Beauty and personal care · County · California
Barbershops in Merced County, CA
The barbershops in Merced County, CA, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 51 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #683 of 1,356 scored counties
#38 of 48 scored counties in California
- Listings
- 46
- 5 chain locations (11%)
- Official establishments
- n/a
- Fewer than 3, or not published
- Household spending a year
- $78.6M
- On personal care products and services · $913 a household
- Spending per listing
- $1.7M
- 9% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 5.3
- In line with the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 297,260
- +5.1% since 2020
See the barbershops around any address in Merced County
The site report maps the barbershops 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 Merced 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
Household spending on personal care products and services in Merced County comes to about $78.6M a year: $913 per household, 9% below the U.S. average. Spread across 46 barbershops, that is $1.7M per shop, 9% below the U.S. figure of $1.9M. The spending figure covers all personal care products and services, not only barbershops.
Merced County has 46 barbershops on map listings as of September 2026. 5 of them (11%) are chain locations, against 12% across the U.S. That comes to 5.3 for every 10,000 households, in line with the U.S. rate of 5.3.
Official counts don’t publish a figure for barber shops in Merced County, since they leave out counts under 3. Official counts also show 155 one-person businesses without payroll.
Population estimates show Merced County grew 5.1% from 2020 to 2025, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). The Groundwork market score for barbershops in Merced County is 51 (upper middle), #683 of 1,356 scored counties and #38 of 48 scored counties in California.
How Merced County compares
The same measures for California and the whole U.S. Spending per listing divides a year of household spending on all personal care products and services by the barbershops 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 | Merced County | California | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 5.3 | 5.4 | 5.3 |
| Spending per listing | $1.7M | $2.1M | $1.9M |
| Households per official establishment | n/a | 22,808 | 16,589 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +17.9% | +28.5% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +5.1% | −0.4% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on personal care products and services | $913 | $1,149 | $1,005 |
| Median household income | $65,510 | $99,122 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 51 | 55 |
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
- 155Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 465 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 42The 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 barber shops in Merced 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 Merced County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 297,260+5.1% since 2020
- Households
- 86,055
- Median age
- 32.1
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 54%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.1
- Land area
- 1,938 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 150
- Median household income
- $65,510+22.1% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $87,781
- Median home value
- $391,800
- Jobs located here
- 77,775
- Daytime population
- 255,124Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Merced 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 barbershops on map listings by name and distance.
Or open the report at the center of Merced County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.
Free10 actions over 3 days, no cardBarbershops across California
Every California market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in California for barbershops, numbered among those based in California, with Merced County marked.
Top counties in California
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1San Benito County, CA | 89 | 8 | 3.9 | $3.2M | +8.6% | #21 of 1,356 |
| 2Placer County, CA | 88 | 69 | 4.4 | $2.8M | +8.9% | #24 of 1,356 |
| 3San Mateo County, CA | 81 | 85 | 3.2 | $4.4M | −2.5% | #58 of 1,356 |
| 4Sonoma County, CA | 80 | 67 | 3.5 | $3.4M | −0.4% | #71 of 1,356 |
| 5Amador County, CA | 80 | 5 | 3.1 | $3.3M | +3.2% | #72 of 1,356 |
| 6Yolo County, CA | 80 | 26 | 3.4 | $3.2M | +3.1% | #74 of 1,356 |
| 7Marin County, CA | 78 | 24 | 2.3 | $5.9M | −2.9% | #86 of 1,356 |
| 8El Dorado County, CA | 77 | 26 | 3.4 | $3.5M | +0.6% | #104 of 1,356 |
| 9Calaveras County, CA | 77 | 6 | 3.3 | $3.2M | +2.8% | #105 of 1,356 |
| 10Contra Costa County, CA | 77 | 180 | 4.3 | $3M | +0.3% | #107 of 1,356 |
| 38Merced County, CA | 51 | 46 | 5.3 | $1.7M | +5.1% | #683 of 1,356 |
Other business types in Merced 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
- Salons, barbers and spas73
- Hair salons77
- Barbershops51
- Nail salons69
- Spas and skin care83
Fitness and classes
Health care
Child care
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many barbershops are in Merced County, CA?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 46 barbershops in Merced County. 5 of them (11%) are chain locations. The listings count barbershops. No official count is published for barber shops in Merced County: counts under 3 are left out. Official counts list 155 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Merced County, CA spend on personal care products and services?
About $78.6M a year, or $913 per household. That is 9% below the U.S. average (an index of 91, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 46 barbershops on map listings, it comes to $1.7M per shop. That spending covers all personal care products and services, which barbershops share with other businesses in the trade. It is estimated from the incomes of the 86,055 households in Merced County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Merced County, CA compare with the U.S. for barbershops?
Merced County has 5.3 barbershops per 10,000 households, in line with the U.S. rate of 5.3. Spending per shop is $1.7M, 9% below the U.S. figure of $1.9M. At the U.S. ratio of barbershops to household spending, Merced County would have about 42, against 46 on map listings.
How fast is Merced County, CA growing?
Population estimates put Merced County at 297,260 people in 2025, up 5.1% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 86,055 households. The median household income in Merced County is $65,510 a year, 19% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 22.1% 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. Merced County scores 51 for barbershops (upper middle), #683 of 1,356 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Merced County. It maps the barbershops 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 barbershops · All 56 business types in Merced County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Merced 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 Merced 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.