Beauty and personal care · Small-town market · Iowa
Nail salons in the Fort Dodge, IA area
The nail salons in the Fort Dodge, IA area, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other small-town markets.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 57 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #147 of 387 scored small-town markets
#5 of 9 scored small-town markets based in Iowa
- Listings
- 6
- 3 chain locations (50%)
- Official establishments
- n/a
- Fewer than 3, or not published
- Household spending a year
- $14M
- On personal care products and services · $909 a household
- Spending per listing
- $2.3M
- 39% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 3.9
- 35% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 36,838
- −0.4% since 2020
See the nail salons around any address in the Fort Dodge area
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 the Fort Dodge 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
At $909 per household (10% below the U.S. average), households in the Fort Dodge area spend about $14M a year on personal care products and services. That is about $2.3M of household spending for each salon on map listings, 39% above the U.S. figure of $1.7M. The spending figure covers all personal care products and services, not only nail salons.
There are 6 nail salons on map listings in the Fort Dodge area as of September 2026. Chain locations make up 50% of them, against 27% across the U.S. That is 3.9 per 10,000 households, 35% below the U.S. rate of 6.0.
Official counts don’t publish a figure for nail salons in the Fort Dodge area, since they leave out counts under 3. Official counts list 20 one-person businesses without payroll.
Between 2020 and 2025, the population of the Fort Dodge area declined 0.4%, against +3.1% for the U.S. The Fort Dodge area scores 57 (upper middle) on the Groundwork market score for nail salons, ranking #147 of 387 scored small-town markets and #5 of 9 scored small-town markets based in Iowa.
How the Fort Dodge area compares
The same measures for Iowa 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 | Fort Dodge area | Iowa | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 3.9 | 4.1 | 6.0 |
| Spending per listing | $2.3M | $2.4M | $1.7M |
| Households per official establishment | n/a | 8,544 | 3,754 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +42.6% | +23.2% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −0.4% | +1.5% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on personal care products and services | $909 | $990 | $1,005 |
| Median household income | $68,975 | $75,059 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 57 | 66 |
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
- 20Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 63 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 8The 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 the Fort Dodge 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 Fort Dodge area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 36,838−0.4% since 2020
- Households
- 15,375
- Median age
- 39.6
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 70%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 716 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 52
- Median household income
- $68,975+45.3% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $83,997
- Median home value
- $153,800
- Jobs located here
- 17,395
- Daytime population
- 38,670Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Fort Dodge area?
These figures cover the whole small-town market. 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 the Fort Dodge area. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.
Free10 actions over 3 days, no cardNail salons across Iowa
Every Iowa market ranked →The highest-scoring small-town markets in Iowa for nail salons, numbered among those based in Iowa, with the Fort Dodge area marked.
Top small-town markets in Iowa
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Clinton, IA | 66 | 6 | 3.1 | $3.1M | −0.9% | #87 of 387 |
| 2Marshalltown, IA | 66 | 5 | 3.2 | $2.9M | −0.5% | #88 of 387 |
| 3Muscatine, IA | 63 | 5 | 2.9 | $3.3M | −3.0% | #104 of 387 |
| 4Mason City, IA | 59 | 10 | 4.4 | $2.1M | −1.5% | #135 of 387 |
| 5Fort Dodge, IA | 57 | 6 | 3.9 | $2.3M | −0.4% | #147 of 387 |
| 6Spirit Lake, IA | 46 | 8 | 9.0 | $1.1M | +1.7% | #228 of 387 |
| 7Ottumwa, IA | 45 | 7 | 5.0 | $1.8M | −0.3% | #231 of 387 |
| 8Carroll, IA | 45 | 5 | 5.7 | $1.7M | −2.0% | #233 of 387 |
| 9Burlington, IA-IL | 39 | 10 | 5.0 | $1.8M | −2.5% | #270 of 387 |
Other business types in the Fort Dodge 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 spas50
- Hair salons48
- Barbershops64
- Nail salons57
- Spas and skin care38
Fitness and classes
Health care
Child care
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many nail salons are in the Fort Dodge, IA area?
As of September 2026, map listings count 6 nail salons in the Fort Dodge area. 3 of them (50%) are chain locations. The listings count nail salons. No official count is published for nail salons in the Fort Dodge area: counts under 3 are left out. Official counts also show 20 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in the Fort Dodge, IA area spend on personal care products and services?
About $14M a year, or $909 per household. That is 10% below the U.S. average (an index of 90, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 6 nail salons on map listings, it comes to $2.3M per salon. That spending covers all personal care products and services, which nail salons share with other businesses in the trade. It is estimated from the incomes of the 15,375 households in the Fort Dodge area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Fort Dodge, IA area compare with the U.S. for nail salons?
The Fort Dodge area has 3.9 nail salons per 10,000 households, 35% below the U.S. rate of 6.0. Spending per salon is $2.3M, 39% above the U.S. figure of $1.7M. At the U.S. ratio of nail salons to household spending, the Fort Dodge area would have about 8, against 6 on map listings.
How fast is the Fort Dodge, IA area growing?
Population estimates put the Fort Dodge area at 36,838 people in 2025, down 0.4% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 15,375 households. Median household income in the Fort Dodge area is $68,975, 15% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 45.3%, 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. A small-town market is a town of 10,000 to 50,000 people and the county or counties tied to it by commuting. 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 Fort Dodge area scores 57 for nail salons (upper middle), #147 of 387 scored small-town markets.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in the Fort Dodge area. 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 the Fort Dodge area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Fort Dodge 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 Fort Dodge 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.