Fitness and classes · County · New Jersey
Martial arts and dance studios in Essex County, NJ
How Essex County, NJ 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 58 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #443 of 1,334 scored counties
#4 of 21 scored counties in New Jersey
- Listings
- 177
- 14 chain locations (8%)
- Official establishments
- 107
- +1.9% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $346.7M
- On memberships, classes and admissions · $1,084 a household
- Spending per listing
- $2M
- 3% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 5.5
- 12% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 896,379
- +4.2% since 2020
See the martial arts and dance studios around any address in Essex 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 Essex 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 $1,084 per household (10% above the U.S. average), households in Essex County spend about $346.7M a year on memberships, classes and admissions. That is about $2M of household spending for each studio on map listings, 3% 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 177 martial arts and dance studios on map listings in Essex County as of September 2026. 14 of them (8%) are chain locations, against 7% across the U.S. That is 5.5 per 10,000 households, 12% above the U.S. rate of 4.9.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as sports, recreation and fine arts instruction in Essex County was 107 in 2023, up 1.9% from 2019. That is one for every 2,989 households, against one for every 3,473 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 4 SBA-backed loans worth $3.1M have gone to businesses classed as sports, recreation and fine arts instruction in Essex County.
Population estimates put the population change in Essex County from 2020 to 2025 at +4.2%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). The Groundwork market score for martial arts and dance studios in Essex County is 58 (upper middle), #443 of 1,334 scored counties and #4 of 21 scored counties in New Jersey.
How Essex County compares
The same measures for New Jersey 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 | Essex County | New Jersey | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 5.5 | 6.8 | 4.9 |
| Spending per listing | $2M | $1.8M | $2M |
| Households per official establishment | 2,989 | 2,345 | 3,473 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +1.9% | +6.0% | +11.1% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +4.2% | +3.0% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on memberships, classes and admissions | $1,084 | $1,238 | $983 |
| Median household income | $80,789 | $103,556 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 58 | 42 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 105 → 107+1.9% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 969
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $19.9M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- Not publishedNot published for this business type
- Map listings, September 2026
- 17714 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 172The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 4
- Amount
- $3.1M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as sports, recreation and fine arts instruction in Essex 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 Essex County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 896,379+4.2% since 2020
- Households
- 319,788
- Median age
- 38.6
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 45%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.3
- Land area
- 126 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 6,845
- Median household income
- $80,789+31.3% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $131,554
- Median home value
- $524,100
- Jobs located here
- 362,597
- Daytime population
- 843,719Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Essex 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 Essex 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 New Jersey
Every New Jersey market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in New Jersey for martial arts and dance studios, numbered among those based in New Jersey, with Essex County marked.
Top counties in New Jersey
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Hudson County, NJ | 74 | 118 | 3.9 | $3M | +1.8% | #94 of 1,334 |
| 2Ocean County, NJ | 69 | 102 | 4.2 | $2.5M | +5.6% | #184 of 1,334 |
| 3Burlington County, NJ | 64 | 105 | 5.9 | $2.1M | +4.3% | #292 of 1,334 |
| 4Essex County, NJ | 58 | 177 | 5.5 | $2M | +4.2% | #443 of 1,334 |
| 5Warren County, NJ | 58 | 26 | 5.7 | $1.9M | +3.2% | #449 of 1,334 |
| 6Atlantic County, NJ | 57 | 52 | 4.7 | $1.9M | +1.6% | #473 of 1,334 |
| 7Cape May County, NJ | 55 | 18 | 4.0 | $2.6M | −1.7% | #511 of 1,334 |
| 8Salem County, NJ | 54 | 12 | 4.8 | $1.9M | +2.3% | #558 of 1,334 |
| 9Cumberland County, NJ | 51 | 25 | 4.6 | $1.7M | +2.2% | #649 of 1,334 |
| 10Middlesex County, NJ | 50 | 218 | 7.1 | $1.8M | +2.6% | #670 of 1,334 |
Other business types in Essex 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 classes60
- Gyms70
- Yoga, Pilates and fitness studios57
- Martial arts and dance studios58
Health care
Child care
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many martial arts and dance studios are in Essex County, NJ?
As of September 2026, map listings count 177 martial arts and dance studios in Essex County. 14 of them (8%) are chain locations. The listings count martial arts and dance studios. Official counts show 107 businesses with payroll classed as sports, recreation and fine arts instruction in 2023, up 1.9% from 2019.
How much do households in Essex County, NJ spend on memberships, classes and admissions?
About $346.7M a year, or $1,084 per household. That is 10% above the U.S. average (an index of 110, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 177 martial arts and dance studios on map listings, it comes to $2M 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 319,788 households in Essex County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Essex County, NJ compare with the U.S. for martial arts and dance studios?
Essex County has 5.5 martial arts and dance studios per 10,000 households, 12% above the U.S. rate of 4.9. Spending per studio is $2M, 3% below the U.S. figure of $2M. At the U.S. ratio of martial arts and dance studios to household spending, Essex County would have about 172, against 177 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 2,989 households, against one for every 3,473 across the U.S. The official count rose 1.9% from 2019 to 2023, against +11.1% for the U.S.
How fast is Essex County, NJ growing?
Population estimates put Essex County at 896,379 people in 2025, up 4.2% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 319,788 households. The median household income in Essex County is $80,789 a year, in line with the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 31.3% 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. Essex County scores 58 for martial arts and dance studios (upper middle), #443 of 1,334 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Essex 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 Essex County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Essex 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 Essex 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.