Fitness and classes · County · Maryland
Martial arts and dance studios in Howard County, MD
How Howard County, MD 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 50 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #662 of 1,334 scored counties
#17 of 21 scored counties in Maryland
- Listings
- 90
- 8 chain locations (9%)
- Official establishments
- 67
- −13.0% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $171.8M
- On memberships, classes and admissions · $1,419 a household
- Spending per listing
- $1.9M
- 5% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 7.4
- 51% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 339,183
- +1.9% since 2020
See the martial arts and dance studios around any address in Howard 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 Howard 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 $1,419 per household (44% above the U.S. average), households in Howard County spend about $171.8M a year on memberships, classes and admissions. That works out to $1.9M per studio, 5% 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 90 martial arts and dance studios on map listings in Howard County as of September 2026. 8 of them (9%) are chain locations, against 7% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 7.4, 51% above the U.S. rate of 4.9.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as sports, recreation and fine arts instruction in Howard County was 67 in 2023, down 13.0% from 2019. That is one for every 1,807 households, against one for every 3,473 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 5 SBA-backed loans worth $550K have gone to businesses classed as sports, recreation and fine arts instruction in Howard County.
Population estimates put the population change in Howard County from 2020 to 2025 at +1.9%, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). Howard County scores 50 (upper middle) on the Groundwork market score for martial arts and dance studios, ranking #662 of 1,334 scored counties and #17 of 21 scored counties in Maryland.
How Howard County compares
The same measures for Maryland 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 | Howard County | Maryland | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 7.4 | 4.8 | 4.9 |
| Spending per listing | $1.9M | $2.2M | $2M |
| Households per official establishment | 1,807 | 3,425 | 3,473 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | −13.0% | −1.7% | +11.1% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +1.9% | +1.4% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on memberships, classes and admissions | $1,419 | $1,042 | $983 |
| Median household income | $149,763 | $103,678 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 50 | 50 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 77 → 67−13.0% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 450
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $11.6M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- Not publishedNot published for this business type
- Map listings, September 2026
- 908 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 85The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 5
- Amount
- $550K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as sports, recreation and fine arts instruction in Howard 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 Howard County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 339,183+1.9% since 2020
- Households
- 121,065
- Median age
- 40.7
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 71%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 251 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 1,340
- Median household income
- $149,763+23.6% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $184,243
- Median home value
- $597,900
- Jobs located here
- 185,575
- Daytime population
- 363,145Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Howard 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 Howard 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 Maryland
Every Maryland market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in Maryland for martial arts and dance studios, numbered among those based in Maryland, with Howard County marked.
Top counties in Maryland
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Queen Anne’s County, MD | 80 | 10 | 5.0 | $2.2M | +8.8% | #46 of 1,334 |
| 2St. Mary’s County, MD | 75 | 14 | 3.3 | $3.5M | +2.4% | #76 of 1,334 |
| 3Prince George’s County, MD | 71 | 142 | 4.1 | $2.4M | +0.5% | #152 of 1,334 |
| 4Frederick County, MD | 69 | 59 | 5.6 | $2.1M | +11.0% | #188 of 1,334 |
| 5Calvert County, MD | 67 | 17 | 5.1 | $2.5M | +1.7% | #219 of 1,334 |
| 6Worcester County, MD | 67 | 9 | 3.7 | $2.3M | +3.7% | #225 of 1,334 |
| 7Cecil County, MD | 67 | 17 | 4.2 | $2.1M | +3.2% | #229 of 1,334 |
| 8Washington County, MD | 65 | 22 | 3.7 | $2.1M | +2.0% | #263 of 1,334 |
| 9Harford County, MD | 60 | 44 | 4.3 | $2.5M | +2.0% | #371 of 1,334 |
| 10Wicomico County, MD | 59 | 17 | 4.2 | $1.8M | +3.2% | #420 of 1,334 |
| 17Howard County, MD | 50 | 90 | 7.4 | $1.9M | +1.9% | #662 of 1,334 |
Other business types in Howard 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 classes53
- Gyms61
- Yoga, Pilates and fitness studios57
- Martial arts and dance studios50
Health care
Child care
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many martial arts and dance studios are in Howard County, MD?
As of September 2026, map listings count 90 martial arts and dance studios in Howard County. 8 of them (9%) are chain locations. The listings count martial arts and dance studios. Official counts show 67 businesses with payroll classed as sports, recreation and fine arts instruction in 2023, down 13.0% from 2019.
How much do households in Howard County, MD spend on memberships, classes and admissions?
About $171.8M a year, or $1,419 per household. That is 44% above the U.S. average (an index of 144, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 90 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 121,065 households in Howard County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Howard County, MD compare with the U.S. for martial arts and dance studios?
Howard County has 7.4 martial arts and dance studios per 10,000 households, 51% above the U.S. rate of 4.9. Spending per studio is $1.9M, 5% below the U.S. figure of $2M. At the U.S. ratio of martial arts and dance studios to household spending, Howard County would have about 85, against 90 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,807 households, against one for every 3,473 across the U.S. The official count fell 13.0% from 2019 to 2023, against +11.1% for the U.S.
How fast is Howard County, MD growing?
Population estimates put Howard County at 339,183 people in 2025, up 1.9% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 121,065 households. The median household income in Howard County is $149,763 a year, 86% 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. Howard County scores 50 for martial arts and dance studios (upper middle), #662 of 1,334 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Howard 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 Howard County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Howard 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 Howard 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.