Beauty and personal care · Metro area · Iowa
Hair salons in the Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA metro area
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for hair salons in the Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA metro area, set against other metro areas and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 56 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #131 of 387 scored metro areas
#3 of 8 scored metro areas based in Iowa
- Listings
- 702
- 116 chain locations (17%)
- Official establishments
- 249
- +1.2% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $316.4M
- On personal care products and services · $1,073 a household
- Spending per listing
- $451K
- 5% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 23.8
- 2% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 758,539
- +6.7% since 2020
See the hair salons around any address in the Des Moines-West Des Moines metro area
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 the Des Moines-West Des Moines metro area. 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 the Des Moines-West Des Moines metro area spend about $316.4M a year on personal care products and services, or $1,073 per household, 7% above the U.S. average. That is about $451K of household spending for each salon on map listings, 5% above the U.S. figure of $430K. The spending figure covers all personal care products and services, not only hair salons.
The Des Moines-West Des Moines metro area has 702 hair salons on map listings as of September 2026. 116 of them (17%) are chain locations, against 14% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 23.8, 2% above the U.S. rate of 23.4.
In 2023, official counts showed 249 businesses with payroll in the Des Moines-West Des Moines metro area classed as beauty salons, up 1.2% from 2019. That is one for every 1,184 households, against one for every 1,535 across the U.S. Official counts list 1,291 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 15 SBA-backed loans worth $2.8M have gone to businesses classed as beauty salons in the Des Moines-West Des Moines metro area.
Population estimates put the population change in the Des Moines-West Des Moines metro area from 2020 to 2025 at +6.7%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). The Des Moines-West Des Moines metro area scores 56 (upper middle) on the Groundwork market score for hair salons, ranking #131 of 387 scored metro areas and #3 of 8 scored metro areas based in Iowa.
How the Des Moines-West Des Moines metro area compares
The same measures for Iowa 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 | Des Moines-West Des Moines metro area | Iowa | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 23.8 | 23.5 | 23.4 |
| Spending per listing | $451K | $422K | $430K |
| Households per official establishment | 1,184 | 1,653 | 1,535 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +1.2% | −2.1% | +6.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +6.7% | +1.5% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on personal care products and services | $1,073 | $990 | $1,005 |
| Median household income | $85,890 | $75,059 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 56 | 39 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 249+1.2% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 950
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $34.9M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 1,291Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 702116 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 735The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 15
- Amount
- $2.8M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as beauty salons in the Des Moines-West Des Moines metro area, 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 the Des Moines-West Des Moines metro area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 758,539+6.7% since 2020
- Households
- 294,814
- Median age
- 37.7
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 69%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 3,613 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 202
- Median household income
- $85,890+22.5% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $112,632
- Median home value
- $267,400
- Jobs located here
- 392,636
- Daytime population
- 765,807Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Des Moines-West Des Moines metro area?
These figures cover the whole metro area. 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 the Des Moines-West Des Moines metro area. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.
Free10 actions over 3 days, no cardHair salons across Iowa
Every Iowa market ranked →The highest-scoring metro areas in Iowa for hair salons, numbered among those based in Iowa (a market based in another state is listed without a number), with the Des Moines-West Des Moines metro area marked.
Top metro areas in Iowa
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Omaha, NE-IA | 62 | 821 | 21.1 | $505K | +4.2% | #77 of 387 |
| 1Ames, IA | 61 | 91 | 18.3 | $540K | +2.2% | #86 of 387 |
| 2Sioux City, IA-NE-SD | 57 | 125 | 22.5 | $431K | +1.0% | #125 of 387 |
| 3Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA | 56 | 702 | 23.8 | $451K | +6.7% | #131 of 387 |
| 4Iowa City, IA | 53 | 172 | 23.8 | $426K | +4.1% | #149 of 387 |
| 5Cedar Rapids, IA | 52 | 260 | 22.8 | $445K | +1.0% | #156 of 387 |
| 6Davenport-Moline-Rock Island, IA-IL | 46 | 375 | 23.2 | $421K | −0.9% | #226 of 387 |
| 7Waterloo-Cedar Falls, IA | 44 | 160 | 23.1 | $414K | +0.5% | #245 of 387 |
| 8Dubuque, IA | 35 | 107 | 26.1 | $382K | +0.1% | #338 of 387 |
Other business types in the Des Moines-West Des Moines metro area
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 salons56
- Barbershops75
- Nail salons60
- Spas and skin care62
Fitness and classes
Health care
Child care
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many hair salons are in the Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA metro area?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 702 hair salons in the Des Moines-West Des Moines metro area. 116 of them (17%) are chain locations. The listings count hair and beauty salons. Official counts show 249 businesses with payroll classed as beauty salons in 2023, up 1.2% from 2019. Official counts also show 1,291 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in the Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA metro area spend on personal care products and services?
About $316.4M a year, or $1,073 per household. That is 7% above the U.S. average (an index of 107, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 702 hair salons on map listings, it comes to $451K 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 294,814 households in the Des Moines-West Des Moines metro area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA metro area compare with the U.S. for hair salons?
The Des Moines-West Des Moines metro area has 23.8 hair salons per 10,000 households, 2% above the U.S. rate of 23.4. Spending per salon is $451K, 5% above the U.S. figure of $430K. At the U.S. ratio of hair salons to household spending, the Des Moines-West Des Moines metro area would have about 735, against 702 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,184 households, against one for every 1,535 across the U.S. The official count rose 1.2% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.0% for the U.S.
How fast is the Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA metro area growing?
Population estimates put the Des Moines-West Des Moines metro area at 758,539 people in 2025, up 6.7% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 294,814 households. Median household income in the Des Moines-West Des Moines metro area is $85,890, 6% above the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 22.5%, 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. The Des Moines-West Des Moines metro area scores 56 for hair salons (upper middle), #131 of 387 scored metro areas.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in the Des Moines-West Des Moines metro area. 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 the Des Moines-West Des Moines metro area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Des Moines-West Des Moines metro area?
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 the Des Moines-West Des Moines metro area. 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.