Fitness and classes · Metro area · Iowa
Martial arts and dance studios in the Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA metro area
How the Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA metro area compares with other metro areas and the U.S. for martial arts and dance studios: competitors, household spending, official counts and growth.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 60 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #100 of 387 scored metro areas
#2 of 8 scored metro areas based in Iowa
- Listings
- 147
- 13 chain locations (9%)
- Official establishments
- 92
- +1.2% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $307.1M
- On memberships, classes and admissions · $1,042 a household
- Spending per listing
- $2.1M
- 4% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 5.0
- 2% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 758,539
- +6.7% since 2020
See the martial arts and dance studios around any address in the Des Moines-West Des Moines 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 Des Moines-West Des Moines 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
As of September 2026, map listings count 147 martial arts and dance studios in the Des Moines-West Des Moines metro area. Chain locations make up 9% of them, against 7% across the U.S. That is 5.0 per 10,000 households, 2% above the U.S. rate of 4.9.
At $1,042 per household (6% above the U.S. average), households in the Des Moines-West Des Moines metro area spend about $307.1M a year on memberships, classes and admissions. That is about $2.1M of household spending for each studio on map listings, 4% above 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.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as sports, recreation and fine arts instruction in the Des Moines-West Des Moines metro area was 92 in 2023, up 1.2% from 2019. That is one for every 3,205 households, against one for every 3,473 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 4 SBA-backed loans worth $243K have gone to businesses classed as sports, recreation and fine arts instruction in the Des Moines-West Des Moines metro area.
Population estimates put the population change in the Des Moines-West Des Moines metro area from 2020 to 2025 at +6.7%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). The Groundwork market score for martial arts and dance studios in the Des Moines-West Des Moines metro area is 60 (upper middle), #100 of 387 scored metro areas and #2 of 8 scored metro areas based in Iowa.
How the Des Moines-West Des Moines metro area compares
The same measures for Iowa 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 | Des Moines-West Des Moines metro area | Iowa | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 5.0 | 4.4 | 4.9 |
| Spending per listing | $2.1M | $2M | $2M |
| Households per official establishment | 3,205 | 4,400 | 3,473 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +1.2% | +4.2% | +11.1% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +6.7% | +1.5% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on memberships, classes and admissions | $1,042 | $890 | $983 |
| Median household income | $85,890 | $75,059 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 60 | 51 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 92+1.2% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 1,099
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $13.4M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- Not publishedNot published for this business type
- Map listings, September 2026
- 14713 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 152The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 4
- Amount
- $243K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as sports, recreation and fine arts instruction in the Des Moines-West Des Moines 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 Des Moines-West Des Moines metro area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 758,539+6.7% since 2020
- Households
- 294,814
- Median age
- 37.7
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 69%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 3,613 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 202
- Median household income
- $85,890+22.5% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $112,632
- Median home value
- $267,400
- Jobs located here
- 392,636
- Daytime population
- 765,807Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Des Moines-West Des Moines 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 Des Moines-West Des Moines 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 Iowa
Every Iowa market ranked →The highest-scoring metro areas in Iowa for martial arts and dance studios, numbered among those based in Iowa (a market based in another state is listed without a number), with the Des Moines-West Des Moines metro area marked.
Top metro areas in Iowa
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Waterloo-Cedar Falls, IA | 65 | 17 | 2.4 | $3.4M | +0.5% | #59 of 387 |
| 2Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA | 60 | 147 | 5.0 | $2.1M | +6.7% | #100 of 387 |
| 3Davenport-Moline-Rock Island, IA-IL | 54 | 69 | 4.3 | $2M | −0.9% | #146 of 387 |
| 4Iowa City, IA | 52 | 34 | 4.7 | $2M | +4.1% | #165 of 387 |
| 5Sioux City, IA-NE-SD | 52 | 24 | 4.3 | $2M | +1.0% | #167 of 387 |
| Omaha, NE-IA | 51 | 208 | 5.3 | $1.9M | +4.2% | #175 of 387 |
| 6Dubuque, IA | 49 | 18 | 4.4 | $2.1M | +0.1% | #192 of 387 |
| 7Cedar Rapids, IA | 49 | 53 | 4.6 | $2M | +1.0% | #195 of 387 |
| 8Ames, IA | 44 | 24 | 4.8 | $1.9M | +2.2% | #250 of 387 |
Other business types in the Des Moines-West Des Moines 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 classes53
- Gyms47
- Yoga, Pilates and fitness studios54
- Martial arts and dance studios60
Health care
Child care
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many martial arts and dance studios are in the Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA metro area?
The Des Moines-West Des Moines metro area has 147 martial arts and dance studios on map listings as of September 2026. 13 of them (9%) are chain locations. The listings count martial arts and dance studios. Official counts show 92 businesses with payroll classed as sports, recreation and fine arts instruction in 2023, up 1.2% from 2019.
How much do households in the Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA metro area spend on memberships, classes and admissions?
About $307.1M a year, or $1,042 per household. That is 6% above the U.S. average (an index of 106, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 147 martial arts and dance studios on map listings, it comes to $2.1M 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 294,814 households in the Des Moines-West Des Moines metro area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA metro area compare with the U.S. for martial arts and dance studios?
The Des Moines-West Des Moines metro area has 5.0 martial arts and dance studios per 10,000 households, 2% above the U.S. rate of 4.9. Spending per studio is $2.1M, 4% above the U.S. figure of $2M. At the national ratio of martial arts and dance studios to household spending, the Des Moines-West Des Moines metro area would have about 152, against 147 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 3,205 households, against one for every 3,473 across the U.S. The official count rose 1.2% from 2019 to 2023, against +11.1% for the U.S.
How fast is the Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA metro area growing?
Population estimates put the Des Moines-West Des Moines metro area at 758,539 people in 2025, up 6.7% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 294,814 households. Median household income in the Des Moines-West Des Moines metro area is $85,890, 6% above the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 22.5%, 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. The Des Moines-West Des Moines metro area scores 60 for martial arts and dance studios (upper middle), #100 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 Des Moines-West Des Moines 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 Des Moines-West Des Moines metro area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Des Moines-West Des Moines 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 Des Moines-West Des Moines 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.