Beauty and personal care · County · California
Hair salons in San Diego County, CA
How San Diego County, CA compares with other counties and the U.S. for hair salons: competitors, household spending, official counts and growth.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 49 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,233 of 2,339 scored counties
#46 of 55 scored counties in California
- Listings
- 3,023
- 344 chain locations (11%)
- Official establishments
- 847
- +5.5% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $1.4B
- On personal care products and services · $1,180 a household
- Spending per listing
- $457K
- 6% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 25.8
- 10% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 3,282,248
- −0.6% since 2020
See the hair salons around any address in San Diego 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 San Diego 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
Households in San Diego County spend about $1.4B a year on personal care products and services, or $1,180 per household, 17% above the U.S. average. Spread across 3,023 hair salons, that is $457K per salon, 6% above the U.S. figure of $430K. The spending figure covers all personal care products and services, not only hair salons.
San Diego County has 3,023 hair salons on map listings as of September 2026. Chain locations make up 11% of them, against 14% across the U.S. That comes to 25.8 for every 10,000 households, 10% above the U.S. rate of 23.4.
In 2023, official counts showed 847 businesses with payroll in San Diego County classed as beauty salons, up 5.5% from 2019. That is one for every 1,383 households, against one for every 1,535 across the U.S. Official counts also show 6,906 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 46 SBA-backed loans worth $14.7M have gone to businesses classed as beauty salons in San Diego County.
Between 2020 and 2025, the population of San Diego County declined 0.6%, against +3.1% for the U.S. The Groundwork market score for hair salons in San Diego County is 49 (lower middle), #1,233 of 2,339 scored counties and #46 of 55 scored counties in California.
How San Diego 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 | San Diego County | California | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 25.8 | 24.0 | 23.4 |
| Spending per listing | $457K | $479K | $430K |
| Households per official establishment | 1,383 | 1,551 | 1,535 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +5.5% | +8.3% | +6.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −0.6% | −0.4% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on personal care products and services | $1,180 | $1,149 | $1,005 |
| Median household income | $106,268 | $99,122 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 49 | 54 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 803 → 847+5.5% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 3,808
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $118.2M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 6,906Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 3,023344 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 3,213The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 46
- Amount
- $14.7M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as beauty salons in San Diego 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 San Diego County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 3,282,248−0.6% since 2020
- Households
- 1,171,278
- Median age
- 38.9
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 55%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 4,211 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 781
- Median household income
- $106,268+34.6% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $141,250
- Median home value
- $854,700
- Jobs located here
- 1,516,991
- Daytime population
- 3,269,716Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in San Diego 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 San Diego 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 San Diego 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 |
| 46San Diego County, CA | 49 | 3,023 | 25.8 | $457K | −0.6% | #1,233 of 2,339 |
Other business types in San Diego 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 spas35
- Hair salons49
- Barbershops53
- Nail salons42
- Spas and skin care32
Fitness and classes
Health care
Child care
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many hair salons are in San Diego County, CA?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 3,023 hair salons in San Diego County. 344 of them (11%) are chain locations. The listings count hair and beauty salons. Official counts show 847 businesses with payroll classed as beauty salons in 2023, up 5.5% from 2019. Another 6,906 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in San Diego County, CA spend on personal care products and services?
About $1.4B a year, or $1,180 per household. That is 17% above the U.S. average (an index of 117, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 3,023 hair salons on map listings, it comes to $457K per salon. That spending covers all personal care products and services, which hair salons share with other businesses in the trade. It is estimated from the incomes of the 1,171,278 households in San Diego County and national spending patterns by income.
How does San Diego County, CA compare with the U.S. for hair salons?
San Diego County has 25.8 hair salons per 10,000 households, 10% above the U.S. rate of 23.4. Spending per salon is $457K, 6% above the U.S. figure of $430K. At the U.S. ratio of hair salons to household spending, San Diego County would have about 3,213, against 3,023 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,383 households, against one for every 1,535 across the U.S. The official count rose 5.5% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.0% for the U.S.
How fast is San Diego County, CA growing?
Population estimates put San Diego County at 3,282,248 people in 2025, down 0.6% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 1,171,278 households. Median household income in San Diego County is $106,268, 32% above the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 34.6%, 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. San Diego County scores 49 for hair salons (lower middle), #1,233 of 2,339 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in San Diego 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 San Diego County
Screening a site or an acquisition in San Diego 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 San Diego 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.