Fitness and classes · County · North Carolina
Martial arts and dance studios in Buncombe County, NC
How Buncombe County, NC 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 31 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,128 of 1,334 scored counties
#53 of 64 scored counties in North Carolina
- Listings
- 59
- 2 chain locations (3%)
- Official establishments
- 39
- +2.6% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $77.3M
- On memberships, classes and admissions · $759 a household
- Spending per listing
- $1.3M
- 35% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 5.8
- 18% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 277,417
- +2.9% since 2020
See the martial arts and dance studios around any address in Buncombe 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 Buncombe 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
For martial arts and dance studios, Buncombe County has a Groundwork market score of 31 (lower middle): #1,128 of 1,334 scored counties and #53 of 64 scored counties in North Carolina. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.
Household spending on memberships, classes and admissions in Buncombe County comes to about $77.3M a year: $759 per household, 23% below the U.S. average. Spread across 59 martial arts and dance studios, that is $1.3M per studio, 35% below the U.S. figure of $2M. The spending figure covers all memberships, classes and admissions, not only martial arts and dance studios.
Buncombe County has 59 martial arts and dance studios on map listings as of September 2026. Chain locations make up 3% of them, against 7% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 5.8, 18% above the U.S. rate of 4.9.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as sports, recreation and fine arts instruction in Buncombe County was 39 in 2023, up 2.6% from 2019. That is one for every 2,612 households, against one for every 3,473 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 1 SBA-backed loan worth $125K has gone to businesses classed as sports, recreation and fine arts instruction in Buncombe County. Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Buncombe County grew 2.9%, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%).
How Buncombe County compares
The same measures for North Carolina 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 | Buncombe County | North Carolina | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 5.8 | 4.7 | 4.9 |
| Spending per listing | $1.3M | $1.6M | $2M |
| Households per official establishment | 2,612 | 3,753 | 3,473 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +2.6% | +9.1% | +11.1% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +2.9% | +7.2% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on memberships, classes and admissions | $759 | $743 | $983 |
| Median household income | $74,436 | $72,388 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 31 | 38 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 38 → 39+2.6% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 181
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $4.1M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- Not publishedNot published for this business type
- Map listings, September 2026
- 592 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 38The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 1
- Amount
- $125K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as sports, recreation and fine arts instruction in Buncombe 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 Buncombe County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 277,417+2.9% since 2020
- Households
- 101,855
- Median age
- 43.4
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 66%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 657 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 418
- Median household income
- $74,436+42.6% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $105,560
- Median home value
- $391,800
- Jobs located here
- 142,929
- Daytime population
- 299,325Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Buncombe 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 Buncombe 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 North Carolina
Every North Carolina market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in North Carolina for martial arts and dance studios, numbered among those based in North Carolina, with Buncombe County marked.
Top counties in North Carolina
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Brunswick County, NC | 75 | 23 | 3.3 | $2.2M | +26.5% | #86 of 1,334 |
| 2Davidson County, NC | 74 | 17 | 2.4 | $2.6M | +6.6% | #99 of 1,334 |
| 3Davie County, NC | 73 | 5 | 2.9 | $2.6M | +6.9% | #117 of 1,334 |
| 4Harnett County, NC | 71 | 14 | 2.8 | $2.3M | +12.3% | #153 of 1,334 |
| 5Chatham County, NC | 63 | 16 | 4.8 | $2.1M | +11.0% | #309 of 1,334 |
| 6Johnston County, NC | 63 | 32 | 3.7 | $2.1M | +17.9% | #310 of 1,334 |
| 7Burke County, NC | 61 | 9 | 2.5 | $2.3M | +1.6% | #355 of 1,334 |
| 8Pender County, NC | 60 | 10 | 4.0 | $1.9M | +19.0% | #384 of 1,334 |
| 9Orange County, NC | 58 | 25 | 4.4 | $2.3M | +6.1% | #433 of 1,334 |
| 10Pitt County, NC | 57 | 21 | 2.8 | $2.1M | +5.4% | #465 of 1,334 |
| 53Buncombe County, NC | 31 | 59 | 5.8 | $1.3M | +2.9% | #1,128 of 1,334 |
Other business types in Buncombe 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 classes26
- Gyms30
- Yoga, Pilates and fitness studios20
- Martial arts and dance studios31
Health care
Child care
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many martial arts and dance studios are in Buncombe County, NC?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 59 martial arts and dance studios in Buncombe County. 2 of them (3%) are chain locations. The listings count martial arts and dance studios. Official counts show 39 businesses with payroll classed as sports, recreation and fine arts instruction in 2023, up 2.6% from 2019.
How much do households in Buncombe County, NC spend on memberships, classes and admissions?
About $77.3M a year, or $759 per household. That is 23% below the U.S. average (an index of 77, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 59 martial arts and dance studios on map listings, it comes to $1.3M 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 101,855 households in Buncombe County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Buncombe County, NC compare with the U.S. for martial arts and dance studios?
Buncombe County has 5.8 martial arts and dance studios per 10,000 households, 18% above the U.S. rate of 4.9. Spending per studio is $1.3M, 35% below the U.S. figure of $2M. At the U.S. ratio of martial arts and dance studios to household spending, Buncombe County would have about 38, against 59 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 2,612 households, against one for every 3,473 across the U.S. The official count rose 2.6% from 2019 to 2023, against +11.1% for the U.S.
How fast is Buncombe County, NC growing?
Population estimates put Buncombe County at 277,417 people in 2025, up 2.9% since 2020, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 101,855 households. The median household income in Buncombe County is $74,436 a year, 8% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 42.6% 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. Buncombe County scores 31 for martial arts and dance studios (lower middle), #1,128 of 1,334 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Buncombe 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 Buncombe County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Buncombe 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 Buncombe 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.