Beauty and personal care · County · North Carolina
Hair salons in Buncombe County, NC
How Buncombe County, NC 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 34 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,918 of 2,339 scored counties
#76 of 94 scored counties in North Carolina
- Listings
- 271
- 41 chain locations (15%)
- Official establishments
- 78
- +2.6% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $92.5M
- On personal care products and services · $908 a household
- Spending per listing
- $341K
- 21% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 26.6
- 14% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 277,417
- +2.9% since 2020
See the hair salons around any address in Buncombe 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 Buncombe 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
The Groundwork market score for hair salons in Buncombe County is 34 (lower middle), #1,918 of 2,339 scored counties and #76 of 94 scored counties in North Carolina. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.
As of September 2026, map listings count 271 hair salons in Buncombe County. Chain locations make up 15% of them, against 14% across the U.S. That is 26.6 per 10,000 households, 14% above the U.S. rate of 23.4.
Household spending on personal care products and services in Buncombe County comes to about $92.5M a year: $908 per household, 10% below the U.S. average. That works out to $341K per salon, 21% 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 78 businesses with payroll classed as beauty salons in Buncombe County in 2023, up 2.6% from 2019. That is one for every 1,306 households, against one for every 1,535 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 1 SBA-backed loan worth $225K has gone to businesses classed as beauty salons in Buncombe County. Population estimates show Buncombe County grew 2.9% from 2020 to 2025, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%).
How Buncombe County compares
The same measures for North Carolina 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 | Buncombe County | North Carolina | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 26.6 | 26.1 | 23.4 |
| Spending per listing | $341K | $344K | $430K |
| Households per official establishment | 1,306 | 1,924 | 1,535 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +2.6% | +14.7% | +6.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +2.9% | +7.2% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on personal care products and services | $908 | $897 | $1,005 |
| Median household income | $74,436 | $72,388 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 34 | 41 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 76 → 78+2.6% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 339
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $13.2M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 541Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 27141 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 215The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 1
- Amount
- $225K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as beauty salons in Buncombe 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 Buncombe County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 277,417+2.9% since 2020
- Households
- 101,855
- Median age
- 43.4
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 66%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 657 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 418
- Median household income
- $74,436+42.6% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $105,560
- Median home value
- $391,800
- Jobs located here
- 142,929
- Daytime population
- 299,325Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Buncombe 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 Buncombe 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 North Carolina
Every North Carolina market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in North Carolina for hair salons, numbered among those based in North Carolina, with Buncombe County marked.
Top counties in North Carolina
| 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 |
| 76Buncombe County, NC | 34 | 271 | 26.6 | $341K | +2.9% | #1,918 of 2,339 |
Other business types in Buncombe 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 spas30
- Hair salons34
- Barbershops74
- Nail salons46
- Spas and skin care24
Fitness and classes
Health care
Child care
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many hair salons are in Buncombe County, NC?
Buncombe County has 271 hair salons on map listings as of September 2026. 41 of them (15%) are chain locations. The listings count hair and beauty salons. Official counts show 78 businesses with payroll classed as beauty salons in 2023, up 2.6% from 2019. Official counts list 541 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Buncombe County, NC spend on personal care products and services?
About $92.5M a year, or $908 per household. That is 10% below the U.S. average (an index of 90, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 271 hair salons on map listings, it comes to $341K per salon. The spending figure covers all personal care products and services, not only hair salons. It is estimated from the incomes of the 101,855 households in Buncombe County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Buncombe County, NC compare with the U.S. for hair salons?
Buncombe County has 26.6 hair salons per 10,000 households, 14% above the U.S. rate of 23.4. Spending per salon is $341K, 21% below the U.S. figure of $430K. At the national ratio of hair salons to household spending, Buncombe County would have about 215, against 271 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,306 households, against one for every 1,535 across the U.S. The official count rose 2.6% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.0% for the U.S.
How fast is Buncombe County, NC growing?
Population estimates put Buncombe County at 277,417 people in 2025, up 2.9% since 2020, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 101,855 households. The median household income in Buncombe County is $74,436 a year, 8% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 42.6% 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. Buncombe County scores 34 for hair salons (lower middle), #1,918 of 2,339 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Buncombe 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 Buncombe County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Buncombe 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 Buncombe 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.