Beauty and personal care · County · Kentucky
Hair salons in Carter County, KY
How Carter County, KY 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 24 out of 100: Low
Ranked #2,143 of 2,339 scored counties
#72 of 92 scored counties in Kentucky
- Listings
- 20
- 5 chain locations (25%)
- Official establishments
- n/a
- Fewer than 3, or not published
- Household spending a year
- $8.1M
- On personal care products and services · $747 a household
- Spending per listing
- $403K
- 6% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 18.5
- 21% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 26,149
- −1.7% since 2020
See the hair salons around any address in Carter 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 Carter 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
For hair salons, Carter County has a Groundwork market score of 24 (low): #2,143 of 2,339 scored counties and #72 of 92 scored counties in Kentucky. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.
At $747 per household (26% below the U.S. average), households in Carter County spend about $8.1M a year on personal care products and services. That works out to $403K per salon, 6% below the U.S. figure of $430K. The spending figure covers all personal care products and services, not only hair salons.
There are 20 hair salons on map listings in Carter County as of September 2026. Chain locations make up 25% of them, against 14% across the U.S. That is 18.5 per 10,000 households, 21% below the U.S. rate of 23.4.
Official counts don’t publish a figure for beauty salons in Carter County, since they leave out counts under 3. Population estimates put the population change in Carter County from 2020 to 2025 at −1.7%, against +3.1% for the U.S.
How Carter County compares
The same measures for Kentucky 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 | Carter County | Kentucky | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 18.5 | 20.3 | 23.4 |
| Spending per listing | $403K | $410K | $430K |
| Households per official establishment | n/a | 2,668 | 1,535 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +3.0% | +6.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −1.7% | +2.2% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on personal care products and services | $747 | $833 | $1,005 |
| Median household income | $51,235 | $63,726 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 24 | 45 |
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
- 58Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 205 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 19The 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 Carter 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 Carter County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 26,149−1.7% since 2020
- Households
- 10,794
- Median age
- 41.9
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 80%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.2
- Land area
- 410 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 64
- Median household income
- $51,235+47.5% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $69,045
- Median home value
- $132,800
- Jobs located here
- 6,014
- Daytime population
- 23,638Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Carter 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 Carter 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 Kentucky
Every Kentucky market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in Kentucky for hair salons, numbered among those based in Kentucky, with Carter County marked.
Top counties in Kentucky
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Spencer County, KY | 79 | 7 | 9.6 | $1.1M | +7.7% | #85 of 2,339 |
| 2Woodford County, KY | 75 | 16 | 14.8 | $639K | +3.7% | #156 of 2,339 |
| 3Oldham County, KY | 74 | 34 | 14.8 | $784K | +4.9% | #167 of 2,339 |
| 4Shelby County, KY | 71 | 36 | 19.5 | $478K | +6.2% | #270 of 2,339 |
| 5Kenton County, KY | 69 | 96 | 14.3 | $661K | +3.9% | #311 of 2,339 |
| 6Bullitt County, KY | 69 | 49 | 15.4 | $597K | +5.0% | #319 of 2,339 |
| 7Jessamine County, KY | 68 | 35 | 17.6 | $513K | +7.8% | #366 of 2,339 |
| 8Scott County, KY | 67 | 46 | 20.3 | $472K | +8.2% | #404 of 2,339 |
| 9Garrard County, KY | 66 | 9 | 13.4 | $585K | +7.3% | #417 of 2,339 |
| 10Breckinridge County, KY | 65 | 10 | 12.4 | $626K | +5.2% | #442 of 2,339 |
| 72Carter County, KY | 24 | 20 | 18.5 | $403K | −1.7% | #2,143 of 2,339 |
Other business types in Carter 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 spas24
- Hair salons24
- Barbershops21
- Nail salons
- Spas and skin care27
Fitness and classes
Health care
Child care
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many hair salons are in Carter County, KY?
As of September 2026, map listings count 20 hair salons in Carter County. 5 of them (25%) are chain locations. The listings count hair and beauty salons. No official count is published for beauty salons in Carter County: counts under 3 are left out. Official counts list 58 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Carter County, KY spend on personal care products and services?
About $8.1M a year, or $747 per household. That is 26% below the U.S. average (an index of 74, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 20 hair salons on map listings, it comes to $403K 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 10,794 households in Carter County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Carter County, KY compare with the U.S. for hair salons?
Carter County has 18.5 hair salons per 10,000 households, 21% below the U.S. rate of 23.4. Spending per salon is $403K, 6% below the U.S. figure of $430K. At the U.S. ratio of hair salons to household spending, Carter County would have about 19, against 20 on map listings.
How fast is Carter County, KY growing?
Population estimates put Carter County at 26,149 people in 2025, down 1.7% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 10,794 households. Median household income in Carter County is $51,235, 37% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 47.5%, 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. Carter County scores 24 for hair salons (low), #2,143 of 2,339 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Carter 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 Carter County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Carter 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 Carter 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.