Fitness and classes · Small-town market · North Carolina
Martial arts and dance studios in the Marion, NC area
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for martial arts and dance studios in the Marion, NC area, set against other small-town markets and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 31 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #320 of 378 scored small-town markets
#18 of 21 scored small-town markets based in North Carolina
- Listings
- 7
- 0 chain locations (0%)
- Official establishments
- n/a
- Fewer than 3, or not published
- Household spending a year
- $10M
- On memberships, classes and admissions · $539 a household
- Spending per listing
- $1.4M
- 29% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 3.8
- 22% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 45,198
- +1.5% since 2020
See the martial arts and dance studios around any address in the Marion 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 Marion 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
The Groundwork market score for martial arts and dance studios in the Marion area is 31 (lower middle), #320 of 378 scored small-town markets and #18 of 21 scored small-town markets based in North Carolina. That puts it in the bottom quarter of small-town markets.
As of September 2026, map listings count 7 martial arts and dance studios in the Marion area. None of them are chain locations, against 7% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 3.8, 22% below the U.S. rate of 4.9.
At $539 per household (45% below the U.S. average), households in the Marion area spend about $10M a year on memberships, classes and admissions. Spread across 7 martial arts and dance studios, that is $1.4M per studio, 29% below 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.
There is no official count of businesses with payroll classed as sports, recreation and fine arts instruction in the Marion area: counts under 3 aren’t published. Between 2020 and 2025, the population of the Marion area grew 1.5%, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%).
How the Marion area 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 | Marion area | North Carolina | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 3.8 | 4.7 | 4.9 |
| Spending per listing | $1.4M | $1.6M | $2M |
| Households per official establishment | n/a | 3,753 | 3,473 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +9.1% | +11.1% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +1.5% | +7.2% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on memberships, classes and admissions | $539 | $743 | $983 |
| Median household income | $57,168 | $72,388 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 31 | 38 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- n/a
- Employees, 2023
- n/a
- Annual payroll, 2023
- n/a
- One-person businesses, 2023
- Not publishedNot published for this business type
- Map listings, September 2026
- 70 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 5The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 0
- Amount
- $0
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as sports, recreation and fine arts instruction in the Marion 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 Marion area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 45,198+1.5% since 2020
- Households
- 18,638
- Median age
- 44.7
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 76%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.0
- Land area
- 440 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 102
- Median household income
- $57,168+31.0% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $72,753
- Median home value
- $171,100
- Jobs located here
- 15,917
- Daytime population
- 39,859Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Marion area?
These figures cover the whole small-town market. 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 Marion 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 North Carolina
Every North Carolina market ranked →The highest-scoring small-town markets in North Carolina for martial arts and dance studios, numbered among those based in North Carolina, with the Marion area marked.
Top small-town markets in North Carolina
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Anderson Creek, NC | 73 | 14 | 2.8 | $2.3M | +12.3% | #36 of 378 |
| 2Forest City, NC | 55 | 6 | 2.3 | $2.3M | +2.1% | #148 of 378 |
| 3Lumberton, NC | 53 | 9 | 2.1 | $2.1M | +3.4% | #162 of 378 |
| 4Albemarle, NC | 52 | 9 | 3.6 | $1.7M | +9.8% | #179 of 378 |
| 5Mount Airy, NC | 49 | 8 | 2.7 | $2M | +1.3% | #198 of 378 |
| 6Brevard, NC | 49 | 5 | 3.4 | $1.9M | +2.9% | #200 of 378 |
| 7Kill Devil Hills, NC | 49 | 9 | 5.3 | $1.6M | +3.3% | #204 of 378 |
| 8Morehead City, NC | 45 | 17 | 5.3 | $1.4M | +4.1% | #231 of 378 |
| 9Wilson, NC | 45 | 14 | 4.2 | $1.3M | +1.7% | #232 of 378 |
| 10Sanford, NC | 43 | 15 | 6.0 | $1M | +10.8% | #245 of 378 |
| 18Marion, NC | 31 | 7 | 3.8 | $1.4M | +1.5% | #320 of 378 |
Other business types in the Marion 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 classes44
- Gyms51
- Yoga, Pilates and fitness studios
- 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 the Marion, NC area?
The Marion area has 7 martial arts and dance studios on map listings as of September 2026. None of them are chain locations. The listings count martial arts and dance studios. No official count is published for sports, recreation and fine arts instruction in the Marion area: counts under 3 are left out.
How much do households in the Marion, NC area spend on memberships, classes and admissions?
About $10M a year, or $539 per household. That is 45% below the U.S. average (an index of 55, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 7 martial arts and dance studios on map listings, it comes to $1.4M 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 18,638 households in the Marion area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Marion, NC area compare with the U.S. for martial arts and dance studios?
The Marion area has 3.8 martial arts and dance studios per 10,000 households, 22% below the U.S. rate of 4.9. Spending per studio is $1.4M, 29% below the U.S. figure of $2M. At the national ratio of martial arts and dance studios to household spending, the Marion area would have about 5, against 7 on map listings.
How fast is the Marion, NC area growing?
Population estimates put the Marion area at 45,198 people in 2025, up 1.5% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 18,638 households. Median household income in the Marion area is $57,168, 29% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 31.0%, 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. A small-town market is a town of 10,000 to 50,000 people and the county or counties tied to it by commuting. 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 Marion area scores 31 for martial arts and dance studios (lower middle), #320 of 378 scored small-town markets.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in the Marion 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 Marion area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Marion 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 Marion 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.