Beauty and personal care · County · New Jersey
Hair salons in Essex County, NJ
How Essex County, NJ 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 49 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,248 of 2,339 scored counties
#20 of 21 scored counties in New Jersey
- Listings
- 829
- 49 chain locations (6%)
- Official establishments
- 289
- +4.7% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $340.2M
- On personal care products and services · $1,064 a household
- Spending per listing
- $410K
- 5% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 25.9
- 11% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 896,379
- +4.2% since 2020
See the hair salons around any address in Essex 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 Essex 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
Map listings as of September 2026 show 829 hair salons in Essex County. Of those, 49 are chain locations, or 6%, against 14% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 25.9, 11% above the U.S. rate of 23.4.
Households in Essex County spend about $340.2M a year on personal care products and services, or $1,064 per household, 6% above the U.S. average. That is about $410K of household spending for each salon on map listings, 5% 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.
Official counts show 289 businesses with payroll classed as beauty salons in Essex County in 2023, up 4.7% from 2019. That is one for every 1,107 households, against one for every 1,535 across the U.S. Another 2,469 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts. Since fiscal 2022, 16 SBA-backed loans worth $2.6M have gone to businesses classed as beauty salons in Essex County.
Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Essex County grew 4.2%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). Essex County scores 49 (lower middle) on the Groundwork market score for hair salons, ranking #1,248 of 2,339 scored counties and #20 of 21 scored counties in New Jersey.
How Essex County compares
The same measures for New Jersey 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 | Essex County | New Jersey | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 25.9 | 21.2 | 23.4 |
| Spending per listing | $410K | $551K | $430K |
| Households per official establishment | 1,107 | 941 | 1,535 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +4.7% | +0.3% | +6.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +4.2% | +3.0% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on personal care products and services | $1,064 | $1,166 | $1,005 |
| Median household income | $80,789 | $103,556 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 49 | 64 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 276 → 289+4.7% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 1,544
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $45M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 2,469Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 82949 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 791The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 16
- Amount
- $2.6M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as beauty salons in Essex 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 Essex County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 896,379+4.2% since 2020
- Households
- 319,788
- Median age
- 38.6
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 45%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.3
- Land area
- 126 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 6,845
- Median household income
- $80,789+31.3% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $131,554
- Median home value
- $524,100
- Jobs located here
- 362,597
- Daytime population
- 843,719Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Essex 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 Essex 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 Jersey
Every New Jersey market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in New Jersey for hair salons, numbered among those based in New Jersey, with Essex County marked.
Top counties in New Jersey
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Ocean County, NJ | 69 | 360 | 14.8 | $728K | +5.6% | #306 of 2,339 |
| 2Burlington County, NJ | 68 | 327 | 18.5 | $642K | +4.3% | #352 of 2,339 |
| 3Sussex County, NJ | 67 | 82 | 14.2 | $855K | +2.9% | #380 of 2,339 |
| 4Warren County, NJ | 66 | 70 | 15.4 | $715K | +3.2% | #409 of 2,339 |
| 5Hunterdon County, NJ | 65 | 83 | 16.3 | $826K | +2.3% | #434 of 2,339 |
| 6Somerset County, NJ | 65 | 266 | 20.3 | $666K | +3.5% | #440 of 2,339 |
| 7Middlesex County, NJ | 64 | 545 | 17.7 | $677K | +2.6% | #476 of 2,339 |
| 8Morris County, NJ | 64 | 412 | 21.3 | $627K | +3.2% | #482 of 2,339 |
| 9Salem County, NJ | 63 | 32 | 12.9 | $774K | +2.3% | #516 of 2,339 |
| 10Hudson County, NJ | 63 | 547 | 18.3 | $613K | +1.8% | #525 of 2,339 |
| 20Essex County, NJ | 49 | 829 | 25.9 | $410K | +4.2% | #1,248 of 2,339 |
Other business types in Essex 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 spas43
- Hair salons49
- Barbershops43
- Nail salons42
- Spas and skin care67
Fitness and classes
Health care
Child care
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many hair salons are in Essex County, NJ?
There are 829 hair salons on map listings in Essex County as of September 2026. 49 of them (6%) are chain locations. The listings count hair and beauty salons. Official counts show 289 businesses with payroll classed as beauty salons in 2023, up 4.7% from 2019. Official counts list 2,469 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Essex County, NJ spend on personal care products and services?
About $340.2M a year, or $1,064 per household. That is 6% above the U.S. average (an index of 106, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 829 hair salons on map listings, it comes to $410K per salon. The spending figure covers all personal care products and services, not only hair salons. It is estimated from the incomes of the 319,788 households in Essex County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Essex County, NJ compare with the U.S. for hair salons?
Essex County has 25.9 hair salons per 10,000 households, 11% above the U.S. rate of 23.4. Spending per salon is $410K, 5% below the U.S. figure of $430K. At the national ratio of hair salons to household spending, Essex County would have about 791, against 829 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,107 households, against one for every 1,535 across the U.S. The official count rose 4.7% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.0% for the U.S.
How fast is Essex County, NJ growing?
Population estimates put Essex County at 896,379 people in 2025, up 4.2% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 319,788 households. The median household income in Essex County is $80,789 a year, in line with the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 31.3% 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. Essex County scores 49 for hair salons (lower middle), #1,248 of 2,339 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Essex 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 Essex County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Essex 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 Essex 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.