Beauty and personal care · County · Massachusetts
Barbershops in Essex County, MA
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for barbershops in Essex County, MA, set against other counties and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 48 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #754 of 1,356 scored counties
#11 of 13 scored counties in Massachusetts
- Listings
- 219
- 29 chain locations (13%)
- Official establishments
- 29
- Businesses with payroll, 2023
- Household spending a year
- $360.4M
- On personal care products and services · $1,151 a household
- Spending per listing
- $1.6M
- 13% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 7.0
- 32% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 826,653
- +2.3% since 2020
See the barbershops around any address in Essex 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 Essex 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 219 barbershops in Essex County. Of those, 29 are chain locations, or 13%, against 12% across the U.S. That is 7.0 per 10,000 households, 32% above the U.S. rate of 5.3.
At $1,151 per household (15% above the U.S. average), households in Essex County spend about $360.4M a year on personal care products and services. That is about $1.6M of household spending for each shop on map listings, 13% 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.
In 2023, official counts showed 29 businesses with payroll in Essex County classed as barber shops. That is one for every 10,798 households, against one for every 16,589 across the U.S. Official counts list 502 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 9 SBA-backed loans worth $500K have gone to businesses classed as barber shops in Essex County.
Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Essex County grew 2.3%, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). Essex County scores 48 (lower middle) on the Groundwork market score for barbershops, ranking #754 of 1,356 scored counties and #11 of 13 scored counties in Massachusetts.
How Essex County compares
The same measures for Massachusetts 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 | Essex County | Massachusetts | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 7.0 | 6.0 | 5.3 |
| Spending per listing | $1.6M | $1.9M | $1.9M |
| Households per official establishment | 10,798 | 16,982 | 16,589 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +36.7% | +28.5% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +2.3% | +2.4% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on personal care products and services | $1,151 | $1,165 | $1,005 |
| Median household income | $101,883 | $103,960 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 48 | 48 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 15 → 29
- Employees, 2023
- 58
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $2.4M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 502Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 21929 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 191The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 9
- Amount
- $500K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as barber shops in Essex 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 Essex County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 826,653+2.3% since 2020
- Households
- 313,147
- Median age
- 42.2
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 64%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.7
- Land area
- 493 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 1,651
- Median household income
- $101,883+28.5% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $140,108
- Median home value
- $619,100
- Jobs located here
- 329,644
- Daytime population
- 736,954Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Essex 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 Essex County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.
Free10 actions over 3 days, no cardBarbershops across Massachusetts
Every Massachusetts market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in Massachusetts for barbershops, numbered among those based in Massachusetts, with Essex County marked.
Top counties in Massachusetts
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Hampshire County, MA | 88 | 20 | 3.2 | $3.3M | +10.4% | #23 of 1,356 |
| 2Plymouth County, MA | 73 | 98 | 4.8 | $2.5M | +3.5% | #170 of 1,356 |
| 3Norfolk County, MA | 70 | 129 | 4.6 | $2.9M | +2.2% | #230 of 1,356 |
| 4Barnstable County, MA | 69 | 51 | 4.8 | $2.3M | +2.4% | #266 of 1,356 |
| 5Middlesex County, MA | 68 | 369 | 5.8 | $2.2M | +2.8% | #283 of 1,356 |
| 6Dukes County, MA | 64 | 5 | 6.6 | $1.9M | +3.1% | #372 of 1,356 |
| 7Worcester County, MA | 64 | 224 | 6.7 | $1.7M | +3.7% | #374 of 1,356 |
| 8Franklin County, MA | 63 | 10 | 3.2 | $3M | −0.3% | #382 of 1,356 |
| 9Bristol County, MA | 60 | 152 | 6.5 | $1.6M | +2.9% | #456 of 1,356 |
| 10Berkshire County, MA | 55 | 24 | 4.2 | $2.4M | −1.2% | #566 of 1,356 |
| 11Essex County, MA | 48 | 219 | 7.0 | $1.6M | +2.3% | #754 of 1,356 |
Other business types in Essex 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 salons43
- Barbershops48
- Nail salons43
- Spas and skin care43
Fitness and classes
Health care
Child care
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many barbershops are in Essex County, MA?
There are 219 barbershops on map listings in Essex County as of September 2026. 29 of them (13%) are chain locations. The listings count barbershops. Official counts show 29 businesses with payroll classed as barber shops in 2023. Official counts also show 502 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Essex County, MA spend on personal care products and services?
About $360.4M a year, or $1,151 per household. That is 15% above the U.S. average (an index of 115, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 219 barbershops on map listings, it comes to $1.6M per shop. The spending figure covers all personal care products and services, not only barbershops. It is estimated from the incomes of the 313,147 households in Essex County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Essex County, MA compare with the U.S. for barbershops?
Essex County has 7.0 barbershops per 10,000 households, 32% above the U.S. rate of 5.3. Spending per shop is $1.6M, 13% below the U.S. figure of $1.9M. At the national ratio of barbershops to household spending, Essex County would have about 191, against 219 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 10,798 households, against one for every 16,589 across the U.S.
How fast is Essex County, MA growing?
Population estimates put Essex County at 826,653 people in 2025, up 2.3% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 313,147 households. Median household income in Essex County is $101,883, 26% above the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 28.5%, 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. Essex County scores 48 for barbershops (lower middle), #754 of 1,356 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Essex 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 Essex County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Essex 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 Essex 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.