Beauty and personal care · Metro area · Iowa
Hair salons in the Waterloo-Cedar Falls, IA metro area
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for hair salons in the Waterloo-Cedar Falls, IA metro area, set against other metro areas and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 44 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #245 of 387 scored metro areas
#7 of 8 scored metro areas based in Iowa
- Listings
- 160
- 41 chain locations (26%)
- Official establishments
- 38
- +2.8% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $66.3M
- On personal care products and services · $955 a household
- Spending per listing
- $414K
- 4% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 23.1
- In line with the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 169,189
- +0.5% since 2020
See the hair salons around any address in the Waterloo-Cedar Falls 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 Waterloo-Cedar Falls 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
As of September 2026, map listings count 160 hair salons in the Waterloo-Cedar Falls metro area. Chain locations make up 26% of them, against 14% across the U.S. That is 23.1 per 10,000 households, in line with the U.S. rate of 23.4.
Households in the Waterloo-Cedar Falls metro area spend about $66.3M a year on personal care products and services, or $955 per household, 5% below the U.S. average. That is about $414K of household spending for each salon on map listings, 4% below 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.
In 2023, official counts showed 38 businesses with payroll in the Waterloo-Cedar Falls metro area classed as beauty salons, up 2.8% from 2019. That is one for every 1,826 households, against one for every 1,535 across the U.S. Another 379 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts. Since fiscal 2022, 3 SBA-backed loans worth $410K have gone to businesses classed as beauty salons in the Waterloo-Cedar Falls metro area.
Between 2020 and 2025, the population of the Waterloo-Cedar Falls metro area grew 0.5%, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). The Waterloo-Cedar Falls metro area scores 44 (lower middle) on the Groundwork market score for hair salons, ranking #245 of 387 scored metro areas and #7 of 8 scored metro areas based in Iowa.
How the Waterloo-Cedar Falls 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 | Waterloo-Cedar Falls metro area | Iowa | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 23.1 | 23.5 | 23.4 |
| Spending per listing | $414K | $422K | $430K |
| Households per official establishment | 1,826 | 1,653 | 1,535 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +2.8% | −2.1% | +6.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +0.5% | +1.5% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on personal care products and services | $955 | $990 | $1,005 |
| Median household income | $70,811 | $75,059 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 44 | 39 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 38+2.8% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 173
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $5.6M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 379Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 16041 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 154The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 3
- Amount
- $410K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as beauty salons in the Waterloo-Cedar Falls 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 Waterloo-Cedar Falls metro area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 169,189+0.5% since 2020
- Households
- 69,396
- Median age
- 37.8
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 69%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 1,503 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 112
- Median household income
- $70,811+23.2% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $92,709
- Median home value
- $194,800
- Jobs located here
- 88,619
- Daytime population
- 179,403Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Waterloo-Cedar Falls 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 Waterloo-Cedar Falls 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 Waterloo-Cedar Falls 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 Waterloo-Cedar Falls 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 salons44
- Barbershops59
- Nail salons66
- Spas and skin care58
Fitness and classes
Health care
Child care
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many hair salons are in the Waterloo-Cedar Falls, IA metro area?
The Waterloo-Cedar Falls metro area has 160 hair salons on map listings as of September 2026. 41 of them (26%) are chain locations. The listings count hair and beauty salons. Official counts show 38 businesses with payroll classed as beauty salons in 2023, up 2.8% from 2019. Official counts list 379 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in the Waterloo-Cedar Falls, IA metro area spend on personal care products and services?
About $66.3M a year, or $955 per household. That is 5% below the U.S. average (an index of 95, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 160 hair salons on map listings, it comes to $414K per salon. The spending figure covers all personal care products and services, not only hair salons. It is estimated from the incomes of the 69,396 households in the Waterloo-Cedar Falls metro area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Waterloo-Cedar Falls, IA metro area compare with the U.S. for hair salons?
The Waterloo-Cedar Falls metro area has 23.1 hair salons per 10,000 households, in line with the U.S. rate of 23.4. Spending per salon is $414K, 4% below the U.S. figure of $430K. At the national ratio of hair salons to household spending, the Waterloo-Cedar Falls metro area would have about 154, against 160 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,826 households, against one for every 1,535 across the U.S. The official count rose 2.8% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.0% for the U.S.
How fast is the Waterloo-Cedar Falls, IA metro area growing?
Population estimates put the Waterloo-Cedar Falls metro area at 169,189 people in 2025, up 0.5% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 69,396 households. The median household income in the Waterloo-Cedar Falls metro area is $70,811 a year, 12% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 23.2% 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. The Waterloo-Cedar Falls metro area scores 44 for hair salons (lower middle), #245 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 Waterloo-Cedar Falls 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 Waterloo-Cedar Falls metro area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Waterloo-Cedar Falls 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 Waterloo-Cedar Falls 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.