Beauty and personal care · Small-town market · North Carolina
Hair salons in the Wilson, NC area
The hair salons in the Wilson, NC area, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other small-town markets.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 37 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #419 of 538 scored small-town markets
#17 of 23 scored small-town markets based in North Carolina
- Listings
- 80
- 10 chain locations (13%)
- Official establishments
- 11
- Businesses with payroll, 2023
- Household spending a year
- $25.7M
- On personal care products and services · $777 a household
- Spending per listing
- $321K
- 25% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 24.2
- 3% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 81,150
- +1.7% since 2020
See the hair salons around any address in the Wilson 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 Wilson 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
The Wilson area scores 37 (lower middle) on the Groundwork market score for hair salons, ranking #419 of 538 scored small-town markets and #17 of 23 scored small-town markets based in North Carolina. That puts it in the bottom quarter of small-town markets.
At $777 per household (23% below the U.S. average), households in the Wilson area spend about $25.7M a year on personal care products and services. Spread across 80 hair salons, that is $321K per salon, 25% below the U.S. figure of $430K. The spending figure covers all personal care products and services, not only hair salons.
The Wilson area has 80 hair salons on map listings as of September 2026. Chain locations make up 13% of them, against 14% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 24.2, 3% above the U.S. rate of 23.4.
In 2023, official counts showed 11 businesses with payroll in the Wilson area classed as beauty salons. That is one for every 3,006 households, against one for every 1,535 across the U.S. Population estimates show the Wilson area grew 1.7% from 2020 to 2025, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%).
How the Wilson 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 | Wilson area | North Carolina | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 24.2 | 26.1 | 23.4 |
| Spending per listing | $321K | $344K | $430K |
| Households per official establishment | 3,006 | 1,924 | 1,535 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +14.7% | +6.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +1.7% | +7.2% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on personal care products and services | $777 | $897 | $1,005 |
| Median household income | $56,423 | $72,388 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 37 | 41 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 11
- Employees, 2023
- 26
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $504K
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 324Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 8010 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 60The 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 the Wilson 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 Wilson area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 81,150+1.7% since 2020
- Households
- 33,068
- Median age
- 40.9
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 60%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 368 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 216
- Median household income
- $56,423+28.6% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $76,415
- Median home value
- $186,000
- Jobs located here
- 36,414
- Daytime population
- 81,523Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Wilson 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 Wilson 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 Wilson 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 |
| 17Wilson, NC | 37 | 80 | 24.2 | $321K | +1.7% | #419 of 538 |
Other business types in the Wilson 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 spas34
- Hair salons37
- Barbershops29
- Nail salons35
- Spas and skin care45
Fitness and classes
Health care
Child care
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many hair salons are in the Wilson, NC area?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 80 hair salons in the Wilson area. 10 of them (13%) are chain locations. The listings count hair and beauty salons. Official counts show 11 businesses with payroll classed as beauty salons in 2023. Official counts also show 324 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in the Wilson, NC area spend on personal care products and services?
About $25.7M a year, or $777 per household. That is 23% below the U.S. average (an index of 77, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 80 hair salons on map listings, it comes to $321K 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 33,068 households in the Wilson area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Wilson, NC area compare with the U.S. for hair salons?
The Wilson area has 24.2 hair salons per 10,000 households, 3% above the U.S. rate of 23.4. Spending per salon is $321K, 25% below the U.S. figure of $430K. At the U.S. ratio of hair salons to household spending, the Wilson area would have about 60, against 80 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 3,006 households, against one for every 1,535 across the U.S.
How fast is the Wilson, NC area growing?
Population estimates put the Wilson area at 81,150 people in 2025, up 1.7% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 33,068 households. Median household income in the Wilson area is $56,423, 30% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 28.6%, 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 Wilson area scores 37 for hair salons (lower middle), #419 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 Wilson 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 Wilson area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Wilson 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 Wilson 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.