Fitness and classes · Small-town market · Nebraska
Gyms in the Columbus, NE area
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for gyms in the Columbus, NE area, set against other small-town markets and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 66 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #81 of 506 scored small-town markets
#1 of 7 scored small-town markets based in Nebraska
- Listings
- 12
- 6 chain locations (50%)
- Official establishments
- 4
- All fitness and recreational sports centers
- Household spending a year
- $14.2M
- On memberships, classes and admissions · $817 a household
- Spending per listing
- $1.2M
- 9% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 6.9
- 9% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 46,583
- +3.8% since 2020
See the gyms around any address in the Columbus area
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 the Columbus area. 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 12 gyms in the Columbus area. 6 of them (50%) are chain locations, against 28% across the U.S. That comes to 6.9 for every 10,000 households, 9% below the U.S. rate of 7.6.
Household spending on memberships, classes and admissions in the Columbus area comes to about $14.2M a year: $817 per household, 17% below the U.S. average. That is about $1.2M of household spending for each gym on map listings, 9% 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.
In 2023, official counts showed 4 businesses with payroll in the Columbus area classed as fitness and recreational sports centers. That is one for every 4,341 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 $110K has gone to businesses classed as fitness and recreational sports centers in the Columbus area.
Between 2020 and 2025, the population of the Columbus area grew 3.8%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). For gyms, the Columbus area has a Groundwork market score of 66 (upper middle): #81 of 506 scored small-town markets and #1 of 7 scored small-town markets based in Nebraska. That puts it in the top quarter of small-town markets.
How the Columbus area compares
The same measures for Nebraska 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 | Columbus area | Nebraska | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 6.9 | 8.1 | 7.6 |
| Spending per listing | $1.2M | $1.1M | $1.3M |
| Households per official establishment (all fitness and recreational sports centers) | 4,341 | 2,624 | 3,109 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +2.4% | +5.8% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +3.8% | +2.8% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on memberships, classes and admissions | $817 | $920 | $983 |
| Median household income | $75,378 | $76,475 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 66 | 36 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 4All fitness and recreational sports centers
- Employees, 2023
- 88
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $1.1M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- Not publishedNot published for this business type
- Map listings, September 2026
- 126 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 11The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 1
- Amount
- $110K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as fitness and recreational sports centers in the Columbus area, 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 the Columbus area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 46,583+3.8% since 2020
- Households
- 17,365
- Median age
- 37.2
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 73%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.1
- Land area
- 1,087 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 42
- Median household income
- $75,378
- Average household income
- $93,046
- Median home value
- $210,600
- Jobs located here
- 25,969
- Daytime population
- 46,840Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Columbus area?
These figures cover the whole small-town market. 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 the Columbus area. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.
Free10 actions over 3 days, no cardGyms across Nebraska
Every Nebraska market ranked →The highest-scoring small-town markets in Nebraska for gyms, numbered among those based in Nebraska, with the Columbus area marked.
Top small-town markets in Nebraska
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Columbus, NE | 66 | 12 | 6.9 | $1.2M | +3.8% | #81 of 506 |
| 2Kearney, NE | 59 | 23 | 10.1 | $862K | +1.9% | #165 of 506 |
| 3Fremont, NE | 58 | 13 | 8.6 | $938K | +2.6% | #178 of 506 |
| 4Norfolk, NE | 55 | 16 | 8.2 | $977K | +1.1% | #209 of 506 |
| 5Hastings, NE | 45 | 12 | 7.0 | $1.2M | −0.2% | #308 of 506 |
| 6Scottsbluff, NE | 37 | 10 | 6.5 | $1.1M | −1.2% | #391 of 506 |
| 7North Platte, NE | 20 | 17 | 11.2 | $663K | −3.6% | #480 of 506 |
Other business types in the Columbus area
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 the Columbus, NE area?
There are 12 gyms on map listings in the Columbus area as of September 2026. 6 of them (50%) are chain locations. The listings count gyms and fitness centers. Official counts show 4 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 the Columbus, NE area spend on memberships, classes and admissions?
About $14.2M a year, or $817 per household. That is 17% below the U.S. average (an index of 83, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 12 gyms on map listings, it comes to $1.2M per gym. The spending figure covers all memberships, classes and admissions, not only gyms. It is estimated from the incomes of the 17,365 households in the Columbus area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Columbus, NE area compare with the U.S. for gyms?
The Columbus area has 6.9 gyms per 10,000 households, 9% below the U.S. rate of 7.6. Spending per gym is $1.2M, 9% below the U.S. figure of $1.3M. At the national ratio of gyms to household spending, the Columbus area would have about 11, against 12 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 4,341 households, against one for every 3,109 across the U.S.
How fast is the Columbus, NE area growing?
Population estimates put the Columbus area at 46,583 people in 2025, up 3.8% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 17,365 households. The median household income in the Columbus area is $75,378 a year, 7% below the U.S. median of $80,734.
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. A small-town market is a town of 10,000 to 50,000 people and the county or counties tied to it by commuting. 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. The Columbus area scores 66 for gyms (upper middle), #81 of 506 scored small-town markets.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in the Columbus area. 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 the Columbus area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Columbus area?
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 the Columbus area. 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.