Beauty and personal care · County · North Carolina
Hair salons in Watauga County, NC
How Watauga 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 36 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,826 of 2,339 scored counties
#68 of 94 scored counties in North Carolina
- Listings
- 41
- 9 chain locations (22%)
- Official establishments
- 12
- Businesses with payroll, 2023
- Household spending a year
- $16.8M
- On personal care products and services · $791 a household
- Spending per listing
- $409K
- 5% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 19.3
- 18% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 54,786
- +0.6% since 2020
See the hair salons around any address in Watauga 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 Watauga 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 Watauga County is 36 (lower middle), #1,826 of 2,339 scored counties and #68 of 94 scored counties in North Carolina. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.
Households in Watauga County spend about $16.8M a year on personal care products and services, or $791 per household, 21% below the U.S. average. Spread across 41 hair salons, that is $409K per salon, 5% below the U.S. figure of $430K. The spending figure covers all personal care products and services, not only hair salons.
There are 41 hair salons on map listings in Watauga County as of September 2026. Chain locations make up 22% of them, against 14% across the U.S. That comes to 19.3 for every 10,000 households, 18% below the U.S. rate of 23.4.
Official counts show 12 businesses with payroll classed as beauty salons in Watauga County in 2023. That is one for every 1,767 households, against one for every 1,535 across the U.S. Population estimates show Watauga County grew 0.6% from 2020 to 2025, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%).
How Watauga 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 | Watauga County | North Carolina | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 19.3 | 26.1 | 23.4 |
| Spending per listing | $409K | $344K | $430K |
| Households per official establishment | 1,767 | 1,924 | 1,535 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +14.7% | +6.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +0.6% | +7.2% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on personal care products and services | $791 | $897 | $1,005 |
| Median household income | $51,693 | $72,388 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 36 | 41 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 14 → 12
- Employees, 2023
- 58
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $2M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 68Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 419 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 39The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 0
- Amount
- $0
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as beauty salons in Watauga 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 Watauga County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 54,786+0.6% since 2020
- Households
- 21,198
- Median age
- 35.8
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 62%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 312 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 176
- Median household income
- $51,693+8.8% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $83,665
- Median home value
- $358,900
- Jobs located here
- 24,062
- Daytime population
- 59,737Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Watauga 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 Watauga 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 Watauga 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 |
| 68Watauga County, NC | 36 | 41 | 19.3 | $409K | +0.6% | #1,826 of 2,339 |
Other business types in Watauga 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 spas31
- Hair salons36
- Barbershops
- Nail salons44
- Spas and skin care17
Fitness and classes
Health care
Child care
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many hair salons are in Watauga County, NC?
As of September 2026, map listings count 41 hair salons in Watauga County. 9 of them (22%) are chain locations. The listings count hair and beauty salons. Official counts show 12 businesses with payroll classed as beauty salons in 2023. Official counts list 68 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Watauga County, NC spend on personal care products and services?
About $16.8M a year, or $791 per household. That is 21% below the U.S. average (an index of 79, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 41 hair salons on map listings, it comes to $409K 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 21,198 households in Watauga County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Watauga County, NC compare with the U.S. for hair salons?
Watauga County has 19.3 hair salons per 10,000 households, 18% below the U.S. rate of 23.4. Spending per salon is $409K, 5% below the U.S. figure of $430K. At the U.S. ratio of hair salons to household spending, Watauga County would have about 39, against 41 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,767 households, against one for every 1,535 across the U.S.
How fast is Watauga County, NC growing?
Population estimates put Watauga County at 54,786 people in 2025, up 0.6% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 21,198 households. Median household income in Watauga County is $51,693, 36% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 8.8%, 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. Watauga County scores 36 for hair salons (lower middle), #1,826 of 2,339 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Watauga 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 Watauga County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Watauga 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 Watauga 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.