Beauty and personal care · County · New Hampshire
Hair salons in Merrimack County, NH
How Merrimack County, NH 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 53 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #1,029 of 2,339 scored counties
#5 of 10 scored counties in New Hampshire
- Listings
- 164
- 23 chain locations (14%)
- Official establishments
- 36
- −21.7% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $66.6M
- On personal care products and services · $1,094 a household
- Spending per listing
- $406K
- 6% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 26.9
- 15% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 158,078
- +2.6% since 2020
See the hair salons around any address in Merrimack 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 Merrimack 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 Merrimack County spend about $66.6M a year on personal care products and services, or $1,094 per household, 9% above the U.S. average. That is about $406K of household spending for each salon on map listings, 6% below the U.S. figure of $430K. The spending figure covers all personal care products and services, not only hair salons.
There are 164 hair salons on map listings in Merrimack County as of September 2026. Of those, 23 are chain locations, or 14%, against 14% across the U.S. That comes to 26.9 for every 10,000 households, 15% above the U.S. rate of 23.4.
In 2023, official counts showed 36 businesses with payroll in Merrimack County classed as beauty salons, down 21.7% from 2019. That is one for every 1,692 households, against one for every 1,535 across the U.S. Official counts list 276 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 2 SBA-backed loans worth $85K have gone to businesses classed as beauty salons in Merrimack County.
Population estimates show Merrimack County grew 2.6% from 2020 to 2025, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). For hair salons, Merrimack County has a Groundwork market score of 53 (upper middle): #1,029 of 2,339 scored counties and #5 of 10 scored counties in New Hampshire.
How Merrimack County compares
The same measures for New Hampshire 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 | Merrimack County | New Hampshire | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 26.9 | 27.7 | 23.4 |
| Spending per listing | $406K | $406K | $430K |
| Households per official establishment | 1,692 | 1,379 | 1,535 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | −21.7% | −8.6% | +6.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +2.6% | +2.7% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on personal care products and services | $1,094 | $1,123 | $1,005 |
| Median household income | $97,004 | $99,031 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 53 | 43 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 46 → 36−21.7% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 206
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $7.3M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 276Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 16423 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 155The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 2
- Amount
- $85K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as beauty salons in Merrimack 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 Merrimack County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 158,078+2.6% since 2020
- Households
- 60,901
- Median age
- 43.1
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 73%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.0
- Land area
- 933 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 167
- Median household income
- $97,004+28.1% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $123,673
- Median home value
- $367,600
- Jobs located here
- 83,058
- Daytime population
- 159,180Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Merrimack 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 Merrimack 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 New Hampshire
Every New Hampshire market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in New Hampshire for hair salons, numbered among those based in New Hampshire, with Merrimack County marked.
Top counties in New Hampshire
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Sullivan County, NH | 78 | 28 | 16.8 | $593K | +2.1% | #106 of 2,339 |
| 2Strafford County, NH | 63 | 110 | 21.1 | $509K | +3.0% | #543 of 2,339 |
| 3Carroll County, NH | 62 | 60 | 27.5 | $378K | +5.0% | #616 of 2,339 |
| 4Grafton County, NH | 57 | 83 | 22.4 | $476K | +2.2% | #827 of 2,339 |
| 5Merrimack County, NH | 53 | 164 | 26.9 | $406K | +2.6% | #1,029 of 2,339 |
| 6Hillsborough County, NH | 50 | 472 | 28.0 | $413K | +2.5% | #1,195 of 2,339 |
| 7Coos County, NH | 47 | 32 | 22.9 | $374K | +0.4% | #1,341 of 2,339 |
| 8Cheshire County, NH | 44 | 86 | 28.1 | $362K | +2.3% | #1,489 of 2,339 |
| 9Belknap County, NH | 43 | 79 | 30.0 | $355K | +2.1% | #1,526 of 2,339 |
| 10Rockingham County, NH | 42 | 423 | 33.2 | $371K | +3.0% | #1,563 of 2,339 |
Other business types in Merrimack 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 spas47
- Hair salons53
- Barbershops63
- Nail salons58
- Spas and skin care56
Fitness and classes
Health care
Child care
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many hair salons are in Merrimack County, NH?
As of September 2026, map listings count 164 hair salons in Merrimack County. 23 of them (14%) are chain locations. The listings count hair and beauty salons. Official counts show 36 businesses with payroll classed as beauty salons in 2023, down 21.7% from 2019. Official counts also show 276 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Merrimack County, NH spend on personal care products and services?
About $66.6M a year, or $1,094 per household. That is 9% above the U.S. average (an index of 109, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 164 hair salons on map listings, it comes to $406K 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 60,901 households in Merrimack County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Merrimack County, NH compare with the U.S. for hair salons?
Merrimack County has 26.9 hair salons per 10,000 households, 15% above the U.S. rate of 23.4. Spending per salon is $406K, 6% below the U.S. figure of $430K. At the U.S. ratio of hair salons to household spending, Merrimack County would have about 155, against 164 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,692 households, against one for every 1,535 across the U.S. The official count fell 21.7% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.0% for the U.S.
How fast is Merrimack County, NH growing?
Population estimates put Merrimack County at 158,078 people in 2025, up 2.6% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 60,901 households. Median household income in Merrimack County is $97,004, 20% above the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 28.1%, 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. Merrimack County scores 53 for hair salons (upper middle), #1,029 of 2,339 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Merrimack 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 Merrimack County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Merrimack 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 Merrimack 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.