Groundwork

Fitness and classes · County · Texas

Gyms in Houston County, TX

How Houston County, TX compares with other counties and the U.S. for gyms: competitors, household spending, official counts and growth.

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 16 out of 100: Low

Ranked #1,709 of 1,792 scored counties
#116 of 126 scored counties in Texas

Listings
10
4 chain locations (40%)
Official establishments
n/a
Fewer than 3, or not published
Household spending a year
$4.7M
On memberships, classes and admissions · $588 a household
Spending per listing
$469K
64% below the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
12.5
64% above the U.S.
Population, 2025
22,316
+1.1% since 2020

See the gyms around any address in Houston 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 Houston County. 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

Houston County scores 16 (low) on the Groundwork market score for gyms, ranking #1,709 of 1,792 scored counties and #116 of 126 scored counties in Texas. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.

Map listings as of September 2026 show 10 gyms in Houston County. Of those, 4 are chain locations, or 40%, against 28% across the U.S. That comes to 12.5 for every 10,000 households, 64% above the U.S. rate of 7.6.

At $588 per household (40% below the U.S. average), households in Houston County spend about $4.7M a year on memberships, classes and admissions. That works out to $469K per gym, 64% 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.

There is no official count of businesses with payroll classed as fitness and recreational sports centers in Houston County: counts under 3 aren’t published. Population estimates put the population change in Houston County from 2020 to 2025 at +1.1%, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%).

How Houston County compares

The same measures for Texas 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 Houston County, TX compared with Texas and the U.S.
MeasureHouston CountyTexasU.S.
Listings per 10k households12.58.47.6
Spending per listing$469K$970K$1.3M
Households per official establishment (all fitness and recreational sports centers)n/a3,1733,109
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023n/a+18.9%+5.8%
Population growth, 2020–2025+1.1%+8.5%+3.1%
Spending per household on memberships, classes and admissions$588$810$983
Median household income$56,531$78,476$80,734
Groundwork market score1641

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
n/aAll fitness and recreational sports centers
Employees, 2023
n/a
Annual payroll, 2023
n/a
One-person businesses, 2023
Not publishedNot published for this business type
Map listings, September 2026
104 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
4The 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 Houston 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 Houston County

Population, 2025 estimate
22,316+1.1% since 2020
Households
7,983
Median age
44.5
Homes lived in by their owners
71%
Vehicles per household
1.8
Land area
1,231 sq. mi.
People per square mile
18
Median household income
$56,531+49.1% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$77,793
Median home value
$164,900
Jobs located here
5,116
Daytime population
19,245Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

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

Free10 actions over 3 days, no card

The highest-scoring counties in Texas for gyms, numbered among those based in Texas, with Houston County marked.

Top counties in Texas

Counties in Texas ranked for gyms by Groundwork market score
MarketScoreListingsPer 10k householdsSpending per listingPopulation growthU.S. rank
1Chambers County, TX85105.8$1.7M+22.6%#35 of 1,792
2Waller County, TX80126.5$1.3M+21.9%#73 of 1,792
3Medina County, TX7584.5$1.6M+11.4%#134 of 1,792
4Fort Bend County, TX712338.0$1.4M+17.4%#212 of 1,792
5Denton County, TX702938.1$1.4M+16.9%#236 of 1,792
6Upshur County, TX6963.9$1.6M+8.2%#244 of 1,792
7Guadalupe County, TX66416.3$1.4M+15.8%#325 of 1,792
8Polk County, TX6594.6$1.3M+5.9%#368 of 1,792
9Liberty County, TX65175.5$1.3M+31.3%#371 of 1,792
10Brazoria County, TX651088.1$1.2M+12.2%#375 of 1,792
116Houston County, TX161012.5$469K+1.1%#1,709 of 1,792

Other business types in Houston County

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

Questions

How many gyms are in Houston County, TX?

There are 10 gyms on map listings in Houston County as of September 2026. 4 of them (40%) are chain locations. The listings count gyms and fitness centers. No official count is published for fitness and recreational sports centers in Houston County: counts under 3 are left out.

How much do households in Houston County, TX spend on memberships, classes and admissions?

About $4.7M a year, or $588 per household. That is 40% below the U.S. average (an index of 60, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 10 gyms on map listings, it comes to $469K per gym. The spending figure covers all memberships, classes and admissions, not only gyms. It is estimated from the incomes of the 7,983 households in Houston County and national spending patterns by income.

How does Houston County, TX compare with the U.S. for gyms?

Houston County has 12.5 gyms per 10,000 households, 64% above the U.S. rate of 7.6. Spending per gym is $469K, 64% below the U.S. figure of $1.3M. At the national ratio of gyms to household spending, Houston County would have about 4, against 10 on map listings.

How fast is Houston County, TX growing?

Population estimates put Houston County at 22,316 people in 2025, up 1.1% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 7,983 households. The median household income in Houston County is $56,531 a year, 30% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 49.1% 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. Houston County scores 16 for gyms (low), #1,709 of 1,792 scored counties.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Houston 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 Houston County

Screening a site or an acquisition in Houston 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 Houston 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.