Groundwork

Fitness and classes · County · Minnesota

Gyms in Washington County, MN

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

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 68 out of 100: Upper middle

Ranked #269 of 1,792 scored counties
#8 of 57 scored counties in Minnesota

Listings
92
40 chain locations (43%)
Official establishments
53
All fitness and recreational sports centers · +26.2% since 2019
Household spending a year
$146M
On memberships, classes and admissions · $1,383 a household
Spending per listing
$1.6M
22% above the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
8.7
14% above the U.S.
Population, 2025
286,895
+6.9% since 2020

See the gyms around any address in Washington 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 Washington 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

As of September 2026, map listings count 92 gyms in Washington County. Chain locations make up 43% of them, against 28% across the U.S. That comes to 8.7 for every 10,000 households, 14% above the U.S. rate of 7.6.

Households in Washington County spend about $146M a year on memberships, classes and admissions, or $1,383 per household, 41% above the U.S. average. That works out to $1.6M per gym, 22% 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 53 businesses with payroll in Washington County classed as fitness and recreational sports centers, up 26.2% from 2019. That is one for every 1,992 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, 19 SBA-backed loans worth $8.7M have gone to businesses classed as fitness and recreational sports centers in Washington County.

Population estimates put the population change in Washington County from 2020 to 2025 at +6.9%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). The Groundwork market score for gyms in Washington County is 68 (upper middle), #269 of 1,792 scored counties and #8 of 57 scored counties in Minnesota. That puts it in the top quarter of counties.

How Washington 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 Washington County, MN compared with Minnesota and the U.S.
MeasureWashington CountyMinnesotaU.S.
Listings per 10k households8.78.47.6
Spending per listing$1.6M$1.3M$1.3M
Households per official establishment (all fitness and recreational sports centers)1,9923,0863,109
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023+26.2%−0.1%+5.8%
Population growth, 2020–2025+6.9%+2.1%+3.1%
Spending per household on memberships, classes and admissions$1,383$1,085$983
Median household income$115,345$89,062$80,734
Groundwork market score6854

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
42 → 53All fitness and recreational sports centers · +26.2% over the period
Employees, 2023
799
Annual payroll, 2023
$13.5M
One-person businesses, 2023
Not publishedNot published for this business type
Map listings, September 2026
9240 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
112The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here

SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022

Loans
19
Amount
$8.7M

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

Population, 2025 estimate
286,895+6.9% since 2020
Households
105,577
Median age
41.1
Homes lived in by their owners
81%
Vehicles per household
1.9
Land area
385 sq. mi.
People per square mile
718
Median household income
$115,345+19.3% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$148,415
Median home value
$422,000
Jobs located here
92,191
Daytime population
224,861Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in Washington 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 Washington 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 Washington 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

Other business types in Washington County

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

Questions

How many gyms are in Washington County, MN?

Washington County has 92 gyms on map listings as of September 2026. 40 of them (43%) are chain locations. The listings count gyms and fitness centers. Official counts show 53 businesses with payroll classed as fitness and recreational sports centers in 2023, up 26.2% 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 Washington County, MN spend on memberships, classes and admissions?

About $146M a year, or $1,383 per household. That is 41% above the U.S. average (an index of 141, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 92 gyms on map listings, it comes to $1.6M per gym. The spending figure covers all memberships, classes and admissions, not only gyms. It is estimated from the incomes of the 105,577 households in Washington County and national spending patterns by income.

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

Washington County has 8.7 gyms per 10,000 households, 14% above the U.S. rate of 7.6. Spending per gym is $1.6M, 22% above the U.S. figure of $1.3M. At the national ratio of gyms to household spending, Washington County would have about 112, against 92 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,992 households, against one for every 3,109 across the U.S. The official count rose 26.2% from 2019 to 2023, against +5.8% for the U.S.

How fast is Washington County, MN growing?

Population estimates put Washington County at 286,895 people in 2025, up 6.9% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 105,577 households. The median household income in Washington County is $115,345 a year, 43% above the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 19.3% 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. Washington County scores 68 for gyms (upper middle), #269 of 1,792 scored counties.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

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

Screening a site or an acquisition in Washington 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 Washington 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.