Fitness and classes · County · North Dakota
Gyms in Ward County, ND
The gyms in Ward County, ND, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 39 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,265 of 1,792 scored counties
#8 of 11 scored counties in North Dakota
- Listings
- 28
- 8 chain locations (29%)
- Official establishments
- 9
- All fitness and recreational sports centers
- Household spending a year
- $26.9M
- On memberships, classes and admissions · $942 a household
- Spending per listing
- $961K
- 26% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 9.8
- 29% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 68,233
- −2.4% since 2020
See the gyms around any address in Ward 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 Ward 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 28 gyms in Ward County. 8 of them (29%) are chain locations, against 28% across the U.S. That is 9.8 per 10,000 households, 29% above the U.S. rate of 7.6.
At $942 per household (4% below the U.S. average), households in Ward County spend about $26.9M a year on memberships, classes and admissions. That is about $961K of household spending for each gym on map listings, 26% 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 9 businesses with payroll in Ward County classed as fitness and recreational sports centers. That is one for every 3,174 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, 2 SBA-backed loans worth $674K have gone to businesses classed as fitness and recreational sports centers in Ward County.
Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Ward County declined 2.4%, against +3.1% for the U.S. For gyms, Ward County has a Groundwork market score of 39 (lower middle): #1,265 of 1,792 scored counties and #8 of 11 scored counties in North Dakota.
How Ward County compares
The same measures for North Dakota 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 | Ward County | North Dakota | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 9.8 | 8.0 | 7.6 |
| Spending per listing | $961K | $1.2M | $1.3M |
| Households per official establishment (all fitness and recreational sports centers) | 3,174 | 2,956 | 3,109 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +15.5% | +5.8% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −2.4% | +2.5% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on memberships, classes and admissions | $942 | $922 | $983 |
| Median household income | $78,238 | $76,657 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 39 | 40 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 9 → 9All fitness and recreational sports centers
- Employees, 2023
- 237
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $3.4M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- Not publishedNot published for this business type
- Map listings, September 2026
- 288 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 21The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 2
- Amount
- $674K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as fitness and recreational sports centers in Ward 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 Ward County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 68,233−2.4% since 2020
- Households
- 28,568
- Median age
- 35.7
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 61%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 2,013 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 34
- Median household income
- $78,238+13.6% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $102,307
- Median home value
- $267,100
- Jobs located here
- 30,323
- Daytime population
- 68,012Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Ward 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 Ward County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.
Free10 actions over 3 days, no cardGyms across North Dakota
Every North Dakota market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in North Dakota for gyms, numbered among those based in North Dakota, with Ward County marked.
Top counties in North Dakota
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1McKenzie County, ND | 77 | 5 | 8.3 | $1.4M | +2.8% | #108 of 1,792 |
| 2Burleigh County, ND | 66 | 29 | 7.0 | $1.5M | +4.7% | #317 of 1,792 |
| 3Cass County, ND | 56 | 69 | 8.2 | $1.1M | +9.1% | #694 of 1,792 |
| 4Grand Forks County, ND | 51 | 24 | 7.7 | $1.1M | +1.9% | #882 of 1,792 |
| 5Stark County, ND | 50 | 10 | 7.4 | $1.2M | +0.5% | #912 of 1,792 |
| 6Richland County, ND | 50 | 6 | 8.8 | $1M | +1.2% | #928 of 1,792 |
| 7Williams County, ND | 45 | 15 | 9.9 | $1.1M | +1.4% | #1,092 of 1,792 |
| 8Ward County, ND | 39 | 28 | 9.8 | $961K | −2.4% | #1,265 of 1,792 |
| 9Ramsey County, ND | 27 | 6 | 11.1 | $711K | −0.4% | #1,570 of 1,792 |
| 10Barnes County, ND | 23 | 5 | 10.2 | $760K | −2.7% | #1,624 of 1,792 |
Other business types in Ward 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 Ward County, ND?
Ward County has 28 gyms on map listings as of September 2026. 8 of them (29%) are chain locations. The listings count gyms and fitness centers. Official counts show 9 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 Ward County, ND spend on memberships, classes and admissions?
About $26.9M a year, or $942 per household. That is 4% below the U.S. average (an index of 96, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 28 gyms on map listings, it comes to $961K per gym. The spending figure covers all memberships, classes and admissions, not only gyms. It is estimated from the incomes of the 28,568 households in Ward County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Ward County, ND compare with the U.S. for gyms?
Ward County has 9.8 gyms per 10,000 households, 29% above the U.S. rate of 7.6. Spending per gym is $961K, 26% below the U.S. figure of $1.3M. At the national ratio of gyms to household spending, Ward County would have about 21, against 28 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 3,174 households, against one for every 3,109 across the U.S.
How fast is Ward County, ND growing?
Population estimates put Ward County at 68,233 people in 2025, down 2.4% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 28,568 households. The median household income in Ward County is $78,238 a year, 3% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 13.6% 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. Ward County scores 39 for gyms (lower middle), #1,265 of 1,792 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Ward 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 Ward County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Ward 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 Ward 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.