Market rankings · North Carolina
Hair salons in North Carolina
Every metro area, small-town market and county in North Carolina, ranked by the Groundwork market score for hair salons, with competitor counts and household spending for each.
- Listings
- 11,173
- 1,600 chain locations (14%)
- Official establishments
- 2,226
- +14.7% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $3.8B
- On personal care products and services
- Listings per 10k households
- 26.1
- 12% above the U.S.
- Spending per listing
- $344K
- 20% below the U.S.
- Rank among states
- #40 of 51
- Market score 41 · Lower middle
A site report maps the hair salons on map listings around any address in North Carolina by name and distance, and the spending within reach.
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
North Carolina has 11,173 hair salons on map listings as of September 2026. Of those, 1,600 are chain locations, or 14%, against 14% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 26.1, 12% above the U.S. rate of 23.4.
At $897 per household (11% below the U.S. average), households in North Carolina spend about $3.8B a year on personal care products and services. Spread across 11,173 hair salons, that is $344K per salon, 20% below the U.S. figure of $430K. The spending figure covers all personal care products and services, not only hair salons.
In 2023, official counts showed 2,226 businesses with payroll in North Carolina classed as beauty salons, up 14.7% from 2019. That is one for every 1,924 households, against one for every 1,535 across the U.S. Across the U.S., the count rose 6.0% over the same years. Since fiscal 2022, 91 SBA-backed loans worth $22.8M have gone to businesses classed as beauty salons in North Carolina.
Among the 50 states and DC, North Carolina ranks #40 for hair salons, with a Groundwork market score of 41 (lower middle). Of the 16 scored metro areas in or partly in North Carolina, the Durham-Chapel Hill metro area scores highest (69). Of the 23 scored small-town markets in or partly in North Carolina, the Anderson Creek area scores highest (79).
Every market in North Carolina for hair salons
Download the ranking (CSV)Numbered by Groundwork market score among the markets based in North Carolina, highest first; the U.S. rank compares each market with every other of its kind. A metro area that crosses a state line is listed in each state it reaches, and numbered only in the state its page is under. How the score works.
Metro areas
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Durham-Chapel Hill, NC | 69 | 514 | 20.7 | $475K | +7.5% | #40 of 387 |
| 2Pinehurst-Southern Pines, NC | 55 | 96 | 21.8 | $434K | +10.3% | #138 of 387 |
| 3Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton, NC | 51 | 307 | 20.5 | $397K | +3.2% | #175 of 387 |
| 4Raleigh-Cary, NC | 48 | 1,679 | 29.2 | $360K | +12.6% | #208 of 387 |
| 5Wilmington, NC | 45 | 494 | 24.8 | $368K | +15.9% | #241 of 387 |
| 6Winston-Salem, NC | 44 | 678 | 24.1 | $352K | +5.3% | #249 of 387 |
| 7Jacksonville, NC | 44 | 188 | 25.0 | $335K | +6.0% | #253 of 387 |
| 8Burlington, NC | 43 | 191 | 27.3 | $307K | +8.5% | #263 of 387 |
| 9Rocky Mount, NC | 42 | 138 | 23.6 | $338K | +2.8% | #271 of 387 |
| 10Asheville, NC | 39 | 366 | 22.7 | $392K | +3.6% | #304 of 387 |
| 11Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC | 39 | 3,280 | 30.5 | $318K | +10.1% | #307 of 387 |
| 12Goldsboro, NC | 39 | 125 | 26.3 | $304K | +3.8% | #308 of 387 |
| 13Greenville, NC | 38 | 189 | 25.4 | $315K | +5.4% | #315 of 387 |
| Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk, VA-NC | 32 | 1,729 | 24.4 | $388K | +0.9% | #356 of 387 |
| 14Greensboro-High Point, NC | 32 | 908 | 28.6 | $295K | +4.1% | #360 of 387 |
| 15Fayetteville, NC | 27 | 430 | 28.9 | $280K | +1.6% | #371 of 387 |
Small-town markets
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Anderson Creek, NC | 79 | 77 | 15.4 | $554K | +12.3% | #14 of 538 |
| 2Kill Devil Hills, NC | 56 | 39 | 23.2 | $428K | +3.3% | #200 of 538 |
| 3Brevard, NC | 51 | 28 | 19.2 | $440K | +2.9% | #264 of 538 |
| 4Sanford, NC | 51 | 67 | 26.6 | $309K | +10.8% | #271 of 538 |
| 5North Wilkesboro, NC | 50 | 50 | 18.4 | $397K | +0.6% | #279 of 538 |
| 6Forest City, NC | 48 | 57 | 21.4 | $350K | +2.1% | #301 of 538 |
| 7Albemarle, NC | 48 | 60 | 23.8 | $340K | +9.8% | #304 of 538 |
| 8Roanoke Rapids, NC | 46 | 47 | 16.6 | $433K | −4.3% | #312 of 538 |
| 9Henderson, NC | 46 | 30 | 18.6 | $401K | +0.2% | #313 of 538 |
| 10Morehead City, NC | 45 | 76 | 23.8 | $375K | +4.1% | #327 of 538 |
| 11Lumberton, NC | 45 | 97 | 22.5 | $304K | +3.4% | #329 of 538 |
| 12Marion, NC | 44 | 35 | 18.8 | $413K | +1.5% | #335 of 538 |
| 13New Bern, NC | 42 | 125 | 23.8 | $343K | +3.6% | #360 of 538 |
| 14Washington, NC | 42 | 46 | 23.7 | $333K | 0.0% | #361 of 538 |
| 15Shelby-Kings Mountain, NC | 42 | 98 | 25.2 | $312K | +3.4% | #363 of 538 |
| 16Boone, NC | 38 | 41 | 19.3 | $409K | +0.6% | #401 of 538 |
| 17Wilson, NC | 37 | 80 | 24.2 | $321K | +1.7% | #419 of 538 |
| 18Waynesville, NC | 36 | 64 | 23.6 | $345K | +1.9% | #427 of 538 |
| 19Elizabeth City, NC | 35 | 53 | 33.6 | $245K | +4.5% | #441 of 538 |
| 20Rockingham, NC | 31 | 28 | 16.4 | $424K | −1.6% | #467 of 538 |
| 21Mount Airy, NC | 30 | 82 | 27.5 | $280K | +1.3% | #476 of 538 |
| 22Laurinburg, NC | 30 | 34 | 27.0 | $265K | −0.3% | #477 of 538 |
| 23Kinston, NC | 20 | 57 | 24.4 | $292K | +1.4% | #517 of 538 |
Counties
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Currituck County, NC | 89 | 13 | 11.0 | $922K | +16.7% | #14 of 2,339 |
| 2Chatham County, NC | 89 | 44 | 13.3 | $786K | +11.0% | #16 of 2,339 |
| 3Franklin County, NC | 82 | 27 | 9.5 | $920K | +18.8% | #58 of 2,339 |
| 4Hoke County, NC | 77 | 19 | 9.9 | $842K | +9.0% | #113 of 2,339 |
| 5Union County, NC | 76 | 166 | 19.7 | $544K | +11.7% | #146 of 2,339 |
| 6Harnett County, NC | 75 | 77 | 15.4 | $554K | +12.3% | #160 of 2,339 |
| 7Granville County, NC | 74 | 29 | 12.9 | $676K | +2.1% | #174 of 2,339 |
| 8Madison County, NC | 73 | 8 | 9.6 | $833K | +5.9% | #196 of 2,339 |
| 9Orange County, NC | 72 | 97 | 16.9 | $607K | +6.1% | #240 of 2,339 |
| 10Davidson County, NC | 72 | 113 | 16.2 | $511K | +6.6% | #246 of 2,339 |
| 11Perquimans County, NC | 71 | 6 | 10.7 | $782K | +3.6% | #252 of 2,339 |
| 12Davie County, NC | 71 | 32 | 18.5 | $494K | +6.9% | #268 of 2,339 |
| 13Yancey County, NC | 70 | 7 | 8.6 | $941K | +3.2% | #272 of 2,339 |
| 14Brunswick County, NC | 70 | 133 | 19.2 | $467K | +26.5% | #298 of 2,339 |
| 15Johnston County, NC | 70 | 179 | 20.9 | $446K | +17.9% | #301 of 2,339 |
| 16Pender County, NC | 67 | 42 | 16.6 | $554K | +19.0% | #393 of 2,339 |
| 17Person County, NC | 64 | 23 | 14.3 | $581K | +3.7% | #489 of 2,339 |
| 18Stokes County, NC | 63 | 28 | 14.3 | $547K | +3.5% | #533 of 2,339 |
| 19Caldwell County, NC | 62 | 47 | 14.3 | $543K | +0.7% | #586 of 2,339 |
| 20Henderson County, NC | 61 | 87 | 17.0 | $508K | +5.0% | #638 of 2,339 |
| 21Caswell County, NC | 60 | 6 | 6.8 | $1.1M | +0.4% | #661 of 2,339 |
| 22Warren County, NC | 59 | 8 | 9.8 | $752K | +1.6% | #708 of 2,339 |
| 23Burke County, NC | 58 | 61 | 16.8 | $470K | +1.6% | #783 of 2,339 |
| 24Polk County, NC | 58 | 17 | 18.9 | $458K | +6.0% | #786 of 2,339 |
| 25Moore County, NC | 57 | 96 | 21.8 | $434K | +10.3% | #836 of 2,339 |
Show all 100 counties
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 26Alleghany County, NC | 56 | 7 | 13.5 | $530K | +5.4% | #862 of 2,339 |
| 27Lincoln County, NC | 56 | 93 | 25.3 | $373K | +13.2% | #898 of 2,339 |
| 28Macon County, NC | 53 | 30 | 16.3 | $496K | +5.8% | #1,006 of 2,339 |
| 29Chowan County, NC | 53 | 10 | 16.3 | $496K | +2.8% | #1,007 of 2,339 |
| 30Rowan County, NC | 53 | 121 | 20.5 | $406K | +5.6% | #1,030 of 2,339 |
| 31Durham County, NC | 53 | 350 | 24.7 | $393K | +7.7% | #1,033 of 2,339 |
| 32Lee County, NC | 51 | 67 | 26.6 | $309K | +10.8% | #1,144 of 2,339 |
| 33Northampton County, NC | 50 | 5 | 6.4 | $1.2M | −5.4% | #1,145 of 2,339 |
| 34Gates County, NC | 50 | 5 | 11.9 | $656K | −2.1% | #1,150 of 2,339 |
| 35Dare County, NC | 50 | 39 | 23.2 | $428K | +3.3% | #1,190 of 2,339 |
| 36Cabarrus County, NC | 49 | 222 | 26.4 | $376K | +9.9% | #1,256 of 2,339 |
| 37Stanly County, NC | 49 | 60 | 23.8 | $340K | +9.8% | #1,263 of 2,339 |
| 38Rockingham County, NC | 48 | 79 | 19.9 | $387K | +3.3% | #1,297 of 2,339 |
| 39Randolph County, NC | 48 | 134 | 23.2 | $342K | +3.5% | #1,301 of 2,339 |
| 40Transylvania County, NC | 47 | 28 | 19.2 | $440K | +2.9% | #1,322 of 2,339 |
| 41Onslow County, NC | 47 | 188 | 25.0 | $335K | +6.0% | #1,344 of 2,339 |
| 42Yadkin County, NC | 47 | 38 | 25.3 | $324K | +2.9% | #1,347 of 2,339 |
| 43Gaston County, NC | 47 | 253 | 27.0 | $315K | +7.8% | #1,350 of 2,339 |
| 44Wilkes County, NC | 46 | 50 | 18.4 | $397K | +0.6% | #1,384 of 2,339 |
| 45Wake County, NC | 46 | 1,473 | 32.0 | $339K | +11.2% | #1,398 of 2,339 |
| 46Catawba County, NC | 46 | 171 | 25.8 | $329K | +5.8% | #1,401 of 2,339 |
| 47Nash County, NC | 46 | 100 | 25.8 | $320K | +3.9% | #1,404 of 2,339 |
| 48Alamance County, NC | 46 | 191 | 27.3 | $307K | +8.5% | #1,407 of 2,339 |
| 49Cherokee County, NC | 45 | 34 | 25.7 | $293K | +6.8% | #1,457 of 2,339 |
| 50Vance County, NC | 44 | 30 | 18.6 | $401K | +0.2% | #1,480 of 2,339 |
| 51Ashe County, NC | 44 | 24 | 19.7 | $394K | +3.5% | #1,483 of 2,339 |
| 52Rutherford County, NC | 44 | 57 | 21.4 | $350K | +2.1% | #1,495 of 2,339 |
| 53Iredell County, NC | 44 | 216 | 28.3 | $335K | +12.9% | #1,496 of 2,339 |
| 54Wayne County, NC | 44 | 125 | 26.3 | $304K | +3.8% | #1,500 of 2,339 |
| 55Carteret County, NC | 43 | 76 | 23.8 | $375K | +4.1% | #1,523 of 2,339 |
| 56Avery County, NC | 42 | 13 | 19.1 | $435K | +1.1% | #1,550 of 2,339 |
| 57Pitt County, NC | 42 | 189 | 25.4 | $315K | +5.4% | #1,572 of 2,339 |
| 58Robeson County, NC | 42 | 97 | 22.5 | $304K | +3.4% | #1,573 of 2,339 |
| 59Cleveland County, NC | 41 | 98 | 25.2 | $312K | +3.4% | #1,618 of 2,339 |
| 60Jackson County, NC | 40 | 39 | 21.2 | $369K | +6.9% | #1,657 of 2,339 |
| 61Beaufort County, NC | 40 | 46 | 23.7 | $333K | 0.0% | #1,661 of 2,339 |
| 62Washington County, NC | 39 | 6 | 12.6 | $555K | −3.1% | #1,666 of 2,339 |
| 63Bertie County, NC | 39 | 10 | 14.0 | $539K | −3.6% | #1,668 of 2,339 |
| 64Craven County, NC | 38 | 110 | 25.7 | $321K | +3.5% | #1,745 of 2,339 |
| 65Mecklenburg County, NC | 38 | 1,823 | 39.1 | $256K | +10.5% | #1,758 of 2,339 |
| 66Wilson County, NC | 37 | 80 | 24.2 | $321K | +1.7% | #1,802 of 2,339 |
| 67McDowell County, NC | 36 | 35 | 18.8 | $413K | +1.5% | #1,823 of 2,339 |
| 68Watauga County, NC | 36 | 41 | 19.3 | $409K | +0.6% | #1,826 of 2,339 |
| 69Alexander County, NC | 36 | 28 | 19.8 | $403K | +1.5% | #1,830 of 2,339 |
| 70Pamlico County, NC | 36 | 12 | 22.0 | $362K | +3.7% | #1,840 of 2,339 |
| 71Clay County, NC | 36 | 13 | 25.6 | $313K | +9.9% | #1,848 of 2,339 |
| 72New Hanover County, NC | 36 | 319 | 30.4 | $303K | +8.6% | #1,852 of 2,339 |
| 73Pasquotank County, NC | 36 | 53 | 33.6 | $245K | +4.5% | #1,858 of 2,339 |
| 74Haywood County, NC | 35 | 64 | 23.6 | $345K | +1.9% | #1,878 of 2,339 |
| 75Forsyth County, NC | 35 | 467 | 29.2 | $295K | +5.0% | #1,889 of 2,339 |
| 76Buncombe County, NC | 34 | 271 | 26.6 | $341K | +2.9% | #1,918 of 2,339 |
| 77Guilford County, NC | 34 | 695 | 31.6 | $276K | +4.4% | #1,925 of 2,339 |
| 78Halifax County, NC | 31 | 42 | 20.6 | $346K | −3.9% | #1,995 of 2,339 |
| 79Surry County, NC | 31 | 82 | 27.5 | $280K | +1.3% | #2,003 of 2,339 |
| 80Scotland County, NC | 31 | 34 | 27.0 | $265K | −0.3% | #2,005 of 2,339 |
| 81Montgomery County, NC | 30 | 25 | 23.5 | $335K | +2.7% | #2,024 of 2,339 |
| 82Martin County, NC | 28 | 16 | 16.8 | $431K | −1.6% | #2,068 of 2,339 |
| 83Swain County, NC | 28 | 12 | 20.0 | $394K | −0.6% | #2,071 of 2,339 |
| 84Edgecombe County, NC | 28 | 38 | 19.3 | $387K | +0.7% | #2,072 of 2,339 |
| 85Cumberland County, NC | 27 | 411 | 31.7 | $254K | +0.4% | #2,106 of 2,339 |
| 86Richmond County, NC | 26 | 28 | 16.4 | $424K | −1.6% | #2,108 of 2,339 |
| 87Sampson County, NC | 26 | 54 | 25.0 | $299K | +4.1% | #2,119 of 2,339 |
| 88Duplin County, NC | 26 | 62 | 29.8 | $253K | +6.0% | #2,125 of 2,339 |
| 89Hertford County, NC | 23 | 19 | 22.9 | $315K | −11.2% | #2,167 of 2,339 |
| 90Bladen County, NC | 19 | 26 | 22.0 | $322K | +1.3% | #2,238 of 2,339 |
| 91Mitchell County, NC | 18 | 20 | 30.4 | $255K | +1.1% | #2,252 of 2,339 |
| 92Lenoir County, NC | 17 | 57 | 24.4 | $292K | +1.4% | #2,261 of 2,339 |
| 93Anson County, NC | 16 | 16 | 18.7 | $373K | −2.1% | #2,265 of 2,339 |
| 94Columbus County, NC | 12 | 59 | 29.4 | $248K | 0.0% | #2,298 of 2,339 |
| Greene County, NC | Not scored | 4 | 5.8 | $1.2M | +1.3% | |
| Camden County, NC | Not scored | 4 | 10.0 | $954K | +8.8% | |
| Jones County, NC | Not scored | 3 | 7.3 | $1.1M | +4.6% | |
| Graham County, NC | Not scored | 7 | 19.9 | $384K | +1.9% | |
| Hyde County, NC | Not scored | 2 | 10.3 | $685K | +1.0% | |
| Tyrrell County, NC | Not scored | 2 | 12.9 | $529K | +9.3% |
Markets with fewer than 5 hair salons on map listings, and counties under 10,000 people, aren’t scored; they’re listed last in each table.
Questions
How many hair salons are in North Carolina?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 11,173 hair salons in North Carolina. 1,600 of them (14%) are chain locations. The listings count hair and beauty salons. Official counts show 2,226 businesses with payroll classed as beauty salons in 2023, up 14.7% from 2019. Official counts list 30,670 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in North Carolina spend on personal care products and services?
About $3.8B a year, or $897 per household. That is 11% below the U.S. average (an index of 89, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 11,173 hair salons on map listings, it comes to $344K 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 4,282,345 households in North Carolina and national spending patterns by income.
How does North Carolina compare with the U.S. for hair salons?
North Carolina has 26.1 hair salons per 10,000 households, 12% above the U.S. rate of 23.4. Spending per salon is $344K, 20% below the U.S. figure of $430K. At the U.S. ratio of hair salons to household spending, North Carolina would have about 8,922, against 11,173 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,924 households, against one for every 1,535 across the U.S. The official count rose 14.7% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.0% for the U.S.
Which market in North Carolina has the highest market score for hair salons?
Among 16 scored metro areas in or partly in North Carolina, the Durham-Chapel Hill metro area scores highest, at 69 (upper middle). Among 23 scored small-town markets in or partly in North Carolina, the Anderson Creek area scores highest, at 79 (high). Among 94 scored counties in North Carolina, Currituck County scores highest, at 89 (high). Scores compare each market with others of its kind across the U.S.
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. North Carolina scores 41 for hair salons (lower middle), #40 of the 50 states and DC.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in North Carolina. 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.
Hair salons in other states
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Top markets for hair salons across the U.S. · All business types in North Carolina
Related business types in North Carolina
- Salons, barbers and spas21,458 listings
- Barbershops2,398 listings
- Nail salons2,739 listings
- Spas and skin care4,736 listings
Screening a site or an acquisition in North Carolina?
A site report maps the competitors on map listings near an address and sizes the households and spending around it.
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.