Fitness and classes · Metro area · Virginia
Martial arts and dance studios in the Richmond, VA metro area
How the Richmond, VA metro area compares with other metro areas and the U.S. for martial arts and dance studios: competitors, household spending, official counts and growth.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 47 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #226 of 387 scored metro areas
#4 of 9 scored metro areas based in Virginia
- Listings
- 256
- 12 chain locations (5%)
- Official establishments
- 173
- +4.6% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $466.3M
- On memberships, classes and admissions · $874 a household
- Spending per listing
- $1.8M
- 10% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 4.8
- 2% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 1,389,338
- +5.5% since 2020
See the martial arts and dance studios around any address in the Richmond metro 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 Richmond metro 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
Household spending on memberships, classes and admissions in the Richmond metro area comes to about $466.3M a year: $874 per household, 11% below the U.S. average. Spread across 256 martial arts and dance studios, that is $1.8M per studio, 10% 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 256 martial arts and dance studios on map listings in the Richmond metro area as of September 2026. Of those, 12 are chain locations, or 5%, against 7% across the U.S. That comes to 4.8 for every 10,000 households, 2% below the U.S. rate of 4.9.
In 2023, official counts showed 173 businesses with payroll in the Richmond metro area classed as sports, recreation and fine arts instruction, up 4.6% from 2019. That is one for every 3,083 households, against one for every 3,473 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 8 SBA-backed loans worth $468K have gone to businesses classed as sports, recreation and fine arts instruction in the Richmond metro area.
Population estimates put the population change in the Richmond metro area from 2020 to 2025 at +5.5%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). The Groundwork market score for martial arts and dance studios in the Richmond metro area is 47 (lower middle), #226 of 387 scored metro areas and #4 of 9 scored metro areas based in Virginia.
How the Richmond metro area compares
The same measures for Virginia 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 | Richmond metro area | Virginia | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 4.8 | 5.0 | 4.9 |
| Spending per listing | $1.8M | $1.9M | $2M |
| Households per official establishment | 3,083 | 3,184 | 3,473 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +4.6% | +3.4% | +11.1% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +5.5% | +2.8% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on memberships, classes and admissions | $874 | $960 | $983 |
| Median household income | $86,679 | $93,170 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 47 | 46 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 173+4.6% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 1,347
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $28.2M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- Not publishedNot published for this business type
- Map listings, September 2026
- 25612 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 231The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 8
- Amount
- $468K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as sports, recreation and fine arts instruction in the Richmond metro 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 Richmond metro area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 1,389,338+5.5% since 2020
- Households
- 533,430
- Median age
- 40.2
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 67%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 4,368 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 307
- Median household income
- $86,679+26.5% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $117,479
- Median home value
- $353,500
- Jobs located here
- 693,750
- Daytime population
- 1,389,666Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Richmond metro area?
These figures cover the whole metro area. 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 Richmond metro 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 Virginia
Every Virginia market ranked →The highest-scoring metro areas in Virginia for martial arts and dance studios, numbered among those based in Virginia (a market based in another state is listed without a number), with the Richmond metro area marked.
Top metro areas in Virginia
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Winchester, VA-WV | 63 | 21 | 3.8 | $2.2M | +6.5% | #77 of 387 |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV | 58 | 1,322 | 5.6 | $2.2M | +3.3% | #110 of 387 |
| 2Staunton-Stuarts Draft, VA | 50 | 15 | 2.9 | $2.3M | +3.2% | #179 of 387 |
| 3Charlottesville, VA | 50 | 40 | 4.4 | $2.1M | +3.1% | #180 of 387 |
| 4Richmond, VA | 47 | 256 | 4.8 | $1.8M | +5.5% | #226 of 387 |
| 5Lynchburg, VA | 47 | 37 | 3.6 | $1.8M | +2.9% | #227 of 387 |
| 6Harrisonburg, VA | 44 | 24 | 4.8 | $1.5M | +3.5% | #257 of 387 |
| 7Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk, VA-NC | 39 | 329 | 4.7 | $1.7M | +0.9% | #294 of 387 |
| 8Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford, VA | 39 | 30 | 4.3 | $1.6M | −0.1% | #297 of 387 |
| Kingsport-Bristol, TN-VA | 37 | 53 | 4.0 | $1.4M | +2.3% | #316 of 387 |
Other business types in the Richmond metro 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 classes55
- Gyms60
- Yoga, Pilates and fitness studios52
- Martial arts and dance studios47
Health care
Child care
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many martial arts and dance studios are in the Richmond, VA metro area?
As of September 2026, map listings count 256 martial arts and dance studios in the Richmond metro area. 12 of them (5%) are chain locations. The listings count martial arts and dance studios. Official counts show 173 businesses with payroll classed as sports, recreation and fine arts instruction in 2023, up 4.6% from 2019.
How much do households in the Richmond, VA metro area spend on memberships, classes and admissions?
About $466.3M a year, or $874 per household. That is 11% below the U.S. average (an index of 89, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 256 martial arts and dance studios on map listings, it comes to $1.8M 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 533,430 households in the Richmond metro area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Richmond, VA metro area compare with the U.S. for martial arts and dance studios?
The Richmond metro area has 4.8 martial arts and dance studios per 10,000 households, 2% below the U.S. rate of 4.9. Spending per studio is $1.8M, 10% below the U.S. figure of $2M. At the U.S. ratio of martial arts and dance studios to household spending, the Richmond metro area would have about 231, against 256 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 3,083 households, against one for every 3,473 across the U.S. The official count rose 4.6% from 2019 to 2023, against +11.1% for the U.S.
How fast is the Richmond, VA metro area growing?
Population estimates put the Richmond metro area at 1,389,338 people in 2025, up 5.5% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 533,430 households. The median household income in the Richmond metro area is $86,679 a year, 7% above the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 26.5% 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. The Richmond metro area scores 47 for martial arts and dance studios (lower middle), #226 of 387 scored metro areas.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in the Richmond metro 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 Richmond metro area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Richmond metro 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 Richmond metro 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.