Beauty and personal care · County · Kentucky
Barbershops in Nelson County, KY
How Nelson County, KY compares with other counties and the U.S. for barbershops: competitors, household spending, official counts and growth.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 38 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #965 of 1,356 scored counties
#19 of 43 scored counties in Kentucky
- Listings
- 12
- 0 chain locations (0%)
- Official establishments
- n/a
- Fewer than 3, or not published
- Household spending a year
- $16.2M
- On personal care products and services · $848 a household
- Spending per listing
- $1.4M
- 28% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 6.3
- 19% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 49,036
- +4.8% since 2020
See the barbershops around any address in Nelson 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 Nelson 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 12 barbershops in Nelson County. None of them are chain locations, against 12% across the U.S. That comes to 6.3 for every 10,000 households, 19% above the U.S. rate of 5.3.
At $848 per household (16% below the U.S. average), households in Nelson County spend about $16.2M a year on personal care products and services. That is about $1.4M of household spending for each shop on map listings, 28% 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.
There is no official count of businesses with payroll classed as barber shops in Nelson County: counts under 3 aren’t published. Official counts list 27 one-person businesses without payroll.
Population estimates show Nelson County grew 4.8% from 2020 to 2025, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). Nelson County scores 38 (lower middle) on the Groundwork market score for barbershops, ranking #965 of 1,356 scored counties and #19 of 43 scored counties in Kentucky.
How Nelson County compares
The same measures for Kentucky 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 | Nelson County | Kentucky | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 6.3 | 5.1 | 5.3 |
| Spending per listing | $1.4M | $1.6M | $1.9M |
| Households per official establishment | n/a | 38,606 | 16,589 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +17.5% | +28.5% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +4.8% | +2.2% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on personal care products and services | $848 | $833 | $1,005 |
| Median household income | $69,562 | $63,726 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 38 | 40 |
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
- 27Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 120 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 9The 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 Nelson 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 Nelson County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 49,036+4.8% since 2020
- Households
- 19,150
- Median age
- 40.6
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 78%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.1
- Land area
- 419 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 114
- Median household income
- $69,562+15.7% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $87,639
- Median home value
- $238,000
- Jobs located here
- 18,213
- Daytime population
- 41,912Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Nelson 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 Nelson County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.
Free10 actions over 3 days, no cardBarbershops across Kentucky
Every Kentucky market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in Kentucky for barbershops, numbered among those based in Kentucky, with Nelson County marked.
Top counties in Kentucky
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Oldham County, KY | 83 | 9 | 3.9 | $3M | +4.9% | #51 of 1,356 |
| 2Scott County, KY | 80 | 7 | 3.1 | $3.1M | +8.2% | #75 of 1,356 |
| 3Boone County, KY | 77 | 20 | 3.9 | $2.6M | +6.5% | #111 of 1,356 |
| 4Jessamine County, KY | 69 | 7 | 3.5 | $2.6M | +7.8% | #264 of 1,356 |
| 5Kenton County, KY | 68 | 24 | 3.6 | $2.6M | +3.9% | #279 of 1,356 |
| 6Campbell County, KY | 64 | 14 | 3.6 | $2.6M | +2.5% | #362 of 1,356 |
| 7Shelby County, KY | 63 | 8 | 4.3 | $2.2M | +6.2% | #389 of 1,356 |
| 8Bullitt County, KY | 62 | 13 | 4.1 | $2.3M | +5.0% | #407 of 1,356 |
| 9Clark County, KY | 53 | 5 | 3.3 | $2.5M | +2.3% | #614 of 1,356 |
| 10Madison County, KY | 53 | 16 | 4.3 | $1.9M | +9.4% | #628 of 1,356 |
| 19Nelson County, KY | 38 | 12 | 6.3 | $1.4M | +4.8% | #965 of 1,356 |
Other business types in Nelson 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 spas43
- Hair salons46
- Barbershops38
- Nail salons62
- Spas and skin care40
Fitness and classes
Health care
Child care
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many barbershops are in Nelson County, KY?
There are 12 barbershops on map listings in Nelson County as of September 2026. None of them are chain locations. The listings count barbershops. No official count is published for barber shops in Nelson County: counts under 3 are left out. Official counts also show 27 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Nelson County, KY spend on personal care products and services?
About $16.2M a year, or $848 per household. That is 16% below the U.S. average (an index of 84, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 12 barbershops on map listings, it comes to $1.4M per shop. The spending figure covers all personal care products and services, not only barbershops. It is estimated from the incomes of the 19,150 households in Nelson County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Nelson County, KY compare with the U.S. for barbershops?
Nelson County has 6.3 barbershops per 10,000 households, 19% above the U.S. rate of 5.3. Spending per shop is $1.4M, 28% below the U.S. figure of $1.9M. At the national ratio of barbershops to household spending, Nelson County would have about 9, against 12 on map listings.
How fast is Nelson County, KY growing?
Population estimates put Nelson County at 49,036 people in 2025, up 4.8% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 19,150 households. Median household income in Nelson County is $69,562, 14% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 15.7%, 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. Nelson County scores 38 for barbershops (lower middle), #965 of 1,356 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Nelson 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 Nelson County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Nelson 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 Nelson 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.