Groundwork

Fitness and classes · County · Wisconsin

Gyms in Marathon County, WI

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

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 69 out of 100: Upper middle

Ranked #256 of 1,792 scored counties
#4 of 55 scored counties in Wisconsin

Listings
36
11 chain locations (31%)
Official establishments
11
All fitness and recreational sports centers
Household spending a year
$51.1M
On memberships, classes and admissions · $884 a household
Spending per listing
$1.4M
9% above the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
6.2
18% below the U.S.
Population, 2025
139,432
+1.0% since 2020

See the gyms around any address in Marathon 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 Marathon County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

Free10 actions over 3 days, no card

Survey estimates 2020–2024 · population estimates 2025 · official business counts 2023 · map listings September 2026 · Data credits · How we measure

What this means

Household spending on memberships, classes and admissions in Marathon County comes to about $51.1M a year: $884 per household, 10% below the U.S. average. That works out to $1.4M per gym, 9% above the U.S. figure of $1.3M. The spending figure covers all memberships, classes and admissions, not only gyms.

There are 36 gyms on map listings in Marathon County as of September 2026. Of those, 11 are chain locations, or 31%, against 28% across the U.S. That is 6.2 per 10,000 households, 18% below the U.S. rate of 7.6.

Official counts show 11 businesses with payroll classed as fitness and recreational sports centers in Marathon County in 2023. That is one for every 5,261 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, 1 SBA-backed loan worth $158K has gone to businesses classed as fitness and recreational sports centers in Marathon County.

Population estimates show Marathon County grew 1.0% from 2020 to 2025, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). The Groundwork market score for gyms in Marathon County is 69 (upper middle), #256 of 1,792 scored counties and #4 of 55 scored counties in Wisconsin. That puts it in the top quarter of counties.

How Marathon County compares

The same measures for Wisconsin 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 Marathon County, WI compared with Wisconsin and the U.S.
MeasureMarathon CountyWisconsinU.S.
Listings per 10k households6.27.47.6
Spending per listing$1.4M$1.2M$1.3M
Households per official establishment (all fitness and recreational sports centers)5,2612,9663,109
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023n/a+9.1%+5.8%
Population growth, 2020–2025+1.0%+1.3%+3.1%
Spending per household on memberships, classes and admissions$884$921$983
Median household income$77,884$77,485$80,734
Groundwork market score6941

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
11 → 11All fitness and recreational sports centers
Employees, 2023
350
Annual payroll, 2023
$6.8M
One-person businesses, 2023
Not publishedNot published for this business type
Map listings, September 2026
3611 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
39The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here

SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022

Loans
1
Amount
$158K

SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as fitness and recreational sports centers in Marathon 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 Marathon County

Population, 2025 estimate
139,432+1.0% since 2020
Households
57,866
Median age
42.0
Homes lived in by their owners
73%
Vehicles per household
2.0
Land area
1,545 sq. mi.
People per square mile
90
Median household income
$77,884+24.4% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$97,899
Median home value
$219,600
Jobs located here
72,449
Daytime population
141,458Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in Marathon 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 Marathon 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 Wisconsin for gyms, numbered among those based in Wisconsin, with Marathon County marked.

Top counties in Wisconsin

Counties in Wisconsin ranked for gyms by Groundwork market score
MarketScoreListingsPer 10k householdsSpending per listingPopulation growthU.S. rank
1Calumet County, WI77125.6$1.8M+2.9%#101 of 1,792
2Washington County, WI74376.5$1.7M+1.8%#147 of 1,792
3Oconto County, WI7063.6$2.4M+2.9%#219 of 1,792
4Marathon County, WI69366.2$1.4M+1.0%#256 of 1,792
5Manitowoc County, WI67195.4$1.4M+0.4%#293 of 1,792
6Clark County, WI6664.7$1.7M+1.2%#310 of 1,792
7Racine County, WI65435.3$1.7M+0.4%#350 of 1,792
8Columbia County, WI63197.9$1.2M−0.7%#432 of 1,792
9Walworth County, WI62368.4$1.2M+0.8%#466 of 1,792
10Winnebago County, WI61405.5$1.6M+1.4%#480 of 1,792

Other business types in Marathon County

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

Questions

How many gyms are in Marathon County, WI?

As of September 2026, map listings count 36 gyms in Marathon County. 11 of them (31%) are chain locations. The listings count gyms and fitness centers. Official counts show 11 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 Marathon County, WI spend on memberships, classes and admissions?

About $51.1M 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 36 gyms on map listings, it comes to $1.4M 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 57,866 households in Marathon County and national spending patterns by income.

How does Marathon County, WI compare with the U.S. for gyms?

Marathon County has 6.2 gyms per 10,000 households, 18% below the U.S. rate of 7.6. Spending per gym is $1.4M, 9% above the U.S. figure of $1.3M. At the U.S. ratio of gyms to household spending, Marathon County would have about 39, against 36 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 5,261 households, against one for every 3,109 across the U.S.

How fast is Marathon County, WI growing?

Population estimates put Marathon County at 139,432 people in 2025, up 1.0% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 57,866 households. Median household income in Marathon County is $77,884, 4% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 24.4%, 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. Marathon County scores 69 for gyms (upper middle), #256 of 1,792 scored counties.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

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

Screening a site or an acquisition in Marathon 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 Marathon 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.