Beauty and personal care · County · Maryland
Barbershops in Howard County, MD
How Howard County, MD compares with other counties and the U.S. for barbershops: competitors, household spending, official counts and growth.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 73 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #165 of 1,356 scored counties
#5 of 19 scored counties in Maryland
- Listings
- 50
- 13 chain locations (26%)
- Official establishments
- 8
- Businesses with payroll, 2023
- Household spending a year
- $154.8M
- On personal care products and services · $1,278 a household
- Spending per listing
- $3.1M
- 64% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 4.1
- 23% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 339,183
- +1.9% since 2020
See the barbershops around any address in Howard 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 Howard 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
At $1,278 per household (27% above the U.S. average), households in Howard County spend about $154.8M a year on personal care products and services. Spread across 50 barbershops, that is $3.1M per shop, 64% above the U.S. figure of $1.9M. The spending figure covers all personal care products and services, not only barbershops.
There are 50 barbershops on map listings in Howard County as of September 2026. Chain locations make up 26% of them, against 12% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 4.1, 23% below the U.S. rate of 5.3.
In 2023, official counts showed 8 businesses with payroll in Howard County classed as barber shops. That is one for every 15,133 households, against one for every 16,589 across the U.S. Another 99 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
Population estimates put the population change in Howard County from 2020 to 2025 at +1.9%, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). The Groundwork market score for barbershops in Howard County is 73 (upper middle), #165 of 1,356 scored counties and #5 of 19 scored counties in Maryland. That puts it in the top quarter of counties.
How Howard County compares
The same measures for Maryland 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 | Howard County | Maryland | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 4.1 | 5.5 | 5.3 |
| Spending per listing | $3.1M | $2M | $1.9M |
| Households per official establishment | 15,133 | 18,317 | 16,589 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +6.6% | +28.5% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +1.9% | +1.4% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on personal care products and services | $1,278 | $1,072 | $1,005 |
| Median household income | $149,763 | $103,678 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 73 | 45 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 9 → 8
- Employees, 2023
- 38
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $1.2M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 99Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 5013 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 82The 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 Howard 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 Howard County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 339,183+1.9% since 2020
- Households
- 121,065
- Median age
- 40.7
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 71%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 251 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 1,340
- Median household income
- $149,763+23.6% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $184,243
- Median home value
- $597,900
- Jobs located here
- 185,575
- Daytime population
- 363,145Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Howard 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 Howard County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.
Free10 actions over 3 days, no cardBarbershops across Maryland
Every Maryland market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in Maryland for barbershops, numbered among those based in Maryland, with Howard County marked.
Top counties in Maryland
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Queen Anne’s County, MD | 84 | 8 | 4.0 | $2.8M | +8.8% | #42 of 1,356 |
| 2Frederick County, MD | 79 | 57 | 5.4 | $2.1M | +11.0% | #84 of 1,356 |
| 3Carroll County, MD | 76 | 25 | 3.9 | $2.9M | +2.2% | #124 of 1,356 |
| 4Calvert County, MD | 75 | 14 | 4.2 | $2.9M | +1.7% | #138 of 1,356 |
| 5Howard County, MD | 73 | 50 | 4.1 | $3.1M | +1.9% | #165 of 1,356 |
| 6Talbot County, MD | 72 | 5 | 3.0 | $3.2M | +2.0% | #181 of 1,356 |
| 7Montgomery County, MD | 72 | 156 | 4.0 | $3M | +1.3% | #183 of 1,356 |
| 8Cecil County, MD | 66 | 17 | 4.2 | $2.4M | +3.2% | #308 of 1,356 |
| 9St. Mary’s County, MD | 66 | 22 | 5.2 | $2.2M | +2.4% | #314 of 1,356 |
| 10Worcester County, MD | 64 | 10 | 4.1 | $2.3M | +3.7% | #369 of 1,356 |
Other business types in Howard 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 spas49
- Hair salons60
- Barbershops73
- Nail salons48
- 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 Howard County, MD?
As of September 2026, map listings count 50 barbershops in Howard County. 13 of them (26%) are chain locations. The listings count barbershops. Official counts show 8 businesses with payroll classed as barber shops in 2023. Official counts list 99 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Howard County, MD spend on personal care products and services?
About $154.8M a year, or $1,278 per household. That is 27% above the U.S. average (an index of 127, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 50 barbershops on map listings, it comes to $3.1M 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 121,065 households in Howard County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Howard County, MD compare with the U.S. for barbershops?
Howard County has 4.1 barbershops per 10,000 households, 23% below the U.S. rate of 5.3. Spending per shop is $3.1M, 64% above the U.S. figure of $1.9M. At the U.S. ratio of barbershops to household spending, Howard County would have about 82, against 50 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 15,133 households, against one for every 16,589 across the U.S.
How fast is Howard County, MD growing?
Population estimates put Howard County at 339,183 people in 2025, up 1.9% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 121,065 households. The median household income in Howard County is $149,763 a year, 86% 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. Howard County scores 73 for barbershops (upper middle), #165 of 1,356 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Howard 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 Howard County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Howard 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 Howard 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.