Groundwork

Fitness and classes · County · Washington

Gyms in Cowlitz County, WA

The gyms in Cowlitz County, WA, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 80 out of 100: High

Ranked #69 of 1,792 scored counties
#8 of 29 scored counties in Washington

Listings
27
9 chain locations (33%)
Official establishments
8
All fitness and recreational sports centers
Household spending a year
$43.4M
On memberships, classes and admissions · $987 a household
Spending per listing
$1.6M
23% above the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
6.1
20% below the U.S.
Population, 2025
114,885
+3.5% since 2020

See the gyms around any address in Cowlitz 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 Cowlitz 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

The Groundwork market score for gyms in Cowlitz County is 80 (high), #69 of 1,792 scored counties and #8 of 29 scored counties in Washington. That puts it in the top 10% of counties for gyms.

At $987 per household (in line with the U.S. average), households in Cowlitz County spend about $43.4M a year on memberships, classes and admissions. That is about $1.6M of household spending for each gym on map listings, 23% above the U.S. figure of $1.3M. The spending figure covers all memberships, classes and admissions, not only gyms.

Cowlitz County has 27 gyms on map listings as of September 2026. 9 of them (33%) are chain locations, against 28% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 6.1, 20% below the U.S. rate of 7.6.

In 2023, official counts showed 8 businesses with payroll in Cowlitz County classed as fitness and recreational sports centers. That is one for every 5,493 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. Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Cowlitz County grew 3.5%, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%).

How Cowlitz County compares

The same measures for Washington 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 Cowlitz County, WA compared with Washington and the U.S.
MeasureCowlitz CountyWashingtonU.S.
Listings per 10k households6.17.17.6
Spending per listing$1.6M$2M$1.3M
Households per official establishment (all fitness and recreational sports centers)5,4932,9083,109
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023n/a+6.9%+5.8%
Population growth, 2020–2025+3.5%+3.6%+3.1%
Spending per household on memberships, classes and admissions$987$1,386$983
Median household income$76,531$98,141$80,734
Groundwork market score8074

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
7 → 8All fitness and recreational sports centers
Employees, 2023
45
Annual payroll, 2023
$587K
One-person businesses, 2023
Not publishedNot published for this business type
Map listings, September 2026
279 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
33The 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 Cowlitz 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 Cowlitz County

Population, 2025 estimate
114,885+3.5% since 2020
Households
43,943
Median age
42.1
Homes lived in by their owners
68%
Vehicles per household
2.1
Land area
1,141 sq. mi.
People per square mile
98
Median household income
$76,531+40.4% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$95,669
Median home value
$397,500
Jobs located here
40,531
Daytime population
95,784Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

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

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

Top counties in Washington

Counties in Washington ranked for gyms by Groundwork market score
MarketScoreListingsPer 10k householdsSpending per listingPopulation growthU.S. rank
1Lewis County, WA92103.0$3.2M+6.7%#4 of 1,792
2Mason County, WA9072.7$4.1M+7.8%#9 of 1,792
3Franklin County, WA90155.0$2.3M+5.6%#12 of 1,792
4Grays Harbor County, WA83144.6$1.9M+3.0%#46 of 1,792
5Thurston County, WA82776.5$1.9M+2.8%#48 of 1,792
6Snohomish County, WA812016.4$2.4M+4.9%#55 of 1,792
7Stevens County, WA8094.6$2M+6.6%#64 of 1,792
8Cowlitz County, WA80276.1$1.6M+3.5%#69 of 1,792
9Clark County, WA771266.4$2M+5.3%#99 of 1,792
10Pierce County, WA762266.4$2.1M+2.5%#118 of 1,792

Other business types in Cowlitz County

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

Questions

How many gyms are in Cowlitz County, WA?

Map listings as of September 2026 show 27 gyms in Cowlitz County. 9 of them (33%) are chain locations. The listings count gyms and fitness centers. Official counts show 8 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 Cowlitz County, WA spend on memberships, classes and admissions?

About $43.4M a year, or $987 per household. That is in line with the U.S. average (an index of 100, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 27 gyms on map listings, it comes to $1.6M 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 43,943 households in Cowlitz County and national spending patterns by income.

How does Cowlitz County, WA compare with the U.S. for gyms?

Cowlitz County has 6.1 gyms per 10,000 households, 20% below the U.S. rate of 7.6. Spending per gym is $1.6M, 23% above the U.S. figure of $1.3M. At the U.S. ratio of gyms to household spending, Cowlitz County would have about 33, against 27 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 5,493 households, against one for every 3,109 across the U.S.

How fast is Cowlitz County, WA growing?

Population estimates put Cowlitz County at 114,885 people in 2025, up 3.5% since 2020, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 43,943 households. Median household income in Cowlitz County is $76,531, 5% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 40.4%, 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. Cowlitz County scores 80 for gyms (high), #69 of 1,792 scored counties.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

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

Screening a site or an acquisition in Cowlitz 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 Cowlitz 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.