Beauty and personal care · County · Iowa
Barbershops in Polk County, IA
The barbershops in Polk County, IA, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 69 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #271 of 1,356 scored counties
#7 of 20 scored counties in Iowa
- Listings
- 105
- 13 chain locations (12%)
- Official establishments
- 10
- Businesses with payroll, 2023
- Household spending a year
- $217M
- On personal care products and services · $1,057 a household
- Spending per listing
- $2.1M
- 10% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 5.1
- 4% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 516,546
- +4.8% since 2020
See the barbershops around any address in Polk 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 Polk 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 Polk County comes to about $217M a year: $1,057 per household, 5% above the U.S. average. That works out to $2.1M per shop, 10% above the U.S. figure of $1.9M. The spending figure covers all personal care products and services, not only barbershops.
There are 105 barbershops on map listings in Polk County as of September 2026. Of those, 13 are chain locations, or 12%, against 12% across the U.S. That is 5.1 per 10,000 households, 4% below the U.S. rate of 5.3.
Official counts show 10 businesses with payroll classed as barber shops in Polk County in 2023. That is one for every 20,536 households, against one for every 16,589 across the U.S. Official counts also show 157 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 1 SBA-backed loan worth $65K has gone to businesses classed as barber shops in Polk County.
Population estimates show Polk County grew 4.8% from 2020 to 2025, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). Polk County scores 69 (upper middle) on the Groundwork market score for barbershops, ranking #271 of 1,356 scored counties and #7 of 20 scored counties in Iowa. That puts it in the top quarter of counties.
How Polk County compares
The same measures for Iowa 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 | Polk County | Iowa | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 5.1 | 3.2 | 5.3 |
| Spending per listing | $2.1M | $3.1M | $1.9M |
| Households per official establishment | 20,536 | 46,990 | 16,589 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +33.3% | +28.5% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +4.8% | +1.5% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on personal care products and services | $1,057 | $990 | $1,005 |
| Median household income | $83,576 | $75,059 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 69 | 72 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 6 → 10
- Employees, 2023
- 44
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $1.5M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 157Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 10513 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 115The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 1
- Amount
- $65K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as barber shops in Polk 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 Polk County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 516,546+4.8% since 2020
- Households
- 205,358
- Median age
- 37.1
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 67%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.8
- Land area
- 573 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 879
- Median household income
- $83,576+23.6% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $109,398
- Median home value
- $262,100
- Jobs located here
- 309,340
- Daytime population
- 566,731Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Polk 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 Polk County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.
Free10 actions over 3 days, no cardBarbershops across Iowa
Every Iowa market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in Iowa for barbershops, numbered among those based in Iowa, with Polk County marked.
Top counties in Iowa
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Warren County, IA | 92 | 5 | 2.4 | $4.5M | +9.0% | #7 of 1,356 |
| 2Johnson County, IA | 81 | 18 | 2.8 | $3.6M | +4.6% | #60 of 1,356 |
| 3Dallas County, IA | 80 | 8 | 1.9 | $6.3M | +17.8% | #66 of 1,356 |
| 4Story County, IA | 78 | 9 | 2.3 | $4.2M | +2.7% | #87 of 1,356 |
| 5Pottawattamie County, IA | 69 | 7 | 1.9 | $5.2M | −0.7% | #248 of 1,356 |
| 6Marion County, IA | 69 | 5 | 3.8 | $2.7M | +2.3% | #263 of 1,356 |
| 7Polk County, IA | 69 | 105 | 5.1 | $2.1M | +4.8% | #271 of 1,356 |
| 8Linn County, IA | 67 | 35 | 3.7 | $2.8M | +0.7% | #287 of 1,356 |
| 9Scott County, IA | 66 | 32 | 4.4 | $2.3M | +0.4% | #310 of 1,356 |
| 10Dubuque County, IA | 65 | 14 | 3.4 | $2.9M | +0.1% | #332 of 1,356 |
Other business types in Polk 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 spas45
- Hair salons49
- Barbershops69
- Nail salons55
- Spas and skin care47
Fitness and classes
Health care
Child care
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many barbershops are in Polk County, IA?
As of September 2026, map listings count 105 barbershops in Polk County. 13 of them (12%) are chain locations. The listings count barbershops. Official counts show 10 businesses with payroll classed as barber shops in 2023. Another 157 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in Polk County, IA spend on personal care products and services?
About $217M a year, or $1,057 per household. That is 5% above the U.S. average (an index of 105, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 105 barbershops on map listings, it comes to $2.1M 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 205,358 households in Polk County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Polk County, IA compare with the U.S. for barbershops?
Polk County has 5.1 barbershops per 10,000 households, 4% below the U.S. rate of 5.3. Spending per shop is $2.1M, 10% above the U.S. figure of $1.9M. At the U.S. ratio of barbershops to household spending, Polk County would have about 115, against 105 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 20,536 households, against one for every 16,589 across the U.S.
How fast is Polk County, IA growing?
Population estimates put Polk County at 516,546 people in 2025, up 4.8% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 205,358 households. The median household income in Polk County is $83,576 a year, 4% above the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 23.6% 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. Polk County scores 69 for barbershops (upper middle), #271 of 1,356 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Polk 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 Polk County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Polk 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 Polk 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.