Fitness and classes · County · Wisconsin
Gyms in Milwaukee County, WI
How Milwaukee 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 47 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,020 of 1,792 scored counties
#40 of 55 scored counties in Wisconsin
- Listings
- 258
- 80 chain locations (31%)
- Official establishments
- 113
- All fitness and recreational sports centers · +4.6% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $316.7M
- On memberships, classes and admissions · $807 a household
- Spending per listing
- $1.2M
- 6% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 6.6
- 13% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 924,216
- −1.5% since 2020
See the gyms around any address in Milwaukee 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 Milwaukee 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 $807 per household (18% below the U.S. average), households in Milwaukee County spend about $316.7M a year on memberships, classes and admissions. That works out to $1.2M per gym, 6% below the U.S. figure of $1.3M. The spending figure covers all memberships, classes and admissions, not only gyms.
Milwaukee County has 258 gyms on map listings as of September 2026. Chain locations make up 31% of them, against 28% across the U.S. That is 6.6 per 10,000 households, 13% below the U.S. rate of 7.6.
Official counts show 113 businesses with payroll classed as fitness and recreational sports centers in Milwaukee County in 2023, up 4.6% from 2019. That is one for every 3,473 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, 6 SBA-backed loans worth $2.1M have gone to businesses classed as fitness and recreational sports centers in Milwaukee County.
Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Milwaukee County declined 1.5%, against +3.1% for the U.S. For gyms, Milwaukee County has a Groundwork market score of 47 (lower middle): #1,020 of 1,792 scored counties and #40 of 55 scored counties in Wisconsin.
How Milwaukee 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.
| Measure | Milwaukee County | Wisconsin | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 6.6 | 7.4 | 7.6 |
| Spending per listing | $1.2M | $1.2M | $1.3M |
| Households per official establishment (all fitness and recreational sports centers) | 3,473 | 2,966 | 3,109 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +4.6% | +9.1% | +5.8% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −1.5% | +1.3% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on memberships, classes and admissions | $807 | $921 | $983 |
| Median household income | $64,435 | $77,485 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 47 | 41 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 108 → 113All fitness and recreational sports centers · +4.6% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 2,617
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $40.4M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- Not publishedNot published for this business type
- Map listings, September 2026
- 25880 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 243The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 6
- Amount
- $2.1M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as fitness and recreational sports centers in Milwaukee 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 Milwaukee County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 924,216−1.5% since 2020
- Households
- 392,399
- Median age
- 36.5
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 50%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.5
- Land area
- 241 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 3,837
- Median household income
- $64,435+27.3% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $88,836
- Median home value
- $230,700
- Jobs located here
- 496,935
- Daytime population
- 971,639Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Milwaukee 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 Milwaukee County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.
Free10 actions over 3 days, no cardGyms across Wisconsin
Every Wisconsin market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in Wisconsin for gyms, numbered among those based in Wisconsin, with Milwaukee County marked.
Top counties in Wisconsin
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Calumet County, WI | 77 | 12 | 5.6 | $1.8M | +2.9% | #101 of 1,792 |
| 2Washington County, WI | 74 | 37 | 6.5 | $1.7M | +1.8% | #147 of 1,792 |
| 3Oconto County, WI | 70 | 6 | 3.6 | $2.4M | +2.9% | #219 of 1,792 |
| 4Marathon County, WI | 69 | 36 | 6.2 | $1.4M | +1.0% | #256 of 1,792 |
| 5Manitowoc County, WI | 67 | 19 | 5.4 | $1.4M | +0.4% | #293 of 1,792 |
| 6Clark County, WI | 66 | 6 | 4.7 | $1.7M | +1.2% | #310 of 1,792 |
| 7Racine County, WI | 65 | 43 | 5.3 | $1.7M | +0.4% | #350 of 1,792 |
| 8Columbia County, WI | 63 | 19 | 7.9 | $1.2M | −0.7% | #432 of 1,792 |
| 9Walworth County, WI | 62 | 36 | 8.4 | $1.2M | +0.8% | #466 of 1,792 |
| 10Winnebago County, WI | 61 | 40 | 5.5 | $1.6M | +1.4% | #480 of 1,792 |
| 40Milwaukee County, WI | 47 | 258 | 6.6 | $1.2M | −1.5% | #1,020 of 1,792 |
Other business types in Milwaukee 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 Milwaukee County, WI?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 258 gyms in Milwaukee County. 80 of them (31%) are chain locations. The listings count gyms and fitness centers. Official counts show 113 businesses with payroll classed as fitness and recreational sports centers in 2023, up 4.6% from 2019. 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 Milwaukee County, WI spend on memberships, classes and admissions?
About $316.7M a year, or $807 per household. That is 18% below the U.S. average (an index of 82, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 258 gyms on map listings, it comes to $1.2M 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 392,399 households in Milwaukee County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Milwaukee County, WI compare with the U.S. for gyms?
Milwaukee County has 6.6 gyms per 10,000 households, 13% below the U.S. rate of 7.6. Spending per gym is $1.2M, 6% below the U.S. figure of $1.3M. At the U.S. ratio of gyms to household spending, Milwaukee County would have about 243, against 258 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 3,473 households, against one for every 3,109 across the U.S. The official count rose 4.6% from 2019 to 2023, against +5.8% for the U.S.
How fast is Milwaukee County, WI growing?
Population estimates put Milwaukee County at 924,216 people in 2025, down 1.5% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 392,399 households. Median household income in Milwaukee County is $64,435, 20% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 27.3%, 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. Milwaukee County scores 47 for gyms (lower middle), #1,020 of 1,792 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Milwaukee 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 Milwaukee County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Milwaukee 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 Milwaukee 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.