Beauty and personal care · County · Illinois
Barbershops in Cook County, IL
The barbershops in Cook County, IL, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 46 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #810 of 1,356 scored counties
#25 of 38 scored counties in Illinois
- Listings
- 1,243
- 134 chain locations (11%)
- Official establishments
- 161
- +29.8% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $2.2B
- On personal care products and services · $1,071 a household
- Spending per listing
- $1.8M
- 4% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 5.9
- 11% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 5,194,625
- −1.3% since 2020
See the barbershops around any address in Cook 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 Cook 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
Map listings as of September 2026 show 1,243 barbershops in Cook County. Chain locations make up 11% of them, against 12% across the U.S. That comes to 5.9 for every 10,000 households, 11% above the U.S. rate of 5.3.
Households in Cook County spend about $2.2B a year on personal care products and services, or $1,071 per household, 7% above the U.S. average. That works out to $1.8M per shop, 4% below the U.S. figure of $1.9M. That spending covers all personal care products and services, which barbershops share with other businesses in the trade.
Official counts show 161 businesses with payroll classed as barber shops in Cook County in 2023, up 29.8% from 2019. That is one for every 13,045 households, against one for every 16,589 across the U.S. Another 3,824 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts. Since fiscal 2022, 14 SBA-backed loans worth $7.1M have gone to businesses classed as barber shops in Cook County.
Population estimates put the population change in Cook County from 2020 to 2025 at −1.3%, against +3.1% for the U.S. For barbershops, Cook County has a Groundwork market score of 46 (lower middle): #810 of 1,356 scored counties and #25 of 38 scored counties in Illinois.
How Cook County compares
The same measures for Illinois 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 | Cook County | Illinois | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 5.9 | 5.1 | 5.3 |
| Spending per listing | $1.8M | $2.1M | $1.9M |
| Households per official establishment | 13,045 | 17,131 | 16,589 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +29.8% | +38.0% | +28.5% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −1.3% | −0.6% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on personal care products and services | $1,071 | $1,063 | $1,005 |
| Median household income | $83,498 | $83,390 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 46 | 39 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 124 → 161+29.8% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 600
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $19.9M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 3,824Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 1,243134 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 1,193The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 14
- Amount
- $7.1M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as barber shops in Cook 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 Cook County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 5,194,625−1.3% since 2020
- Households
- 2,100,230
- Median age
- 39.2
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 58%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.4
- Land area
- 945 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 5,484
- Median household income
- $83,498+29.1% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $120,729
- Median home value
- $324,500
- Jobs located here
- 2,683,238
- Daytime population
- 5,468,881Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Cook 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 Cook County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.
Free10 actions over 3 days, no cardBarbershops across Illinois
Every Illinois market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in Illinois for barbershops, numbered among those based in Illinois, with Cook County marked.
Top counties in Illinois
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1McHenry County, IL | 83 | 38 | 3.2 | $3.7M | +2.5% | #46 of 1,356 |
| 2Grundy County, IL | 72 | 9 | 4.4 | $2.5M | +2.9% | #187 of 1,356 |
| 3Kendall County, IL | 71 | 21 | 4.6 | $2.6M | +9.9% | #205 of 1,356 |
| 4Will County, IL | 71 | 122 | 5.0 | $2.4M | +2.2% | #210 of 1,356 |
| 5Madison County, IL | 67 | 42 | 3.8 | $2.6M | −1.0% | #289 of 1,356 |
| 6Effingham County, IL | 63 | 5 | 3.6 | $2.8M | −0.5% | #384 of 1,356 |
| 7McLean County, IL | 63 | 28 | 4.0 | $2.6M | +0.1% | #385 of 1,356 |
| 8Adams County, IL | 60 | 7 | 2.5 | $3.7M | −2.1% | #441 of 1,356 |
| 9Champaign County, IL | 60 | 32 | 3.7 | $2.5M | +1.8% | #450 of 1,356 |
| 10Tazewell County, IL | 59 | 21 | 3.9 | $2.6M | −0.9% | #466 of 1,356 |
| 25Cook County, IL | 46 | 1,243 | 5.9 | $1.8M | −1.3% | #810 of 1,356 |
Other business types in Cook 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 spas38
- Hair salons45
- Barbershops46
- Nail salons43
- Spas and skin care45
Fitness and classes
Health care
Child care
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many barbershops are in Cook County, IL?
There are 1,243 barbershops on map listings in Cook County as of September 2026. 134 of them (11%) are chain locations. The listings count barbershops. Official counts show 161 businesses with payroll classed as barber shops in 2023, up 29.8% from 2019. Official counts list 3,824 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Cook County, IL spend on personal care products and services?
About $2.2B a year, or $1,071 per household. That is 7% above the U.S. average (an index of 107, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 1,243 barbershops on map listings, it comes to $1.8M per shop. The spending figure covers all personal care products and services, not only barbershops. It is estimated from the incomes of the 2,100,230 households in Cook County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Cook County, IL compare with the U.S. for barbershops?
Cook County has 5.9 barbershops per 10,000 households, 11% above the U.S. rate of 5.3. Spending per shop is $1.8M, 4% below the U.S. figure of $1.9M. At the national ratio of barbershops to household spending, Cook County would have about 1,193, against 1,243 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 13,045 households, against one for every 16,589 across the U.S. The official count rose 29.8% from 2019 to 2023, against +28.5% for the U.S.
How fast is Cook County, IL growing?
Population estimates put Cook County at 5,194,625 people in 2025, down 1.3% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 2,100,230 households. Median household income in Cook County is $83,498, 3% above the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 29.1%, 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. Cook County scores 46 for barbershops (lower middle), #810 of 1,356 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Cook 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 Cook County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Cook 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 Cook 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.