Fitness and classes · Metro area · Connecticut
Martial arts and dance studios in the Waterbury-Shelton, CT metro area
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for martial arts and dance studios in the Waterbury-Shelton, CT metro area, set against other metro areas and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 40 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #292 of 387 scored metro areas
#4 of 5 scored metro areas based in Connecticut
- Listings
- 125
- 5 chain locations (4%)
- Official establishments
- 52
- Businesses with payroll, 2023
- Household spending a year
- $183.6M
- On memberships, classes and admissions · $1,020 a household
- Spending per listing
- $1.5M
- 27% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 6.9
- 41% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 463,349
- +3.2% since 2020
See the martial arts and dance studios around any address in the Waterbury-Shelton metro area
The site report maps the martial arts and dance studios 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 the Waterbury-Shelton metro area. 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
The Waterbury-Shelton metro area scores 40 (lower middle) on the Groundwork market score for martial arts and dance studios, ranking #292 of 387 scored metro areas and #4 of 5 scored metro areas based in Connecticut. That puts it in the bottom quarter of metro areas.
As of September 2026, map listings count 125 martial arts and dance studios in the Waterbury-Shelton metro area. Of those, 5 are chain locations, or 4%, against 7% across the U.S. That is 6.9 per 10,000 households, 41% above the U.S. rate of 4.9.
Households in the Waterbury-Shelton metro area spend about $183.6M a year on memberships, classes and admissions, or $1,020 per household, 4% above the U.S. average. That works out to $1.5M per studio, 27% below the U.S. figure of $2M. That spending covers all memberships, classes and admissions, which martial arts and dance studios share with other businesses in the trade.
In 2023, official counts showed 52 businesses with payroll in the Waterbury-Shelton metro area classed as sports, recreation and fine arts instruction. That is one for every 3,464 households, against one for every 3,473 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 3 SBA-backed loans worth $425K have gone to businesses classed as sports, recreation and fine arts instruction in the Waterbury-Shelton metro area. Between 2020 and 2025, the population of the Waterbury-Shelton metro area grew 3.2%, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%).
How the Waterbury-Shelton metro area compares
The same measures for Connecticut and the whole U.S. Spending per listing divides a year of household spending on all memberships, classes and admissions by the martial arts and dance studios 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 | Waterbury-Shelton metro area | Connecticut | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 6.9 | 7.2 | 4.9 |
| Spending per listing | $1.5M | $1.6M | $2M |
| Households per official establishment | 3,464 | 2,422 | 3,473 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +6.7% | +11.1% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +3.2% | +3.0% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on memberships, classes and admissions | $1,020 | $1,158 | $983 |
| Median household income | $86,191 | $95,781 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 40 | 35 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 52
- Employees, 2023
- 388
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $4.9M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- Not publishedNot published for this business type
- Map listings, September 2026
- 1255 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 91The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 3
- Amount
- $425K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as sports, recreation and fine arts instruction in the Waterbury-Shelton metro area, 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.
Population and households in the Waterbury-Shelton metro area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 463,349+3.2% since 2020
- Households
- 180,116
- Median age
- 42.6
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 69%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.7
- Land area
- 413 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 1,102
- Median household income
- $86,191
- Average household income
- $114,324
- Median home value
- $317,700
- Jobs located here
- 164,434
- Daytime population
- 395,318Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Waterbury-Shelton metro area?
These figures cover the whole metro area. A site report draws rings around one address and counts what’s inside them: households, spending, jobs, and the martial arts and dance studios on map listings by name and distance.
Or open the report at the center of the Waterbury-Shelton metro area. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.
Free10 actions over 3 days, no cardMartial arts and dance studios across Connecticut
Every Connecticut market ranked →The highest-scoring metro areas in Connecticut for martial arts and dance studios, numbered among those based in Connecticut, with the Waterbury-Shelton metro area marked.
Top metro areas in Connecticut
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Norwich-New London-Willimantic, CT | 49 | 63 | 5.4 | $1.8M | +2.0% | #200 of 387 |
| 2Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford, CT | 43 | 318 | 6.8 | $1.7M | +3.0% | #261 of 387 |
| 3Bridgeport-Stamford-Danbury, CT | 43 | 303 | 8.5 | $1.6M | +3.7% | #262 of 387 |
| 4Waterbury-Shelton, CT | 40 | 125 | 6.9 | $1.5M | +3.2% | #292 of 387 |
| 5New Haven, CT | 35 | 176 | 7.6 | $1.4M | +2.5% | #329 of 387 |
Other business types in the Waterbury-Shelton metro area
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
- Gyms, studios and classes59
- Gyms72
- Yoga, Pilates and fitness studios70
- Martial arts and dance studios40
Health care
Child care
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many martial arts and dance studios are in the Waterbury-Shelton, CT metro area?
The Waterbury-Shelton metro area has 125 martial arts and dance studios on map listings as of September 2026. 5 of them (4%) are chain locations. The listings count martial arts and dance studios. Official counts show 52 businesses with payroll classed as sports, recreation and fine arts instruction in 2023.
How much do households in the Waterbury-Shelton, CT metro area spend on memberships, classes and admissions?
About $183.6M a year, or $1,020 per household. That is 4% above the U.S. average (an index of 104, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 125 martial arts and dance studios on map listings, it comes to $1.5M per studio. The spending figure covers all memberships, classes and admissions, not only martial arts and dance studios. It is estimated from the incomes of the 180,116 households in the Waterbury-Shelton metro area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Waterbury-Shelton, CT metro area compare with the U.S. for martial arts and dance studios?
The Waterbury-Shelton metro area has 6.9 martial arts and dance studios per 10,000 households, 41% above the U.S. rate of 4.9. Spending per studio is $1.5M, 27% below the U.S. figure of $2M. At the national ratio of martial arts and dance studios to household spending, the Waterbury-Shelton metro area would have about 91, against 125 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 3,464 households, against one for every 3,473 across the U.S.
How fast is the Waterbury-Shelton, CT metro area growing?
Population estimates put the Waterbury-Shelton metro area at 463,349 people in 2025, up 3.2% since 2020, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 180,116 households. Median household income in the Waterbury-Shelton metro area is $86,191, 7% above the U.S. median of $80,734.
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. The Waterbury-Shelton metro area scores 40 for martial arts and dance studios (lower middle), #292 of 387 scored metro areas.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in the Waterbury-Shelton metro area. It maps the martial arts and dance studios 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 martial arts and dance studios · All 56 business types in the Waterbury-Shelton metro area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Waterbury-Shelton metro area?
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 the Waterbury-Shelton metro area. 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.