Fitness and classes · County · South Dakota
Gyms in Pennington County, SD
How Pennington County, SD compares with other counties and the U.S. for gyms: competitors, household spending, official counts and growth.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 59 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #584 of 1,792 scored counties
#2 of 13 scored counties in South Dakota
- Listings
- 38
- 10 chain locations (26%)
- Official establishments
- 13
- All fitness and recreational sports centers
- Household spending a year
- $41M
- On memberships, classes and admissions · $884 a household
- Spending per listing
- $1.1M
- 17% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 8.2
- 8% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 116,792
- +6.6% since 2020
See the gyms around any address in Pennington 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 Pennington 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
At $884 per household (10% below the U.S. average), households in Pennington County spend about $41M a year on memberships, classes and admissions. Spread across 38 gyms, that is $1.1M per gym, 17% below the U.S. figure of $1.3M. The spending figure covers all memberships, classes and admissions, not only gyms.
There are 38 gyms on map listings in Pennington County as of September 2026. Chain locations make up 26% of them, against 28% across the U.S. That comes to 8.2 for every 10,000 households, 8% above the U.S. rate of 7.6.
In 2023, official counts showed 13 businesses with payroll in Pennington County classed as fitness and recreational sports centers. That is one for every 3,567 households, against one for every 3,109 across the U.S. That count covers all fitness and recreational sports centers (yoga, Pilates and fitness studios included), not only gyms. Since fiscal 2022, 4 SBA-backed loans worth $2.7M have gone to businesses classed as fitness and recreational sports centers in Pennington County.
Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Pennington County grew 6.6%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). Pennington County scores 59 (upper middle) on the Groundwork market score for gyms, ranking #584 of 1,792 scored counties and #2 of 13 scored counties in South Dakota.
How Pennington County compares
The same measures for South 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 | Pennington County | South Dakota | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 8.2 | 8.7 | 7.6 |
| Spending per listing | $1.1M | $1M | $1.3M |
| Households per official establishment (all fitness and recreational sports centers) | 3,567 | 3,207 | 3,109 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | −5.0% | +5.8% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +6.6% | +5.3% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on memberships, classes and admissions | $884 | $876 | $983 |
| Median household income | $74,517 | $75,081 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 59 | 44 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 18 → 13All fitness and recreational sports centers
- Employees, 2023
- 281
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $5.9M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- Not publishedNot published for this business type
- Map listings, September 2026
- 3810 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 32The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 4
- Amount
- $2.7M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as fitness and recreational sports centers in Pennington 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 Pennington County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 116,792+6.6% since 2020
- Households
- 46,370
- Median age
- 41.0
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 69%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.0
- Land area
- 2,777 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 41
- Median household income
- $74,517+30.6% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $99,289
- Median home value
- $302,200
- Jobs located here
- 59,416
- Daytime population
- 120,445Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Pennington 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 Pennington County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.
Free10 actions over 3 days, no cardGyms across South Dakota
Every South Dakota market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in South Dakota for gyms, numbered among those based in South Dakota, with Pennington County marked.
Top counties in South Dakota
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Union County, SD | 64 | 7 | 9.6 | $1.1M | +3.3% | #407 of 1,792 |
| 2Pennington County, SD | 59 | 38 | 8.2 | $1.1M | +6.6% | #584 of 1,792 |
| 3Brookings County, SD | 56 | 10 | 7.2 | $1.1M | +9.6% | #695 of 1,792 |
| 4Yankton County, SD | 55 | 6 | 6.2 | $1.3M | +1.5% | #722 of 1,792 |
| 5Meade County, SD | 53 | 10 | 8.4 | $1M | +2.7% | #817 of 1,792 |
| 6Minnehaha County, SD | 49 | 77 | 9.1 | $1M | +7.6% | #965 of 1,792 |
| 7Lincoln County, SD | 48 | 36 | 12.9 | $877K | +17.5% | #1,006 of 1,792 |
| 8Butte County, SD | 46 | 5 | 11.6 | $766K | +5.5% | #1,080 of 1,792 |
| 9Lawrence County, SD | 45 | 14 | 11.6 | $715K | +14.0% | #1,117 of 1,792 |
| 10Codington County, SD | 37 | 12 | 9.6 | $807K | +4.3% | #1,334 of 1,792 |
Other business types in Pennington 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 Pennington County, SD?
As of September 2026, map listings count 38 gyms in Pennington County. 10 of them (26%) are chain locations. The listings count gyms and fitness centers. Official counts show 13 businesses with payroll classed as fitness and recreational sports centers in 2023. The official count takes in all fitness and recreational sports centers, not only gyms: yoga, Pilates and fitness studios are counted too.
How much do households in Pennington County, SD spend on memberships, classes and admissions?
About $41M a year, or $884 per household. That is 10% below the U.S. average (an index of 90, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 38 gyms on map listings, it comes to $1.1M per gym. That spending covers all memberships, classes and admissions, which gyms share with other businesses in the trade. It is estimated from the incomes of the 46,370 households in Pennington County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Pennington County, SD compare with the U.S. for gyms?
Pennington County has 8.2 gyms per 10,000 households, 8% above the U.S. rate of 7.6. Spending per gym is $1.1M, 17% below the U.S. figure of $1.3M. At the U.S. ratio of gyms to household spending, Pennington County would have about 32, against 38 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 3,567 households, against one for every 3,109 across the U.S.
How fast is Pennington County, SD growing?
Population estimates put Pennington County at 116,792 people in 2025, up 6.6% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 46,370 households. Median household income in Pennington County is $74,517, 8% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 30.6%, 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. Pennington County scores 59 for gyms (upper middle), #584 of 1,792 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Pennington 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 Pennington County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Pennington 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 Pennington 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.