Beauty and personal care · County · Massachusetts
Barbershops in Middlesex County, MA
The barbershops in Middlesex County, MA, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 68 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #283 of 1,356 scored counties
#5 of 13 scored counties in Massachusetts
- Listings
- 369
- 43 chain locations (12%)
- Official establishments
- 37
- +23.3% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $823.5M
- On personal care products and services · $1,298 a household
- Spending per listing
- $2.2M
- 18% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 5.8
- 9% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 1,669,979
- +2.8% since 2020
See the barbershops around any address in Middlesex 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 Middlesex 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 Middlesex County comes to about $823.5M a year: $1,298 per household, 29% above the U.S. average. That is about $2.2M of household spending for each shop on map listings, 18% above the U.S. figure of $1.9M. The spending figure covers all personal care products and services, not only barbershops.
Middlesex County has 369 barbershops on map listings as of September 2026. Of those, 43 are chain locations, or 12%, against 12% across the U.S. That comes to 5.8 for every 10,000 households, 9% above the U.S. rate of 5.3.
Official counts show 37 businesses with payroll classed as barber shops in Middlesex County in 2023, up 23.3% from 2019. That is one for every 17,141 households, against one for every 16,589 across the U.S. Official counts also show 439 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 8 SBA-backed loans worth $1.2M have gone to businesses classed as barber shops in Middlesex County.
Population estimates put the population change in Middlesex County from 2020 to 2025 at +2.8%, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%). The Groundwork market score for barbershops in Middlesex County is 68 (upper middle), #283 of 1,356 scored counties and #5 of 13 scored counties in Massachusetts. That puts it in the top quarter of counties.
How Middlesex 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 | Middlesex County | Massachusetts | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 5.8 | 6.0 | 5.3 |
| Spending per listing | $2.2M | $1.9M | $1.9M |
| Households per official establishment | 17,141 | 16,982 | 16,589 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +23.3% | +36.7% | +28.5% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +2.8% | +2.4% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on personal care products and services | $1,298 | $1,165 | $1,005 |
| Median household income | $130,847 | $103,960 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 68 | 48 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 30 → 37+23.3% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 94
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $3.9M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 439Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 36943 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 437The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 8
- Amount
- $1.2M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as barber shops in Middlesex 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 Middlesex County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 1,669,979+2.8% since 2020
- Households
- 634,215
- Median age
- 40.3
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 61%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.6
- Land area
- 818 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 2,003
- Median household income
- $130,847+27.5% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $178,065
- Median home value
- $727,800
- Jobs located here
- 949,767
- Daytime population
- 1,753,217Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Middlesex 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 Middlesex 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 Middlesex 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 |
Other business types in Middlesex 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 spas48
- Hair salons57
- Barbershops68
- Nail salons51
- Spas and skin care49
Fitness and classes
Health care
Child care
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many barbershops are in Middlesex County, MA?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 369 barbershops in Middlesex County. 43 of them (12%) are chain locations. The listings count barbershops. Official counts show 37 businesses with payroll classed as barber shops in 2023, up 23.3% from 2019. Another 439 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in Middlesex County, MA spend on personal care products and services?
About $823.5M a year, or $1,298 per household. That is 29% above the U.S. average (an index of 129, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 369 barbershops on map listings, it comes to $2.2M 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 634,215 households in Middlesex County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Middlesex County, MA compare with the U.S. for barbershops?
Middlesex County has 5.8 barbershops per 10,000 households, 9% above the U.S. rate of 5.3. Spending per shop is $2.2M, 18% above the U.S. figure of $1.9M. At the U.S. ratio of barbershops to household spending, Middlesex County would have about 437, against 369 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 17,141 households, against one for every 16,589 across the U.S. The official count rose 23.3% from 2019 to 2023, against +28.5% for the U.S.
How fast is Middlesex County, MA growing?
Population estimates put Middlesex County at 1,669,979 people in 2025, up 2.8% since 2020, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 634,215 households. The median household income in Middlesex County is $130,847 a year, 62% above the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 27.5% 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. Middlesex County scores 68 for barbershops (upper middle), #283 of 1,356 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Middlesex 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 Middlesex County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Middlesex 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 Middlesex 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.