Beauty and personal care · County · West Virginia
Hair salons in McDowell County, WV
How McDowell County, WV 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 41 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,576 of 2,339 scored counties
#17 of 43 scored counties in West Virginia
- Listings
- 6
- 1 chain location (17%)
- Official establishments
- n/a
- Fewer than 3, or not published
- Household spending a year
- $3.9M
- On personal care products and services · $598 a household
- Spending per listing
- $645K
- 50% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 9.3
- 60% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 16,878
- −10.9% since 2020
See the hair salons around any address in McDowell 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 McDowell 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
Household spending on personal care products and services in McDowell County comes to about $3.9M a year: $598 per household, 40% below the U.S. average. That works out to $645K per salon, 50% above the U.S. figure of $430K. The spending figure covers all personal care products and services, not only hair salons.
There are 6 hair salons on map listings in McDowell County as of September 2026. One of them (17%) is a chain location, against 14% across the U.S. That is 9.3 per 10,000 households, 60% below the U.S. rate of 23.4.
Official counts don’t publish a figure for beauty salons in McDowell County, since they leave out counts under 3. Official counts also show 18 one-person businesses without payroll.
Population estimates put the population change in McDowell County from 2020 to 2025 at −10.9%, against +3.1% for the U.S. The Groundwork market score for hair salons in McDowell County is 41 (lower middle), #1,576 of 2,339 scored counties and #17 of 43 scored counties in West Virginia.
How McDowell 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 | McDowell County | West Virginia | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 9.3 | 17.9 | 23.4 |
| Spending per listing | $645K | $449K | $430K |
| Households per official establishment | n/a | 2,631 | 1,535 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +4.9% | +6.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −10.9% | −1.4% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on personal care products and services | $598 | $802 | $1,005 |
| Median household income | $31,559 | $59,608 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 41 | 38 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- n/a
- Employees, 2023
- n/a
- Annual payroll, 2023
- n/a
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 18Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 61 chain location
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 9The 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 McDowell 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 McDowell County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 16,878−10.9% since 2020
- Households
- 6,467
- Median age
- 42.5
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 77%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.6
- Land area
- 534 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 34
- Median household income
- $31,559+14.0% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $43,863
- Median home value
- $50,000
- Jobs located here
- 3,064
- Daytime population
- 16,847Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in McDowell 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 McDowell 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 McDowell 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 |
| 17McDowell County, WV | 41 | 6 | 9.3 | $645K | −10.9% | #1,576 of 2,339 |
Other business types in McDowell 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
Fitness and classes
Health care
Child care
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many hair salons are in McDowell County, WV?
As of September 2026, map listings count 6 hair salons in McDowell County. One of them (17%) is a chain location. The listings count hair and beauty salons. No official count is published for beauty salons in McDowell County: counts under 3 are left out. Official counts list 18 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in McDowell County, WV spend on personal care products and services?
About $3.9M a year, or $598 per household. That is 40% below the U.S. average (an index of 60, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 6 hair salons on map listings, it comes to $645K 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 6,467 households in McDowell County and national spending patterns by income.
How does McDowell County, WV compare with the U.S. for hair salons?
McDowell County has 9.3 hair salons per 10,000 households, 60% below the U.S. rate of 23.4. Spending per salon is $645K, 50% above the U.S. figure of $430K. At the U.S. ratio of hair salons to household spending, McDowell County would have about 9, against 6 on map listings.
How fast is McDowell County, WV growing?
Population estimates put McDowell County at 16,878 people in 2025, down 10.9% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 6,467 households. Median household income in McDowell County is $31,559, 61% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 14.0%, 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. McDowell County scores 41 for hair salons (lower middle), #1,576 of 2,339 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in McDowell 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 McDowell County
Screening a site or an acquisition in McDowell 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 McDowell 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.