Beauty and personal care · Metro area · Wisconsin
Hair salons in the Milwaukee-Waukesha, WI metro area
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for hair salons in the Milwaukee-Waukesha, WI metro area, set against other metro areas and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 36 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #329 of 387 scored metro areas
#12 of 13 scored metro areas based in Wisconsin
- Listings
- 1,837
- 216 chain locations (12%)
- Official establishments
- 432
- −1.1% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $672.9M
- On personal care products and services · $1,025 a household
- Spending per listing
- $366K
- 15% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 28.0
- 20% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 1,575,010
- 0.0% since 2020
See the hair salons around any address in the Milwaukee-Waukesha metro 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 Milwaukee-Waukesha metro 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 Milwaukee-Waukesha metro area scores 36 (lower middle) on the Groundwork market score for hair salons, ranking #329 of 387 scored metro areas and #12 of 13 scored metro areas based in Wisconsin. That puts it in the bottom quarter of metro areas.
Households in the Milwaukee-Waukesha metro area spend about $672.9M a year on personal care products and services, or $1,025 per household, 2% above the U.S. average. That works out to $366K per salon, 15% below the U.S. figure of $430K. The spending figure covers all personal care products and services, not only hair salons.
The Milwaukee-Waukesha metro area has 1,837 hair salons on map listings as of September 2026. Of those, 216 are chain locations, or 12%, against 14% across the U.S. That is 28.0 per 10,000 households, 20% above the U.S. rate of 23.4.
Official counts show 432 businesses with payroll classed as beauty salons in the Milwaukee-Waukesha metro area in 2023, down 1.1% from 2019. That is one for every 1,520 households, against one for every 1,535 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 20 SBA-backed loans worth $4.3M have gone to businesses classed as beauty salons in the Milwaukee-Waukesha metro area. Between 2020 and 2025, the population of the Milwaukee-Waukesha metro area held about level, against +3.1% for the U.S.
How the Milwaukee-Waukesha metro area compares
The same measures for Wisconsin 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 | Milwaukee-Waukesha metro area | Wisconsin | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 28.0 | 25.3 | 23.4 |
| Spending per listing | $366K | $399K | $430K |
| Households per official establishment | 1,520 | 1,557 | 1,535 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | −1.1% | −6.5% | +6.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | 0.0% | +1.3% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on personal care products and services | $1,025 | $1,007 | $1,005 |
| Median household income | $78,218 | $77,485 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 36 | 35 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 432−1.1% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 2,732
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $87.1M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 4,510Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 1,837216 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 1,564The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 20
- Amount
- $4.3M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as beauty salons in the Milwaukee-Waukesha metro 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 Milwaukee-Waukesha metro area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 1,575,0100.0% since 2020
- Households
- 656,436
- Median age
- 39.7
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 60%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.6
- Land area
- 1,455 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 1,078
- Median household income
- $78,218+25.4% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $106,675
- Median home value
- $306,400
- Jobs located here
- 863,760
- Daytime population
- 1,652,441Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Milwaukee-Waukesha metro area?
These figures cover the whole metro area. 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 Milwaukee-Waukesha metro 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 Wisconsin
Every Wisconsin market ranked →The highest-scoring metro areas in Wisconsin for hair salons, numbered among those based in Wisconsin (a market based in another state is listed without a number), with the Milwaukee-Waukesha metro area marked.
Top metro areas in Wisconsin
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI | 67 | 2,874 | 19.5 | $595K | +2.6% | #46 of 387 |
| Duluth, MN-WI | 61 | 208 | 17.3 | $556K | +0.2% | #85 of 387 |
| 1Green Bay, WI | 50 | 318 | 23.4 | $432K | +2.5% | #182 of 387 |
| 2Madison, WI | 48 | 841 | 27.9 | $390K | +4.1% | #207 of 387 |
| 3Sheboygan, WI | 46 | 105 | 21.1 | $463K | 0.0% | #223 of 387 |
| 4Wausau, WI | 46 | 131 | 22.6 | $440K | +1.0% | #225 of 387 |
| 5La Crosse-Onalaska, WI-MN | 45 | 166 | 23.0 | $425K | +0.4% | #232 of 387 |
| 6Racine-Mount Pleasant, WI | 45 | 194 | 24.1 | $417K | +0.4% | #233 of 387 |
| 7Kenosha, WI | 44 | 155 | 22.5 | $458K | −0.4% | #244 of 387 |
| 8Oshkosh-Neenah, WI | 44 | 191 | 26.3 | $372K | +1.4% | #248 of 387 |
| 12Milwaukee-Waukesha, WI | 36 | 1,837 | 28.0 | $366K | 0.0% | #329 of 387 |
Other business types in the Milwaukee-Waukesha metro 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 spas38
- Hair salons36
- Barbershops49
- Nail salons38
- Spas and skin care44
Fitness and classes
Health care
Child care
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many hair salons are in the Milwaukee-Waukesha, WI metro area?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 1,837 hair salons in the Milwaukee-Waukesha metro area. 216 of them (12%) are chain locations. The listings count hair and beauty salons. Official counts show 432 businesses with payroll classed as beauty salons in 2023, down 1.1% from 2019. Official counts list 4,510 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in the Milwaukee-Waukesha, WI metro area spend on personal care products and services?
About $672.9M a year, or $1,025 per household. That is 2% above the U.S. average (an index of 102, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 1,837 hair salons on map listings, it comes to $366K 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 656,436 households in the Milwaukee-Waukesha metro area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Milwaukee-Waukesha, WI metro area compare with the U.S. for hair salons?
The Milwaukee-Waukesha metro area has 28.0 hair salons per 10,000 households, 20% above the U.S. rate of 23.4. Spending per salon is $366K, 15% below the U.S. figure of $430K. At the U.S. ratio of hair salons to household spending, the Milwaukee-Waukesha metro area would have about 1,564, against 1,837 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,520 households, against one for every 1,535 across the U.S. The official count fell 1.1% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.0% for the U.S.
How fast is the Milwaukee-Waukesha, WI metro area growing?
Population estimates put the Milwaukee-Waukesha metro area at 1,575,010 people in 2025, unchanged since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 656,436 households. Median household income in the Milwaukee-Waukesha metro area is $78,218, 3% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 25.4%, 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. The Milwaukee-Waukesha metro area scores 36 for hair salons (lower middle), #329 of 387 scored metro areas.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in the Milwaukee-Waukesha metro 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 Milwaukee-Waukesha metro area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Milwaukee-Waukesha metro 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 Milwaukee-Waukesha metro 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.