Stearns County, MN?
Stearns County has 69 gyms on map listings as of September 2026. 30 of them (43%) are chain locations. The listings count gyms and fitness centers. Official counts show 18 businesses with payroll classed as fitness and recreational sports centers in 2023, down 25.0% from 2019. That count covers all fitness and recreational sports centers (yoga, Pilates and fitness studios included), not only gyms.
How much do households in Stearns County, MN spend on memberships, classes and admissions?
About $55.4M a year, or $902 per household. That is 8% below the U.S. average (an index of 92, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 69 gyms on map listings, it comes to $802K per gym. The spending figure covers all memberships, classes and admissions, not only gyms. It is estimated from the incomes of the 61,403 households in Stearns County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Stearns County, MN compare with the U.S. for gyms?
Stearns County has 11.2 gyms per 10,000 households, 47% above the U.S. rate of 7.6. Spending per gym is $802K, 38% below the U.S. figure of $1.3M. At the national ratio of gyms to household spending, Stearns County would have about 43, against 69 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 3,411 households, against one for every 3,109 across the U.S. The official count fell 25.0% from 2019 to 2023, against +5.8% for the U.S.
How fast is Stearns County, MN growing?
Population estimates put Stearns County at 164,110 people in 2025, up 3.6% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 61,403 households. The median household income in Stearns County is $77,066 a year, 5% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 22.7% 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. Stearns County scores 45 for gyms (lower middle), #1,115 of 1,792 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Stearns 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 Stearns County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Stearns 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 Stearns 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.