Beauty and personal care · County · West Virginia
Hair salons in Kanawha County, WV
The hair salons in Kanawha County, WV, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 37 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,780 of 2,339 scored counties
#23 of 43 scored counties in West Virginia
- Listings
- 154
- 22 chain locations (14%)
- Official establishments
- 26
- 0.0% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $61.8M
- On personal care products and services · $808 a household
- Spending per listing
- $401K
- 7% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 20.1
- 14% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 172,381
- −4.3% since 2020
See the hair salons around any address in Kanawha 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 Kanawha 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
For hair salons, Kanawha County has a Groundwork market score of 37 (lower middle): #1,780 of 2,339 scored counties and #23 of 43 scored counties in West Virginia. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.
As of September 2026, map listings count 154 hair salons in Kanawha County. 22 of them (14%) are chain locations, against 14% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 20.1, 14% below the U.S. rate of 23.4.
Households in Kanawha County spend about $61.8M a year on personal care products and services, or $808 per household, 20% below the U.S. average. Spread across 154 hair salons, that is $401K per salon, 7% 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.
In 2023, official counts showed 26 businesses with payroll in Kanawha County classed as beauty salons, unchanged from 2019. That is one for every 2,941 households, against one for every 1,535 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 1 SBA-backed loan worth $43K has gone to businesses classed as beauty salons in Kanawha County. Population estimates put the population change in Kanawha County from 2020 to 2025 at −4.3%, against +3.1% for the U.S.
How Kanawha County compares
The same measures for West Virginia 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 | Kanawha County | West Virginia | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 20.1 | 17.9 | 23.4 |
| Spending per listing | $401K | $449K | $430K |
| Households per official establishment | 2,941 | 2,631 | 1,535 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | 0.0% | +4.9% | +6.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −4.3% | −1.4% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on personal care products and services | $808 | $802 | $1,005 |
| Median household income | $60,943 | $59,608 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 37 | 38 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 26 → 260.0% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 94
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $3.1M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 373Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 15422 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 144The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 1
- Amount
- $43K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as beauty salons in Kanawha 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 Kanawha County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 172,381−4.3% since 2020
- Households
- 76,459
- Median age
- 43.8
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 71%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.6
- Land area
- 902 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 196
- Median household income
- $60,943+30.7% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $84,041
- Median home value
- $147,300
- Jobs located here
- 104,812
- Daytime population
- 206,412Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Kanawha 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 Kanawha 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 West Virginia
Every West Virginia market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in West Virginia for hair salons, numbered among those based in West Virginia, with Kanawha County marked.
Top counties in West Virginia
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Jefferson County, WV | 84 | 22 | 9.6 | $1.1M | +9.2% | #43 of 2,339 |
| 2Berkeley County, WV | 74 | 71 | 13.9 | $656K | +13.7% | #176 of 2,339 |
| 3Hampshire County, WV | 72 | 8 | 9.3 | $876K | +4.4% | #223 of 2,339 |
| 4Morgan County, WV | 72 | 9 | 12.3 | $685K | +5.5% | #233 of 2,339 |
| 5Putnam County, WV | 68 | 32 | 13.8 | $678K | −1.0% | #345 of 2,339 |
| 6Preston County, WV | 56 | 15 | 11.7 | $684K | −0.6% | #849 of 2,339 |
| 7Taylor County, WV | 55 | 6 | 9.1 | $881K | −2.4% | #900 of 2,339 |
| 8Mineral County, WV | 52 | 15 | 13.5 | $614K | −0.4% | #1,043 of 2,339 |
| 9Boone County, WV | 51 | 5 | 6.3 | $1.2M | −6.9% | #1,095 of 2,339 |
| 10Fayette County, WV | 50 | 18 | 11.3 | $658K | −5.6% | #1,149 of 2,339 |
| 23Kanawha County, WV | 37 | 154 | 20.1 | $401K | −4.3% | #1,780 of 2,339 |
Other business types in Kanawha 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 spas27
- Hair salons37
- Barbershops32
- Nail salons37
- Spas and skin care32
Fitness and classes
Health care
Child care
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many hair salons are in Kanawha County, WV?
Kanawha County has 154 hair salons on map listings as of September 2026. 22 of them (14%) are chain locations. The listings count hair and beauty salons. Official counts show 26 businesses with payroll classed as beauty salons in 2023, unchanged from 2019. Official counts also show 373 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Kanawha County, WV spend on personal care products and services?
About $61.8M a year, or $808 per household. That is 20% below the U.S. average (an index of 80, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 154 hair salons on map listings, it comes to $401K per salon. The spending figure covers all personal care products and services, not only hair salons. It is estimated from the incomes of the 76,459 households in Kanawha County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Kanawha County, WV compare with the U.S. for hair salons?
Kanawha County has 20.1 hair salons per 10,000 households, 14% below the U.S. rate of 23.4. Spending per salon is $401K, 7% below the U.S. figure of $430K. At the national ratio of hair salons to household spending, Kanawha County would have about 144, against 154 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 2,941 households, against one for every 1,535 across the U.S. The official count held level from 2019 to 2023, against +6.0% for the U.S.
How fast is Kanawha County, WV growing?
Population estimates put Kanawha County at 172,381 people in 2025, down 4.3% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 76,459 households. The median household income in Kanawha County is $60,943 a year, 25% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 30.7% 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. Kanawha County scores 37 for hair salons (lower middle), #1,780 of 2,339 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Kanawha 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 Kanawha County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Kanawha 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 Kanawha 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.