Groundwork

Fitness and classes · Small-town market · Nebraska

Gyms in the Kearney, NE area

The gyms in the Kearney, NE area, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other small-town markets.

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 59 out of 100: Upper middle

Ranked #165 of 506 scored small-town markets
#2 of 7 scored small-town markets based in Nebraska

Listings
23
5 chain locations (22%)
Official establishments
4
All fitness and recreational sports centers
Household spending a year
$19.8M
On memberships, classes and admissions · $869 a household
Spending per listing
$862K
34% below the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
10.1
33% above the U.S.
Population, 2025
57,962
+1.9% since 2020

See the gyms around any address in the Kearney 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 Kearney area. 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 23 gyms in the Kearney area. 5 of them (22%) are chain locations, against 28% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 10.1, 33% above the U.S. rate of 7.6.

Households in the Kearney area spend about $19.8M a year on memberships, classes and admissions, or $869 per household, 12% below the U.S. average. That works out to $862K per gym, 34% 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 the Kearney area was 4 in 2023. That is one for every 5,700 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.

Population estimates show the Kearney area grew 1.9% from 2020 to 2025, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). For gyms, the Kearney area has a Groundwork market score of 59 (upper middle): #165 of 506 scored small-town markets and #2 of 7 scored small-town markets based in Nebraska.

How the Kearney 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.

Gyms in Kearney, NE area compared with Nebraska and the U.S.
MeasureKearney areaNebraskaU.S.
Listings per 10k households10.18.17.6
Spending per listing$862K$1.1M$1.3M
Households per official establishment (all fitness and recreational sports centers)5,7002,6243,109
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023n/a+2.4%+5.8%
Population growth, 2020–2025+1.9%+2.8%+3.1%
Spending per household on memberships, classes and admissions$869$920$983
Median household income$76,109$76,475$80,734
Groundwork market score5936

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
4All fitness and recreational sports centers
Employees, 2023
163
Annual payroll, 2023
$1.9M
One-person businesses, 2023
Not publishedNot published for this business type
Map listings, September 2026
235 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
15The 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 the Kearney 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 Kearney area

Population, 2025 estimate
57,962+1.9% since 2020
Households
22,798
Median age
36.8
Homes lived in by their owners
68%
Vehicles per household
2.1
Land area
1,484 sq. mi.
People per square mile
39
Median household income
$76,109+27.9% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$96,670
Median home value
$242,600
Jobs located here
29,261
Daytime population
59,015Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in the Kearney 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 Kearney area. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

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The highest-scoring small-town markets in Nebraska for gyms, numbered among those based in Nebraska, with the Kearney area marked.

Top small-town markets in Nebraska

Small-town markets in Nebraska ranked for gyms by Groundwork market score
MarketScoreListingsPer 10k householdsSpending per listingPopulation growthU.S. rank
1Columbus, NE66126.9$1.2M+3.8%#81 of 506
2Kearney, NE592310.1$862K+1.9%#165 of 506
3Fremont, NE58138.6$938K+2.6%#178 of 506
4Norfolk, NE55168.2$977K+1.1%#209 of 506
5Hastings, NE45127.0$1.2M−0.2%#308 of 506
6Scottsbluff, NE37106.5$1.1M−1.2%#391 of 506
7North Platte, NE201711.2$663K−3.6%#480 of 506

Other business types in the Kearney area

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

Questions

How many gyms are in the Kearney, NE area?

The Kearney area has 23 gyms on map listings as of September 2026. 5 of them (22%) 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 Kearney, NE area spend on memberships, classes and admissions?

About $19.8M a year, or $869 per household. That is 12% below the U.S. average (an index of 88, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 23 gyms on map listings, it comes to $862K per gym. The spending figure covers all memberships, classes and admissions, not only gyms. It is estimated from the incomes of the 22,798 households in the Kearney area and national spending patterns by income.

How does the Kearney, NE area compare with the U.S. for gyms?

The Kearney area has 10.1 gyms per 10,000 households, 33% above the U.S. rate of 7.6. Spending per gym is $862K, 34% below the U.S. figure of $1.3M. At the national ratio of gyms to household spending, the Kearney area would have about 15, against 23 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 5,700 households, against one for every 3,109 across the U.S.

How fast is the Kearney, NE area growing?

Population estimates put the Kearney area at 57,962 people in 2025, up 1.9% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 22,798 households. The median household income in the Kearney area is $76,109 a year, 6% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 27.9% 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. 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 Kearney area scores 59 for gyms (upper middle), #165 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 Kearney 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 Kearney area

Screening a site or an acquisition in the Kearney 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 Kearney 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.