Beauty and personal care · County · West Virginia
Barbershops in Mercer County, WV
How Mercer County, WV compares with other counties and the U.S. for barbershops: competitors, household spending, official counts and growth.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 21 out of 100: Low
Ranked #1,206 of 1,356 scored counties
#11 of 20 scored counties in West Virginia
- Listings
- 11
- 1 chain location (9%)
- Official establishments
- n/a
- Fewer than 3, or not published
- Household spending a year
- $18.3M
- On personal care products and services · $756 a household
- Spending per listing
- $1.7M
- 12% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 4.5
- 15% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 57,503
- −3.4% since 2020
See the barbershops around any address in Mercer 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 Mercer 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
The Groundwork market score for barbershops in Mercer County is 21 (low), #1,206 of 1,356 scored counties and #11 of 20 scored counties in West Virginia. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.
At $756 per household (25% below the U.S. average), households in Mercer County spend about $18.3M a year on personal care products and services. That is about $1.7M of household spending for each shop on map listings, 12% below the U.S. figure of $1.9M. The spending figure covers all personal care products and services, not only barbershops.
There are 11 barbershops on map listings in Mercer County as of September 2026. One of them (9%) is a chain location, against 12% across the U.S. That is 4.5 per 10,000 households, 15% below the U.S. rate of 5.3.
Official counts don’t publish a figure for barber shops in Mercer County, since they leave out counts under 3. Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Mercer County declined 3.4%, against +3.1% for the U.S.
How Mercer County compares
The same measures for West Virginia 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 | Mercer County | West Virginia | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 4.5 | 4.3 | 5.3 |
| Spending per listing | $1.7M | $1.9M | $1.9M |
| Households per official establishment | n/a | 42,862 | 16,589 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | n/a | +28.5% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −3.4% | −1.4% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on personal care products and services | $756 | $802 | $1,005 |
| Median household income | $53,210 | $59,608 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 21 | 36 |
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
- 16Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 111 chain location
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 10The 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 Mercer 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 Mercer County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 57,503−3.4% since 2020
- Households
- 24,224
- Median age
- 43.1
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 73%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.8
- Land area
- 419 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 140
- Median household income
- $53,210+30.5% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $71,510
- Median home value
- $121,700
- Jobs located here
- 19,809
- Daytime population
- 57,149Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Mercer 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 Mercer County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.
Free10 actions over 3 days, no cardBarbershops across West Virginia
Every West Virginia market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in West Virginia for barbershops, numbered among those based in West Virginia, with Mercer County marked.
Top counties in West Virginia
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Jefferson County, WV | 90 | 5 | 2.2 | $4.7M | +9.2% | #12 of 1,356 |
| 2Berkeley County, WV | 69 | 20 | 3.9 | $2.3M | +13.7% | #265 of 1,356 |
| 3Putnam County, WV | 51 | 9 | 3.9 | $2.4M | −1.0% | #670 of 1,356 |
| 4Monongalia County, WV | 49 | 19 | 4.3 | $2.1M | +2.0% | #722 of 1,356 |
| 5Marion County, WV | 48 | 7 | 3.0 | $2.8M | −1.2% | #742 of 1,356 |
| 6Kanawha County, WV | 32 | 52 | 6.8 | $1.2M | −4.3% | #1,077 of 1,356 |
| 7Wayne County, WV | 30 | 6 | 3.8 | $2.1M | −4.0% | #1,093 of 1,356 |
| 8Harrison County, WV | 29 | 12 | 4.6 | $1.8M | −2.5% | #1,112 of 1,356 |
| 9Wood County, WV | 27 | 16 | 4.5 | $1.8M | −2.1% | #1,152 of 1,356 |
| 10Upshur County, WV | 23 | 5 | 5.2 | $1.5M | −0.3% | #1,187 of 1,356 |
| 11Mercer County, WV | 21 | 11 | 4.5 | $1.7M | −3.4% | #1,206 of 1,356 |
Other business types in Mercer 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 spas32
- Hair salons24
- Barbershops21
- Nail salons38
- Spas and skin care28
Fitness and classes
Health care
Child care
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many barbershops are in Mercer County, WV?
As of September 2026, map listings count 11 barbershops in Mercer County. One of them (9%) is a chain location. The listings count barbershops. No official count is published for barber shops in Mercer County: counts under 3 are left out. Official counts also show 16 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Mercer County, WV spend on personal care products and services?
About $18.3M a year, or $756 per household. That is 25% below the U.S. average (an index of 75, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 11 barbershops on map listings, it comes to $1.7M 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 24,224 households in Mercer County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Mercer County, WV compare with the U.S. for barbershops?
Mercer County has 4.5 barbershops per 10,000 households, 15% below the U.S. rate of 5.3. Spending per shop is $1.7M, 12% below the U.S. figure of $1.9M. At the U.S. ratio of barbershops to household spending, Mercer County would have about 10, against 11 on map listings.
How fast is Mercer County, WV growing?
Population estimates put Mercer County at 57,503 people in 2025, down 3.4% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 24,224 households. The median household income in Mercer County is $53,210 a year, 34% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 30.5% 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. Mercer County scores 21 for barbershops (low), #1,206 of 1,356 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Mercer 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 Mercer County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Mercer 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 Mercer 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.