Groundwork

Beauty and personal care · Metro area · Maine

Hair salons in the Portland-South Portland, ME metro area

Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for hair salons in the Portland-South Portland, ME metro area, set against other metro areas and the U.S.

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 60 out of 100: Upper middle

Ranked #103 of 387 scored metro areas
#2 of 3 scored metro areas based in Maine

Listings
578
78 chain locations (13%)
Official establishments
146
−1.3% since 2019
Household spending a year
$258M
On personal care products and services · $1,075 a household
Spending per listing
$446K
4% above the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
24.1
3% above the U.S.
Population, 2025
577,635
+4.5% since 2020

See the hair salons around any address in the Portland-South Portland 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 Portland-South Portland metro area. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

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Survey estimates 2020–2024 · population estimates 2025 · official business counts 2023 · map listings September 2026 · Data credits · How we measure

What this means

At $1,075 per household (7% above the U.S. average), households in the Portland-South Portland metro area spend about $258M a year on personal care products and services. That works out to $446K per salon, 4% above the U.S. figure of $430K. The spending figure covers all personal care products and services, not only hair salons.

The Portland-South Portland metro area has 578 hair salons on map listings as of September 2026. 78 of them (13%) are chain locations, against 14% across the U.S. That is 24.1 per 10,000 households, 3% above the U.S. rate of 23.4.

Official counts show 146 businesses with payroll classed as beauty salons in the Portland-South Portland metro area in 2023, down 1.3% from 2019. That is one for every 1,644 households, against one for every 1,535 across the U.S. Official counts list 1,226 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 15 SBA-backed loans worth $2.3M have gone to businesses classed as beauty salons in the Portland-South Portland metro area.

Population estimates show the Portland-South Portland metro area grew 4.5% from 2020 to 2025, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). The Portland-South Portland metro area scores 60 (upper middle) on the Groundwork market score for hair salons, ranking #103 of 387 scored metro areas and #2 of 3 scored metro areas based in Maine.

How the Portland-South Portland metro area compares

The same measures for Maine 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.

Hair salons in Portland-South Portland, ME metro area compared with Maine and the U.S.
MeasurePortland-South Portland metro areaMaineU.S.
Listings per 10k households24.122.023.4
Spending per listing$446K$443K$430K
Households per official establishment1,6442,0381,535
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023−1.3%−3.9%+6.0%
Population growth, 2020–2025+4.5%+3.7%+3.1%
Spending per household on personal care products and services$1,075$973$1,005
Median household income$92,175$74,733$80,734
Groundwork market score6055

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
146−1.3% over the period
Employees, 2023
586
Annual payroll, 2023
$25.3M
One-person businesses, 2023
1,226Businesses with no payroll
Map listings, September 2026
57878 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
600The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here

SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022

Loans
15
Amount
$2.3M

SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as beauty salons in the Portland-South Portland 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 Portland-South Portland metro area

Population, 2025 estimate
577,635+4.5% since 2020
Households
240,027
Median age
44.3
Homes lived in by their owners
73%
Vehicles per household
1.8
Land area
2,081 sq. mi.
People per square mile
270
Median household income
$92,175+31.2% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$119,924
Median home value
$420,000
Jobs located here
284,437
Daytime population
573,648Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in the Portland-South Portland 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 Portland-South Portland metro area. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

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Hair salons across Maine

Every Maine market ranked →

The highest-scoring metro areas in Maine for hair salons, numbered among those based in Maine, with the Portland-South Portland metro area marked.

Top metro areas in Maine

Metro areas in Maine ranked for hair salons by Groundwork market score
MarketScoreListingsPer 10k householdsSpending per listingPopulation growthU.S. rank
1Lewiston-Auburn, ME619019.2$474K+4.8%#90 of 387
2Portland-South Portland, ME6057824.1$446K+4.5%#103 of 387
3Bangor, ME5215323.5$391K+3.8%#160 of 387

Other business types in the Portland-South Portland metro area

Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.

Questions

How many hair salons are in the Portland-South Portland, ME metro area?

Map listings as of September 2026 show 578 hair salons in the Portland-South Portland metro area. 78 of them (13%) are chain locations. The listings count hair and beauty salons. Official counts show 146 businesses with payroll classed as beauty salons in 2023, down 1.3% from 2019. Official counts also show 1,226 one-person businesses without payroll.

How much do households in the Portland-South Portland, ME metro area spend on personal care products and services?

About $258M a year, or $1,075 per household. That is 7% above the U.S. average (an index of 107, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 578 hair salons on map listings, it comes to $446K 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 240,027 households in the Portland-South Portland metro area and national spending patterns by income.

How does the Portland-South Portland, ME metro area compare with the U.S. for hair salons?

The Portland-South Portland metro area has 24.1 hair salons per 10,000 households, 3% above the U.S. rate of 23.4. Spending per salon is $446K, 4% above the U.S. figure of $430K. At the U.S. ratio of hair salons to household spending, the Portland-South Portland metro area would have about 600, against 578 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,644 households, against one for every 1,535 across the U.S. The official count fell 1.3% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.0% for the U.S.

How fast is the Portland-South Portland, ME metro area growing?

Population estimates put the Portland-South Portland metro area at 577,635 people in 2025, up 4.5% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 240,027 households. Median household income in the Portland-South Portland metro area is $92,175, 14% above the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 31.2%, 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 Portland-South Portland metro area scores 60 for hair salons (upper middle), #103 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 Portland-South Portland 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 Portland-South Portland metro area

Screening a site or an acquisition in the Portland-South Portland 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 Portland-South Portland 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.