Fitness and classes · County · Missouri
Gyms in St. Louis County, MO
The gyms in St. Louis County, MO, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 49 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #944 of 1,792 scored counties
#27 of 48 scored counties in Missouri
- Listings
- 343
- 118 chain locations (34%)
- Official establishments
- 177
- All fitness and recreational sports centers · +13.5% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $452M
- On memberships, classes and admissions · $1,092 a household
- Spending per listing
- $1.3M
- In line with the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 8.3
- 9% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 990,911
- −1.2% since 2020
See the gyms around any address in St. Louis 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 St. Louis 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
Map listings as of September 2026 show 343 gyms in St. Louis County. Chain locations make up 34% of them, against 28% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 8.3, 9% above the U.S. rate of 7.6.
Households in St. Louis County spend about $452M a year on memberships, classes and admissions, or $1,092 per household, 11% above the U.S. average. Spread across 343 gyms, that is $1.3M per gym, in line with the U.S. figure of $1.3M. That spending covers all memberships, classes and admissions, which gyms share with other businesses in the trade.
Official counts show 177 businesses with payroll classed as fitness and recreational sports centers in St. Louis County in 2023, up 13.5% from 2019. That is one for every 2,338 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, 22 SBA-backed loans worth $11M have gone to businesses classed as fitness and recreational sports centers in St. Louis County.
Population estimates put the population change in St. Louis County from 2020 to 2025 at −1.2%, against +3.1% for the U.S. St. Louis County scores 49 (lower middle) on the Groundwork market score for gyms, ranking #944 of 1,792 scored counties and #27 of 48 scored counties in Missouri.
How St. Louis County compares
The same measures for Missouri 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 | St. Louis County | Missouri | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 8.3 | 7.0 | 7.6 |
| Spending per listing | $1.3M | $1.2M | $1.3M |
| Households per official establishment (all fitness and recreational sports centers) | 2,338 | 3,599 | 3,109 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +13.5% | +11.3% | +5.8% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −1.2% | +1.9% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on memberships, classes and admissions | $1,092 | $869 | $983 |
| Median household income | $82,936 | $70,702 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 49 | 50 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 156 → 177All fitness and recreational sports centers · +13.5% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 4,635
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $72.1M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- Not publishedNot published for this business type
- Map listings, September 2026
- 343118 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 347The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 22
- Amount
- $11M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as fitness and recreational sports centers in St. Louis 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 St. Louis County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 990,911−1.2% since 2020
- Households
- 413,849
- Median age
- 41.2
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 69%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.7
- Land area
- 509 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 1,958
- Median household income
- $82,936+23.0% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $123,036
- Median home value
- $276,800
- Jobs located here
- 655,776
- Daytime population
- 1,175,839Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in St. Louis 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 St. Louis County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.
Free10 actions over 3 days, no cardGyms across Missouri
Every Missouri market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in Missouri for gyms, numbered among those based in Missouri, with St. Louis County marked.
Top counties in Missouri
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Warren County, MO | 90 | 5 | 3.6 | $2.6M | +9.2% | #10 of 1,792 |
| 2Lincoln County, MO | 90 | 12 | 5.3 | $1.8M | +11.4% | #15 of 1,792 |
| 3Cass County, MO | 87 | 25 | 5.8 | $1.7M | +7.1% | #27 of 1,792 |
| 4Jefferson County, MO | 80 | 51 | 5.8 | $1.6M | +2.7% | #70 of 1,792 |
| 5Callaway County, MO | 77 | 6 | 3.6 | $2.2M | +3.2% | #97 of 1,792 |
| 6Newton County, MO | 76 | 12 | 5.4 | $1.4M | +6.1% | #126 of 1,792 |
| 7Stone County, MO | 72 | 6 | 4.4 | $1.7M | +4.1% | #181 of 1,792 |
| 8Clay County, MO | 68 | 74 | 7.2 | $1.4M | +4.3% | #275 of 1,792 |
| 9Christian County, MO | 67 | 28 | 8.0 | $1.2M | +8.3% | #305 of 1,792 |
| 10St. Charles County, MO | 64 | 144 | 8.9 | $1.4M | +4.9% | #399 of 1,792 |
| 27St. Louis County, MO | 49 | 343 | 8.3 | $1.3M | −1.2% | #944 of 1,792 |
Other business types in St. Louis 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 St. Louis County, MO?
There are 343 gyms on map listings in St. Louis County as of September 2026. 118 of them (34%) are chain locations. The listings count gyms and fitness centers. Official counts show 177 businesses with payroll classed as fitness and recreational sports centers in 2023, up 13.5% 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 St. Louis County, MO spend on memberships, classes and admissions?
About $452M a year, or $1,092 per household. That is 11% above the U.S. average (an index of 111, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 343 gyms on map listings, it comes to $1.3M per gym. The spending figure covers all memberships, classes and admissions, not only gyms. It is estimated from the incomes of the 413,849 households in St. Louis County and national spending patterns by income.
How does St. Louis County, MO compare with the U.S. for gyms?
St. Louis County has 8.3 gyms per 10,000 households, 9% above the U.S. rate of 7.6. Spending per gym is $1.3M, in line with the U.S. figure of $1.3M. At the national ratio of gyms to household spending, St. Louis County would have about 347, against 343 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 2,338 households, against one for every 3,109 across the U.S. The official count rose 13.5% from 2019 to 2023, against +5.8% for the U.S.
How fast is St. Louis County, MO growing?
Population estimates put St. Louis County at 990,911 people in 2025, down 1.2% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 413,849 households. The median household income in St. Louis County is $82,936 a year, 3% above the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 23.0% 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. St. Louis County scores 49 for gyms (lower middle), #944 of 1,792 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in St. Louis 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 St. Louis County
Screening a site or an acquisition in St. Louis 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 St. Louis 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.