Beauty and personal care · County · California
Hair salons in Kern County, CA
The hair salons in Kern County, CA, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 77 out of 100: High
Ranked #121 of 2,339 scored counties
#5 of 55 scored counties in California
- Listings
- 444
- 88 chain locations (20%)
- Official establishments
- 66
- −1.5% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $270.5M
- On personal care products and services · $949 a household
- Spending per listing
- $609K
- 42% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 15.6
- 33% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 927,068
- +2.3% since 2020
See the hair salons around any address in Kern County
The site report maps the hair salons 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 Kern 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
Kern County scores 77 (high) on the Groundwork market score for hair salons, ranking #121 of 2,339 scored counties and #5 of 55 scored counties in California. That puts it in the top 10% of counties for hair salons.
As of September 2026, map listings count 444 hair salons in Kern County. Of those, 88 are chain locations, or 20%, against 14% across the U.S. That comes to 15.6 for every 10,000 households, 33% below the U.S. rate of 23.4.
At $949 per household (6% below the U.S. average), households in Kern County spend about $270.5M a year on personal care products and services. That is about $609K of household spending for each salon on map listings, 42% above the U.S. figure of $430K. That spending covers all personal care products and services, which hair salons share with other businesses in the trade.
Official counts show 66 businesses with payroll classed as beauty salons in Kern County in 2023, down 1.5% from 2019. That is one for every 4,317 households, against one for every 1,535 across the U.S. Population estimates show Kern County grew 2.3% from 2020 to 2025, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%).
How Kern County compares
The same measures for California and the whole U.S. Spending per listing divides a year of household spending on all personal care products and services by the hair salons 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 | Kern County | California | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 15.6 | 24.0 | 23.4 |
| Spending per listing | $609K | $479K | $430K |
| Households per official establishment | 4,317 | 1,551 | 1,535 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | −1.5% | +8.3% | +6.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +2.3% | −0.4% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on personal care products and services | $949 | $1,149 | $1,005 |
| Median household income | $70,210 | $99,122 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 77 | 54 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 67 → 66−1.5% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 237
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $7.1M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 2,043Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 44488 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 629The 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 beauty salons in Kern 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 Kern County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 927,068+2.3% since 2020
- Households
- 284,931
- Median age
- 33.6
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 60%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 8,135 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 112
- Median household income
- $70,210+31.6% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $93,147
- Median home value
- $338,300
- Jobs located here
- 302,967
- Daytime population
- 882,683Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Kern 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 hair salons on map listings by name and distance.
Or open the report at the center of Kern County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.
Free10 actions over 3 days, no cardHair salons across California
Every California market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in California for hair salons, numbered among those based in California, with Kern County marked.
Top counties in California
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Yuba County, CA | 90 | 21 | 7.3 | $1.3M | +8.2% | #9 of 2,339 |
| 2Madera County, CA | 89 | 65 | 14.3 | $687K | +7.4% | #17 of 2,339 |
| 3Calaveras County, CA | 82 | 27 | 14.6 | $703K | +2.8% | #62 of 2,339 |
| 4Yolo County, CA | 80 | 122 | 15.9 | $688K | +3.1% | #77 of 2,339 |
| 5Kern County, CA | 77 | 444 | 15.6 | $609K | +2.3% | #121 of 2,339 |
| 6Merced County, CA | 77 | 142 | 16.5 | $553K | +5.1% | #125 of 2,339 |
| 7Tulare County, CA | 75 | 235 | 16.4 | $580K | +2.4% | #158 of 2,339 |
| 8San Joaquin County, CA | 75 | 484 | 19.7 | $551K | +5.5% | #161 of 2,339 |
| 9El Dorado County, CA | 72 | 126 | 16.5 | $727K | +0.6% | #229 of 2,339 |
| 10Kings County, CA | 72 | 74 | 16.8 | $560K | +1.0% | #242 of 2,339 |
Other business types in Kern 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 spas60
- Hair salons77
- Barbershops54
- Nail salons49
- Spas and skin care70
Fitness and classes
Health care
Child care
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many hair salons are in Kern County, CA?
Kern County has 444 hair salons on map listings as of September 2026. 88 of them (20%) are chain locations. The listings count hair and beauty salons. Official counts show 66 businesses with payroll classed as beauty salons in 2023, down 1.5% from 2019. Another 2,043 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in Kern County, CA spend on personal care products and services?
About $270.5M a year, or $949 per household. That is 6% below the U.S. average (an index of 94, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 444 hair salons on map listings, it comes to $609K per salon. The spending figure covers all personal care products and services, not only hair salons. It is estimated from the incomes of the 284,931 households in Kern County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Kern County, CA compare with the U.S. for hair salons?
Kern County has 15.6 hair salons per 10,000 households, 33% below the U.S. rate of 23.4. Spending per salon is $609K, 42% above the U.S. figure of $430K. At the national ratio of hair salons to household spending, Kern County would have about 629, against 444 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 4,317 households, against one for every 1,535 across the U.S. The official count fell 1.5% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.0% for the U.S.
How fast is Kern County, CA growing?
Population estimates put Kern County at 927,068 people in 2025, up 2.3% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 284,931 households. The median household income in Kern County is $70,210 a year, 13% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 31.6% 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. Kern County scores 77 for hair salons (high), #121 of 2,339 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Kern County. It maps the hair salons 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 hair salons · All 56 business types in Kern County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Kern 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 Kern 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.