Beauty and personal care · County · North Carolina
Hair salons in New Hanover County, NC
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for hair salons in New Hanover County, NC, set against other counties and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 36 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,852 of 2,339 scored counties
#72 of 94 scored counties in North Carolina
- Listings
- 319
- 44 chain locations (14%)
- Official establishments
- 88
- +18.9% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $96.5M
- On personal care products and services · $920 a household
- Spending per listing
- $303K
- 30% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 30.4
- 30% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 245,959
- +8.6% since 2020
See the hair salons around any address in New Hanover 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 New Hanover 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 New Hanover County is 36 (lower middle), #1,852 of 2,339 scored counties and #72 of 94 scored counties in North Carolina. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.
At $920 per household (8% below the U.S. average), households in New Hanover County spend about $96.5M a year on personal care products and services. That is about $303K of household spending for each salon on map listings, 30% below the U.S. figure of $430K. The spending figure covers all personal care products and services, not only hair salons.
New Hanover County has 319 hair salons on map listings as of September 2026. Of those, 44 are chain locations, or 14%, against 14% across the U.S. That is 30.4 per 10,000 households, 30% above the U.S. rate of 23.4.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as beauty salons in New Hanover County was 88 in 2023, up 18.9% from 2019. That is one for every 1,192 households, against one for every 1,535 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 4 SBA-backed loans worth $1.7M have gone to businesses classed as beauty salons in New Hanover County. Between 2020 and 2025, the population of New Hanover County grew 8.6%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%).
How New Hanover 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 | New Hanover County | North Carolina | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 30.4 | 26.1 | 23.4 |
| Spending per listing | $303K | $344K | $430K |
| Households per official establishment | 1,192 | 1,924 | 1,535 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +18.9% | +14.7% | +6.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +8.6% | +7.2% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on personal care products and services | $920 | $897 | $1,005 |
| Median household income | $75,166 | $72,388 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 36 | 41 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 74 → 88+18.9% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 400
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $12.9M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 719Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 31944 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 224The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 4
- Amount
- $1.7M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as beauty salons in New Hanover 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 New Hanover County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 245,959+8.6% since 2020
- Households
- 104,856
- Median age
- 41.0
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 61%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.8
- Land area
- 192 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 1,223
- Median household income
- $75,166+36.9% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $107,828
- Median home value
- $387,800
- Jobs located here
- 128,058
- Daytime population
- 260,358Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in New Hanover 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 New Hanover 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 New Hanover 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 |
| 72New Hanover County, NC | 36 | 319 | 30.4 | $303K | +8.6% | #1,852 of 2,339 |
Other business types in New Hanover 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 spas33
- Hair salons36
- Barbershops55
- Nail salons48
- Spas and skin care30
Fitness and classes
Health care
Child care
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many hair salons are in New Hanover County, NC?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 319 hair salons in New Hanover County. 44 of them (14%) are chain locations. The listings count hair and beauty salons. Official counts show 88 businesses with payroll classed as beauty salons in 2023, up 18.9% from 2019. Official counts also show 719 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in New Hanover County, NC spend on personal care products and services?
About $96.5M a year, or $920 per household. That is 8% below the U.S. average (an index of 92, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 319 hair salons on map listings, it comes to $303K 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 104,856 households in New Hanover County and national spending patterns by income.
How does New Hanover County, NC compare with the U.S. for hair salons?
New Hanover County has 30.4 hair salons per 10,000 households, 30% above the U.S. rate of 23.4. Spending per salon is $303K, 30% below the U.S. figure of $430K. At the U.S. ratio of hair salons to household spending, New Hanover County would have about 224, against 319 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,192 households, against one for every 1,535 across the U.S. The official count rose 18.9% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.0% for the U.S.
How fast is New Hanover County, NC growing?
Population estimates put New Hanover County at 245,959 people in 2025, up 8.6% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 104,856 households. Median household income in New Hanover County is $75,166, 7% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 36.9%, 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. New Hanover County scores 36 for hair salons (lower middle), #1,852 of 2,339 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in New Hanover 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 New Hanover County
Screening a site or an acquisition in New Hanover 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 New Hanover 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.