Beauty and personal care · County · North Carolina
Hair salons in Mecklenburg County, NC
The hair salons in Mecklenburg County, NC, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 38 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,758 of 2,339 scored counties
#65 of 94 scored counties in North Carolina
- Listings
- 1,823
- 204 chain locations (11%)
- Official establishments
- 443
- +18.5% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $467.1M
- On personal care products and services · $1,001 a household
- Spending per listing
- $256K
- 40% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 39.1
- 67% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 1,233,383
- +10.5% since 2020
See the hair salons around any address in Mecklenburg 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 Mecklenburg 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
For hair salons, Mecklenburg County has a Groundwork market score of 38 (lower middle): #1,758 of 2,339 scored counties and #65 of 94 scored counties in North Carolina. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.
As of September 2026, map listings count 1,823 hair salons in Mecklenburg County. Chain locations make up 11% of them, against 14% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 39.1, 67% above the U.S. rate of 23.4.
Households in Mecklenburg County spend about $467.1M a year on personal care products and services, or $1,001 per household, in line with the U.S. average. That works out to $256K per salon, 40% 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.
In 2023, official counts showed 443 businesses with payroll in Mecklenburg County classed as beauty salons, up 18.5% from 2019. That is one for every 1,053 households, against one for every 1,535 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 26 SBA-backed loans worth $4.5M have gone to businesses classed as beauty salons in Mecklenburg County. Population estimates put the population change in Mecklenburg County from 2020 to 2025 at +10.5%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%).
How Mecklenburg 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 | Mecklenburg County | North Carolina | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 39.1 | 26.1 | 23.4 |
| Spending per listing | $256K | $344K | $430K |
| Households per official establishment | 1,053 | 1,924 | 1,535 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +18.5% | +14.7% | +6.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +10.5% | +7.2% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on personal care products and services | $1,001 | $897 | $1,005 |
| Median household income | $87,005 | $72,388 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 38 | 41 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 374 → 443+18.5% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 2,183
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $84.9M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 3,905Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 1,823204 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 1,086The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 26
- Amount
- $4.5M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as beauty salons in Mecklenburg 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 Mecklenburg County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 1,233,383+10.5% since 2020
- Households
- 466,527
- Median age
- 36.7
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 55%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.7
- Land area
- 524 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 2,205
- Median household income
- $87,005+30.6% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $128,768
- Median home value
- $406,800
- Jobs located here
- 829,972
- Daytime population
- 1,424,612Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Mecklenburg 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 Mecklenburg 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 Mecklenburg 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 |
| 65Mecklenburg County, NC | 38 | 1,823 | 39.1 | $256K | +10.5% | #1,758 of 2,339 |
Other business types in Mecklenburg 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 spas37
- Hair salons38
- Barbershops45
- Nail salons46
- Spas and skin care37
Fitness and classes
Health care
Child care
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many hair salons are in Mecklenburg County, NC?
Mecklenburg County has 1,823 hair salons on map listings as of September 2026. 204 of them (11%) are chain locations. The listings count hair and beauty salons. Official counts show 443 businesses with payroll classed as beauty salons in 2023, up 18.5% from 2019. Official counts also show 3,905 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Mecklenburg County, NC spend on personal care products and services?
About $467.1M a year, or $1,001 per household. That is in line with the U.S. average (an index of 100, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 1,823 hair salons on map listings, it comes to $256K per salon. The spending figure covers all personal care products and services, not only hair salons. It is estimated from the incomes of the 466,527 households in Mecklenburg County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Mecklenburg County, NC compare with the U.S. for hair salons?
Mecklenburg County has 39.1 hair salons per 10,000 households, 67% above the U.S. rate of 23.4. Spending per salon is $256K, 40% below the U.S. figure of $430K. At the national ratio of hair salons to household spending, Mecklenburg County would have about 1,086, against 1,823 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,053 households, against one for every 1,535 across the U.S. The official count rose 18.5% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.0% for the U.S.
How fast is Mecklenburg County, NC growing?
Population estimates put Mecklenburg County at 1,233,383 people in 2025, up 10.5% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 466,527 households. The median household income in Mecklenburg County is $87,005 a year, 8% above the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 30.6% 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. Mecklenburg County scores 38 for hair salons (lower middle), #1,758 of 2,339 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Mecklenburg 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 Mecklenburg County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Mecklenburg 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 Mecklenburg 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.