Market rankings · South Carolina
Hair salons in South Carolina
Markets across South Carolina ranked by the Groundwork market score for hair salons, with competitor counts and household spending for each.
- Listings
- 5,412
- 819 chain locations (15%)
- Official establishments
- 1,052
- +21.5% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $1.8B
- On personal care products and services
- Listings per 10k households
- 25.6
- 9% above the U.S.
- Spending per listing
- $341K
- 21% below the U.S.
- Rank among states
- #38 of 51
- Market score 42 · Lower middle
A site report maps the hair salons on map listings around any address in South Carolina by name and distance, and the spending within reach.
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
Map listings as of September 2026 show 5,412 hair salons in South Carolina. Chain locations make up 15% of them, against 14% across the U.S. That comes to 25.6 for every 10,000 households, 9% above the U.S. rate of 23.4.
Households in South Carolina spend about $1.8B a year on personal care products and services, or $871 per household, 13% below the U.S. average. Spread across 5,412 hair salons, that is $341K per salon, 21% below 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.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as beauty salons in South Carolina was 1,052 in 2023, up 21.5% from 2019. That is one for every 2,013 households, against one for every 1,535 across the U.S. Across the U.S., the count rose 6.0% over the same years. Since fiscal 2022, 36 SBA-backed loans worth $13.7M have gone to businesses classed as beauty salons in South Carolina.
Among the 50 states and DC, South Carolina ranks #38 for hair salons, with a Groundwork market score of 42 (lower middle). Of the 10 scored metro areas in or partly in South Carolina, the Spartanburg metro area scores highest (48). Of the 6 scored small-town markets in or partly in South Carolina, the Gaffney area scores highest (61).
Every market in South Carolina for hair salons
Download the ranking (CSV)Numbered by Groundwork market score among the markets based in South Carolina, highest first; the U.S. rank compares each market with every other of its kind. A metro area that crosses a state line is listed in each state it reaches, and numbered only in the state its page is under. How the score works.
Metro areas
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Spartanburg, SC | 48 | 358 | 25.0 | $331K | +14.3% | #210 of 387 |
| 2Hilton Head Island-Bluffton-Port Royal, SC | 47 | 227 | 23.8 | $408K | +12.0% | #217 of 387 |
| 3Charleston-North Charleston, SC | 41 | 944 | 28.1 | $344K | +10.7% | #290 of 387 |
| 4Greenville-Anderson-Greer, SC | 40 | 1,032 | 26.9 | $327K | +9.0% | #301 of 387 |
| Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC | 39 | 3,280 | 30.5 | $318K | +10.1% | #307 of 387 |
| Augusta-Richmond County, GA-SC | 37 | 639 | 27.6 | $315K | +4.7% | #322 of 387 |
| 5Columbia, SC | 37 | 984 | 29.0 | $298K | +6.0% | #323 of 387 |
| 6Myrtle Beach-Conway-North Myrtle Beach, SC | 36 | 400 | 25.2 | $333K | +20.9% | #333 of 387 |
| 7Florence, SC | 28 | 246 | 31.4 | $250K | +0.9% | #370 of 387 |
| 8Sumter, SC | 25 | 95 | 23.1 | $339K | −0.3% | #377 of 387 |
Small-town markets
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Gaffney, SC | 61 | 36 | 16.3 | $450K | +3.7% | #143 of 538 |
| 2Seneca, SC | 59 | 57 | 16.5 | $505K | +6.3% | #161 of 538 |
| 3Greenwood, SC | 46 | 90 | 23.9 | $322K | +1.7% | #317 of 538 |
| 4Murrells Inlet, SC | 42 | 69 | 25.4 | $345K | +3.8% | #359 of 538 |
| 5Newberry, SC | 39 | 35 | 22.8 | $344K | +4.8% | #394 of 538 |
| 6Orangeburg, SC | 33 | 73 | 22.1 | $324K | −0.9% | #457 of 538 |
Counties
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Edgefield County, SC | 77 | 12 | 12.3 | $687K | +16.1% | #118 of 2,339 |
| 2Lancaster County, SC | 72 | 82 | 20.4 | $455K | +18.3% | #248 of 2,339 |
| 3Berkeley County, SC | 65 | 190 | 20.3 | $460K | +18.7% | #464 of 2,339 |
| 4Saluda County, SC | 64 | 9 | 11.7 | $652K | +4.1% | #480 of 2,339 |
| 5Calhoun County, SC | 62 | 5 | 8.1 | $977K | +0.6% | #563 of 2,339 |
| 6Abbeville County, SC | 62 | 12 | 12.3 | $647K | +2.3% | #570 of 2,339 |
| 7Laurens County, SC | 62 | 44 | 16.3 | $470K | +6.2% | #603 of 2,339 |
| 8York County, SC | 62 | 262 | 23.0 | $431K | +8.1% | #610 of 2,339 |
| 9Pickens County, SC | 61 | 96 | 18.3 | $444K | +5.7% | #652 of 2,339 |
| 10Aiken County, SC | 61 | 145 | 20.7 | $420K | +7.3% | #657 of 2,339 |
| 11Kershaw County, SC | 60 | 59 | 21.9 | $387K | +11.6% | #705 of 2,339 |
| 12Anderson County, SC | 59 | 165 | 19.7 | $428K | +7.7% | #752 of 2,339 |
| 13Oconee County, SC | 56 | 57 | 16.5 | $505K | +6.3% | #868 of 2,339 |
| 14Cherokee County, SC | 56 | 36 | 16.3 | $450K | +3.7% | #884 of 2,339 |
| 15Jasper County, SC | 56 | 27 | 20.6 | $403K | +32.2% | #893 of 2,339 |
| 16Chesterfield County, SC | 55 | 30 | 17.1 | $426K | +3.4% | #927 of 2,339 |
| 17Fairfield County, SC | 52 | 6 | 6.7 | $1.1M | −2.6% | #1,038 of 2,339 |
| 18Spartanburg County, SC | 51 | 338 | 25.7 | $327K | +15.6% | #1,143 of 2,339 |
| 19Beaufort County, SC | 49 | 200 | 24.3 | $409K | +8.9% | #1,249 of 2,339 |
| 20Lexington County, SC | 43 | 307 | 25.2 | $358K | +7.7% | #1,525 of 2,339 |
| 21Charleston County, SC | 41 | 529 | 29.6 | $339K | +6.4% | #1,611 of 2,339 |
| 22Lee County, SC | 40 | 7 | 11.0 | $600K | −5.0% | #1,625 of 2,339 |
| 23Georgetown County, SC | 40 | 69 | 25.4 | $345K | +3.8% | #1,659 of 2,339 |
| 24Horry County, SC | 40 | 400 | 25.2 | $333K | +20.9% | #1,662 of 2,339 |
| 25Darlington County, SC | 38 | 62 | 24.3 | $310K | +0.1% | #1,751 of 2,339 |
Show all 46 counties
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 26Greenville County, SC | 38 | 727 | 33.0 | $280K | +10.6% | #1,753 of 2,339 |
| 27Dorchester County, SC | 38 | 225 | 35.6 | $259K | +10.1% | #1,756 of 2,339 |
| 28Greenwood County, SC | 37 | 78 | 28.0 | $272K | +1.5% | #1,813 of 2,339 |
| 29Richland County, SC | 36 | 598 | 35.6 | $240K | +4.6% | #1,860 of 2,339 |
| 30Newberry County, SC | 34 | 35 | 22.8 | $344K | +4.8% | #1,917 of 2,339 |
| 31Orangeburg County, SC | 33 | 73 | 22.1 | $324K | −0.9% | #1,950 of 2,339 |
| 32Williamsburg County, SC | 32 | 17 | 13.8 | $497K | −4.0% | #1,961 of 2,339 |
| 33Colleton County, SC | 30 | 34 | 20.7 | $367K | +2.2% | #2,020 of 2,339 |
| 34Florence County, SC | 30 | 184 | 34.8 | $230K | +1.2% | #2,033 of 2,339 |
| 35Clarendon County, SC | 29 | 23 | 18.6 | $397K | +0.7% | #2,047 of 2,339 |
| 36Chester County, SC | 29 | 26 | 19.8 | $373K | +2.2% | #2,049 of 2,339 |
| 37Sumter County, SC | 29 | 95 | 23.1 | $339K | −0.3% | #2,055 of 2,339 |
| 38Union County, SC | 22 | 20 | 17.2 | $401K | −1.4% | #2,181 of 2,339 |
| 39Hampton County, SC | 19 | 13 | 18.0 | $385K | −1.9% | #2,232 of 2,339 |
| 40Marion County, SC | 17 | 20 | 16.4 | $390K | −2.9% | #2,257 of 2,339 |
| 41Barnwell County, SC | 13 | 22 | 27.1 | $266K | +0.4% | #2,294 of 2,339 |
| 42Bamberg County, SC | 12 | 9 | 19.4 | $350K | −3.5% | #2,296 of 2,339 |
| 43Dillon County, SC | 7 | 26 | 24.0 | $293K | −2.9% | #2,323 of 2,339 |
| 44Marlboro County, SC | 2 | 30 | 30.6 | $207K | −3.8% | #2,337 of 2,339 |
| McCormick County, SC | Not scored | 2 | 4.8 | $1.6M | +7.3% | |
| Allendale County, SC | Not scored | 6 | 18.5 | $349K | −7.4% |
Markets with fewer than 5 hair salons on map listings, and counties under 10,000 people, aren’t scored; they’re listed last in each table.
Questions
How many hair salons are in South Carolina?
There are 5,412 hair salons on map listings in South Carolina as of September 2026. 819 of them (15%) are chain locations. The listings count hair and beauty salons. Official counts show 1,052 businesses with payroll classed as beauty salons in 2023, up 21.5% from 2019. Official counts list 17,355 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in South Carolina spend on personal care products and services?
About $1.8B a year, or $871 per household. That is 13% below the U.S. average (an index of 87, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 5,412 hair salons on map listings, it comes to $341K per salon. The spending figure covers all personal care products and services, not only hair salons. It is estimated from the incomes of the 2,117,989 households in South Carolina and national spending patterns by income.
How does South Carolina compare with the U.S. for hair salons?
South Carolina has 25.6 hair salons per 10,000 households, 9% above the U.S. rate of 23.4. Spending per salon is $341K, 21% below the U.S. figure of $430K. At the national ratio of hair salons to household spending, South Carolina would have about 4,287, against 5,412 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 2,013 households, against one for every 1,535 across the U.S. The official count rose 21.5% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.0% for the U.S.
Which market in South Carolina has the highest market score for hair salons?
Among 10 scored metro areas in or partly in South Carolina, the Spartanburg metro area scores highest, at 48 (lower middle). Among 6 scored small-town markets in or partly in South Carolina, the Gaffney area scores highest, at 61 (upper middle). Among 44 scored counties in South Carolina, Edgefield County scores highest, at 77 (high). Scores compare each market with others of its kind across the U.S.
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. South Carolina scores 42 for hair salons (lower middle), #38 of the 50 states and DC.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in South Carolina. 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.
Hair salons in other states
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Top markets for hair salons across the U.S. · All business types in South Carolina
Related business types in South Carolina
- Salons, barbers and spas10,522 listings
- Barbershops1,252 listings
- Nail salons1,319 listings
- Spas and skin care2,344 listings
Screening a site or an acquisition in South Carolina?
A site report maps the competitors on map listings near an address and sizes the households and spending around it.
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.