Beauty and personal care · County · North Carolina
Hair salons in Union County, NC
The hair salons in Union County, NC, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 76 out of 100: High
Ranked #146 of 2,339 scored counties
#5 of 94 scored counties in North Carolina
- Listings
- 166
- 29 chain locations (17%)
- Official establishments
- 41
- +2.5% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $90.3M
- On personal care products and services · $1,072 a household
- Spending per listing
- $544K
- 26% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 19.7
- 16% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 267,674
- +11.7% since 2020
See the hair salons around any address in Union 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 Union 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
Union County scores 76 (high) on the Groundwork market score for hair salons, ranking #146 of 2,339 scored counties and #5 of 94 scored counties in North Carolina. That puts it in the top 10% of counties for hair salons.
Map listings as of September 2026 show 166 hair salons in Union County. Of those, 29 are chain locations, or 17%, against 14% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 19.7, 16% below the U.S. rate of 23.4.
Household spending on personal care products and services in Union County comes to about $90.3M a year: $1,072 per household, 7% above the U.S. average. That is about $544K of household spending for each salon on map listings, 26% above 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 41 businesses with payroll classed as beauty salons in Union County in 2023, up 2.5% from 2019. That is one for every 2,055 households, against one for every 1,535 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 1 SBA-backed loan worth $20K has gone to businesses classed as beauty salons in Union County. Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Union County grew 11.7%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%).
How Union 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 | Union County | North Carolina | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 19.7 | 26.1 | 23.4 |
| Spending per listing | $544K | $344K | $430K |
| Households per official establishment | 2,055 | 1,924 | 1,535 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +2.5% | +14.7% | +6.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +11.7% | +7.2% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on personal care products and services | $1,072 | $897 | $1,005 |
| Median household income | $102,900 | $72,388 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 76 | 41 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 40 → 41+2.5% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 176
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $6.2M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 644Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 16629 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 210The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 1
- Amount
- $20K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as beauty salons in Union 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 Union County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 267,674+11.7% since 2020
- Households
- 84,237
- Median age
- 39.7
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 82%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.2
- Land area
- 633 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 397
- Median household income
- $102,900+28.6% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $137,492
- Median home value
- $417,300
- Jobs located here
- 76,151
- Daytime population
- 210,985Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Union 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 Union 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 Union 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 |
Other business types in Union 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 spas69
- Hair salons76
- Barbershops77
- Nail salons66
- Spas and skin care79
Fitness and classes
Health care
Child care
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many hair salons are in Union County, NC?
There are 166 hair salons on map listings in Union County as of September 2026. 29 of them (17%) are chain locations. The listings count hair and beauty salons. Official counts show 41 businesses with payroll classed as beauty salons in 2023, up 2.5% from 2019. Official counts list 644 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Union County, NC spend on personal care products and services?
About $90.3M a year, or $1,072 per household. That is 7% above the U.S. average (an index of 107, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 166 hair salons on map listings, it comes to $544K per salon. The spending figure covers all personal care products and services, not only hair salons. It is estimated from the incomes of the 84,237 households in Union County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Union County, NC compare with the U.S. for hair salons?
Union County has 19.7 hair salons per 10,000 households, 16% below the U.S. rate of 23.4. Spending per salon is $544K, 26% above the U.S. figure of $430K. At the national ratio of hair salons to household spending, Union County would have about 210, against 166 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 2,055 households, against one for every 1,535 across the U.S. The official count rose 2.5% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.0% for the U.S.
How fast is Union County, NC growing?
Population estimates put Union County at 267,674 people in 2025, up 11.7% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 84,237 households. The median household income in Union County is $102,900 a year, 27% above the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 28.6% 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. Union County scores 76 for hair salons (high), #146 of 2,339 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Union 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 Union County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Union 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 Union 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.