Beauty and personal care · County · California
Nail salons in Merced County, CA
The nail salons in Merced County, CA, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 69 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #174 of 1,328 scored counties
#2 of 46 scored counties in California
- Listings
- 33
- 9 chain locations (27%)
- Official establishments
- 12
- Businesses with payroll, 2023
- Household spending a year
- $78.6M
- On personal care products and services · $913 a household
- Spending per listing
- $2.4M
- 42% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 3.8
- 37% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 297,260
- +5.1% since 2020
See the nail salons around any address in Merced County
The site report maps the nail 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 Merced 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
As of September 2026, map listings count 33 nail salons in Merced County. Chain locations make up 27% of them, against 27% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 3.8, 37% below the U.S. rate of 6.0.
Households in Merced County spend about $78.6M a year on personal care products and services, or $913 per household, 9% below the U.S. average. That works out to $2.4M per salon, 42% above the U.S. figure of $1.7M. That spending covers all personal care products and services, which nail salons share with other businesses in the trade.
In 2023, official counts showed 12 businesses with payroll in Merced County classed as nail salons. That is one for every 7,171 households, against one for every 3,754 across the U.S. Official counts also show 100 one-person businesses without payroll.
Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Merced County grew 5.1%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). For nail salons, Merced County has a Groundwork market score of 69 (upper middle): #174 of 1,328 scored counties and #2 of 46 scored counties in California. That puts it in the top quarter of counties.
How Merced County compares
The same measures for California and the whole U.S. Spending per listing divides a year of household spending on all personal care products and services by the nail 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 | Merced County | California | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 3.8 | 6.9 | 6.0 |
| Spending per listing | $2.4M | $1.7M | $1.7M |
| Households per official establishment | 7,171 | 2,007 | 3,754 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +27.0% | +23.2% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +5.1% | −0.4% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on personal care products and services | $913 | $1,149 | $1,005 |
| Median household income | $65,510 | $99,122 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 69 | 34 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 12 → 12
- Employees, 2023
- 94
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $2.6M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 100Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 339 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 47The 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 nail salons in Merced 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 Merced County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 297,260+5.1% since 2020
- Households
- 86,055
- Median age
- 32.1
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 54%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.1
- Land area
- 1,938 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 150
- Median household income
- $65,510+22.1% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $87,781
- Median home value
- $391,800
- Jobs located here
- 77,775
- Daytime population
- 255,124Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Merced 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 nail salons on map listings by name and distance.
Or open the report at the center of Merced County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.
Free10 actions over 3 days, no cardNail salons across California
Every California market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in California for nail salons, numbered among those based in California, with Merced County marked.
Top counties in California
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Yuba County, CA | 86 | 6 | 2.1 | $4.6M | +8.2% | #15 of 1,328 |
| 2Merced County, CA | 69 | 33 | 3.8 | $2.4M | +5.1% | #174 of 1,328 |
| 3San Benito County, CA | 67 | 10 | 4.9 | $2.5M | +8.6% | #209 of 1,328 |
| 4Calaveras County, CA | 67 | 9 | 4.9 | $2.1M | +2.8% | #218 of 1,328 |
| 5Tuolumne County, CA | 65 | 5 | 2.2 | $4.5M | −4.0% | #256 of 1,328 |
| 6Nevada County, CA | 64 | 15 | 3.5 | $3.1M | −0.4% | #284 of 1,328 |
| 7Madera County, CA | 64 | 21 | 4.6 | $2.1M | +7.4% | #301 of 1,328 |
| 8Humboldt County, CA | 63 | 15 | 2.7 | $3.3M | −3.4% | #313 of 1,328 |
| 9Imperial County, CA | 62 | 19 | 3.8 | $2.3M | +1.1% | #343 of 1,328 |
| 10Santa Cruz County, CA | 61 | 35 | 3.6 | $3.4M | −4.7% | #358 of 1,328 |
Other business types in Merced 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 spas73
- Hair salons77
- Barbershops51
- Nail salons69
- Spas and skin care83
Fitness and classes
Health care
Child care
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many nail salons are in Merced County, CA?
Merced County has 33 nail salons on map listings as of September 2026. 9 of them (27%) are chain locations. The listings count nail salons. Official counts show 12 businesses with payroll classed as nail salons in 2023. Another 100 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in Merced County, CA spend on personal care products and services?
About $78.6M a year, or $913 per household. That is 9% below the U.S. average (an index of 91, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 33 nail salons on map listings, it comes to $2.4M per salon. The spending figure covers all personal care products and services, not only nail salons. It is estimated from the incomes of the 86,055 households in Merced County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Merced County, CA compare with the U.S. for nail salons?
Merced County has 3.8 nail salons per 10,000 households, 37% below the U.S. rate of 6.0. Spending per salon is $2.4M, 42% above the U.S. figure of $1.7M. At the national ratio of nail salons to household spending, Merced County would have about 47, against 33 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 7,171 households, against one for every 3,754 across the U.S.
How fast is Merced County, CA growing?
Population estimates put Merced County at 297,260 people in 2025, up 5.1% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 86,055 households. The median household income in Merced County is $65,510 a year, 19% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 22.1% 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. Merced County scores 69 for nail salons (upper middle), #174 of 1,328 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Merced County. It maps the nail 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 nail salons · All 56 business types in Merced County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Merced 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 Merced 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.