Beauty and personal care · Small-town market · North Carolina
Hair salons in the Morehead City, NC area
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for hair salons in the Morehead City, NC area, set against other small-town markets and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 45 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #327 of 538 scored small-town markets
#10 of 23 scored small-town markets based in North Carolina
- Listings
- 76
- 16 chain locations (21%)
- Official establishments
- 19
- Businesses with payroll, 2023
- Household spending a year
- $28.5M
- On personal care products and services · $890 a household
- Spending per listing
- $375K
- 13% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 23.8
- 2% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 70,469
- +4.1% since 2020
See the hair salons around any address in the Morehead City area
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 the Morehead City area. 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 the Morehead City area spend about $28.5M a year on personal care products and services, or $890 per household, 11% below the U.S. average. Spread across 76 hair salons, that is $375K per salon, 13% below the U.S. figure of $430K. The spending figure covers all personal care products and services, not only hair salons.
There are 76 hair salons on map listings in the Morehead City area as of September 2026. 16 of them (21%) are chain locations, against 14% across the U.S. That comes to 23.8 for every 10,000 households, 2% above the U.S. rate of 23.4.
In 2023, official counts showed 19 businesses with payroll in the Morehead City area classed as beauty salons. That is one for every 1,683 households, against one for every 1,535 across the U.S. Official counts list 148 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 2 SBA-backed loans worth $623K have gone to businesses classed as beauty salons in the Morehead City area.
Population estimates show the Morehead City area grew 4.1% from 2020 to 2025, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). The Groundwork market score for hair salons in the Morehead City area is 45 (lower middle), #327 of 538 scored small-town markets and #10 of 23 scored small-town markets based in North Carolina.
How the Morehead City area 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 | Morehead City area | North Carolina | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 23.8 | 26.1 | 23.4 |
| Spending per listing | $375K | $344K | $430K |
| Households per official establishment | 1,683 | 1,924 | 1,535 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +14.7% | +6.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +4.1% | +7.2% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on personal care products and services | $890 | $897 | $1,005 |
| Median household income | $72,322 | $72,388 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 45 | 41 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 19
- Employees, 2023
- 71
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $2.3M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 148Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 7616 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 66The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 2
- Amount
- $623K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as beauty salons in the Morehead City area, 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 the Morehead City area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 70,469+4.1% since 2020
- Households
- 31,977
- Median age
- 49.5
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 75%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 508 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 136
- Median household income
- $72,322+26.5% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $99,351
- Median home value
- $333,300
- Jobs located here
- 23,748
- Daytime population
- 65,592Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Morehead City area?
These figures cover the whole small-town market. 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 the Morehead City area. 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 small-town markets in North Carolina for hair salons, numbered among those based in North Carolina, with the Morehead City area marked.
Top small-town markets in North Carolina
| 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 |
Other business types in the Morehead City area
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 salons45
- Barbershops68
- Nail salons43
- Spas and skin care35
Fitness and classes
Health care
Child care
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many hair salons are in the Morehead City, NC area?
As of September 2026, map listings count 76 hair salons in the Morehead City area. 16 of them (21%) are chain locations. The listings count hair and beauty salons. Official counts show 19 businesses with payroll classed as beauty salons in 2023. Official counts also show 148 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in the Morehead City, NC area spend on personal care products and services?
About $28.5M a year, or $890 per household. That is 11% below the U.S. average (an index of 89, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 76 hair salons on map listings, it comes to $375K 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 31,977 households in the Morehead City area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Morehead City, NC area compare with the U.S. for hair salons?
The Morehead City area has 23.8 hair salons per 10,000 households, 2% above the U.S. rate of 23.4. Spending per salon is $375K, 13% below the U.S. figure of $430K. At the U.S. ratio of hair salons to household spending, the Morehead City area would have about 66, against 76 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,683 households, against one for every 1,535 across the U.S.
How fast is the Morehead City, NC area growing?
Population estimates put the Morehead City area at 70,469 people in 2025, up 4.1% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 31,977 households. Median household income in the Morehead City area is $72,322, 10% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 26.5%, 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. A small-town market is a town of 10,000 to 50,000 people and the county or counties tied to it by commuting. 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. The Morehead City area scores 45 for hair salons (lower middle), #327 of 538 scored small-town markets.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in the Morehead City area. 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 the Morehead City area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Morehead City area?
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 the Morehead City area. 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.