Fitness and classes · County · Iowa
Martial arts and dance studios in Polk County, IA
How Polk County, IA compares with other counties and the U.S. for martial arts and dance studios: competitors, household spending, official counts and growth.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 54 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #557 of 1,334 scored counties
#8 of 31 scored counties in Iowa
- Listings
- 111
- 9 chain locations (8%)
- Official establishments
- 71
- −5.3% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $207.6M
- On memberships, classes and admissions · $1,011 a household
- Spending per listing
- $1.9M
- 7% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 5.4
- 10% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 516,546
- +4.8% since 2020
See the martial arts and dance studios around any address in Polk County
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 Polk 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
Household spending on memberships, classes and admissions in Polk County comes to about $207.6M a year: $1,011 per household, 3% above the U.S. average. That works out to $1.9M per studio, 7% below the U.S. figure of $2M. The spending figure covers all memberships, classes and admissions, not only martial arts and dance studios.
There are 111 martial arts and dance studios on map listings in Polk County as of September 2026. Of those, 9 are chain locations, or 8%, against 7% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 5.4, 10% above the U.S. rate of 4.9.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as sports, recreation and fine arts instruction in Polk County was 71 in 2023, down 5.3% from 2019. That is one for every 2,892 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 Polk County.
Population estimates put the population change in Polk County from 2020 to 2025 at +4.8%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). For martial arts and dance studios, Polk County has a Groundwork market score of 54 (upper middle): #557 of 1,334 scored counties and #8 of 31 scored counties in Iowa.
How Polk County 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 | Polk County | Iowa | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 5.4 | 4.4 | 4.9 |
| Spending per listing | $1.9M | $2M | $2M |
| Households per official establishment | 2,892 | 4,400 | 3,473 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | −5.3% | +4.2% | +11.1% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +4.8% | +1.5% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on memberships, classes and admissions | $1,011 | $890 | $983 |
| Median household income | $83,576 | $75,059 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 54 | 51 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 75 → 71−5.3% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 781
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $9.4M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- Not publishedNot published for this business type
- Map listings, September 2026
- 1119 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 103The 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 Polk 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.
Population and households in Polk County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 516,546+4.8% since 2020
- Households
- 205,358
- Median age
- 37.1
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 67%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.8
- Land area
- 573 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 879
- Median household income
- $83,576+23.6% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $109,398
- Median home value
- $262,100
- Jobs located here
- 309,340
- Daytime population
- 566,731Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Polk 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 martial arts and dance studios on map listings by name and distance.
Or open the report at the center of Polk County. 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 counties in Iowa for martial arts and dance studios, numbered among those based in Iowa, with Polk County marked.
Top counties in Iowa
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Dallas County, IA | 82 | 13 | 3.1 | $4.2M | +17.8% | #23 of 1,334 |
| 2Warren County, IA | 73 | 11 | 5.3 | $2M | +9.0% | #123 of 1,334 |
| 3Black Hawk County, IA | 67 | 13 | 2.4 | $3.4M | +0.4% | #212 of 1,334 |
| 4Johnson County, IA | 62 | 27 | 4.3 | $2.3M | +4.6% | #332 of 1,334 |
| 5Marion County, IA | 59 | 6 | 4.5 | $2M | +2.3% | #411 of 1,334 |
| 6Story County, IA | 57 | 16 | 4.1 | $2.2M | +2.7% | #464 of 1,334 |
| 7Dubuque County, IA | 54 | 18 | 4.4 | $2.1M | +0.1% | #545 of 1,334 |
| 8Polk County, IA | 54 | 111 | 5.4 | $1.9M | +4.8% | #557 of 1,334 |
| 9Scott County, IA | 51 | 38 | 5.2 | $1.8M | +0.4% | #644 of 1,334 |
| 10Woodbury County, IA | 51 | 20 | 4.9 | $1.7M | +0.7% | #647 of 1,334 |
Other business types in Polk 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
- Gyms, studios and classes45
- Gyms46
- Yoga, Pilates and fitness studios50
- Martial arts and dance studios54
Health care
Child care
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many martial arts and dance studios are in Polk County, IA?
As of September 2026, map listings count 111 martial arts and dance studios in Polk County. 9 of them (8%) are chain locations. The listings count martial arts and dance studios. Official counts show 71 businesses with payroll classed as sports, recreation and fine arts instruction in 2023, down 5.3% from 2019.
How much do households in Polk County, IA spend on memberships, classes and admissions?
About $207.6M a year, or $1,011 per household. That is 3% above the U.S. average (an index of 103, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 111 martial arts and dance studios on map listings, it comes to $1.9M per studio. That spending covers all memberships, classes and admissions, which martial arts and dance studios share with other businesses in the trade. It is estimated from the incomes of the 205,358 households in Polk County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Polk County, IA compare with the U.S. for martial arts and dance studios?
Polk County has 5.4 martial arts and dance studios per 10,000 households, 10% above the U.S. rate of 4.9. Spending per studio is $1.9M, 7% below the U.S. figure of $2M. At the U.S. ratio of martial arts and dance studios to household spending, Polk County would have about 103, against 111 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 2,892 households, against one for every 3,473 across the U.S. The official count fell 5.3% from 2019 to 2023, against +11.1% for the U.S.
How fast is Polk County, IA growing?
Population estimates put Polk County at 516,546 people in 2025, up 4.8% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 205,358 households. The median household income in Polk County is $83,576 a year, 4% above the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 23.6% from the 2015–2019 survey, 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. Polk County scores 54 for martial arts and dance studios (upper middle), #557 of 1,334 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Polk County. 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 Polk County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Polk 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 Polk 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.