Fitness and classes · County · Texas
Gyms in Howard County, TX
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for gyms in Howard County, TX, set against other counties and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 24 out of 100: Low
Ranked #1,607 of 1,792 scored counties
#104 of 126 scored counties in Texas
- Listings
- 9
- 2 chain locations (22%)
- Official establishments
- n/a
- Fewer than 3, or not published
- Household spending a year
- $8.4M
- On memberships, classes and admissions · $689 a household
- Spending per listing
- $934K
- 28% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 7.4
- 3% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 30,504
- −12.4% since 2020
See the gyms around any address in Howard 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 Howard 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
Howard County scores 24 (low) on the Groundwork market score for gyms, ranking #1,607 of 1,792 scored counties and #104 of 126 scored counties in Texas. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.
As of September 2026, map listings count 9 gyms in Howard County. Of those, 2 are chain locations, or 22%, against 28% across the U.S. That comes to 7.4 for every 10,000 households, 3% below the U.S. rate of 7.6.
Household spending on memberships, classes and admissions in Howard County comes to about $8.4M a year: $689 per household, 30% below the U.S. average. That works out to $934K per gym, 28% 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 Howard County: counts under 3 aren’t published. Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Howard County declined 12.4%, against +3.1% for the U.S.
How Howard 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.
| Measure | Howard County | Texas | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 7.4 | 8.4 | 7.6 |
| Spending per listing | $934K | $970K | $1.3M |
| Households per official establishment (all fitness and recreational sports centers) | n/a | 3,173 | 3,109 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +18.9% | +5.8% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −12.4% | +8.5% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on memberships, classes and admissions | $689 | $810 | $983 |
| Median household income | $69,649 | $78,476 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 24 | 41 |
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
- 92 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 7The 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 Howard 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 Howard County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 30,504−12.4% since 2020
- Households
- 12,191
- Median age
- 37.9
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 70%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.8
- Land area
- 901 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 36
- Median household income
- $69,649+28.5% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $90,688
- Median home value
- $155,600
- Jobs located here
- 11,735
- Daytime population
- 29,322Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Howard 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 Howard County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.
Free10 actions over 3 days, no cardGyms across Texas
Every Texas market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in Texas for gyms, numbered among those based in Texas, with Howard County marked.
Top counties in Texas
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Chambers County, TX | 85 | 10 | 5.8 | $1.7M | +22.6% | #35 of 1,792 |
| 2Waller County, TX | 80 | 12 | 6.5 | $1.3M | +21.9% | #73 of 1,792 |
| 3Medina County, TX | 75 | 8 | 4.5 | $1.6M | +11.4% | #134 of 1,792 |
| 4Fort Bend County, TX | 71 | 233 | 8.0 | $1.4M | +17.4% | #212 of 1,792 |
| 5Denton County, TX | 70 | 293 | 8.1 | $1.4M | +16.9% | #236 of 1,792 |
| 6Upshur County, TX | 69 | 6 | 3.9 | $1.6M | +8.2% | #244 of 1,792 |
| 7Guadalupe County, TX | 66 | 41 | 6.3 | $1.4M | +15.8% | #325 of 1,792 |
| 8Polk County, TX | 65 | 9 | 4.6 | $1.3M | +5.9% | #368 of 1,792 |
| 9Liberty County, TX | 65 | 17 | 5.5 | $1.3M | +31.3% | #371 of 1,792 |
| 10Brazoria County, TX | 65 | 108 | 8.1 | $1.2M | +12.2% | #375 of 1,792 |
| 104Howard County, TX | 24 | 9 | 7.4 | $934K | −12.4% | #1,607 of 1,792 |
Other business types in Howard 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 Howard County, TX?
Howard County has 9 gyms on map listings as of September 2026. 2 of them (22%) are chain locations. The listings count gyms and fitness centers. No official count is published for fitness and recreational sports centers in Howard County: counts under 3 are left out.
How much do households in Howard County, TX spend on memberships, classes and admissions?
About $8.4M a year, or $689 per household. That is 30% below the U.S. average (an index of 70, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 9 gyms on map listings, it comes to $934K per gym. The spending figure covers all memberships, classes and admissions, not only gyms. It is estimated from the incomes of the 12,191 households in Howard County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Howard County, TX compare with the U.S. for gyms?
Howard County has 7.4 gyms per 10,000 households, 3% below the U.S. rate of 7.6. Spending per gym is $934K, 28% below the U.S. figure of $1.3M. At the national ratio of gyms to household spending, Howard County would have about 7, against 9 on map listings.
How fast is Howard County, TX growing?
Population estimates put Howard County at 30,504 people in 2025, down 12.4% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 12,191 households. The median household income in Howard County is $69,649 a year, 14% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 28.5% 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. Howard County scores 24 for gyms (low), #1,607 of 1,792 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Howard 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 Howard County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Howard 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 Howard 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.