Beauty and personal care · Metro area · Iowa
Nail salons in the Iowa City, IA metro area
How the Iowa City, IA metro area compares with other metro areas and the U.S. for nail salons: competitors, household spending, official counts and growth.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 71 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #35 of 387 scored metro areas
#2 of 8 scored metro areas based in Iowa
- Listings
- 36
- 9 chain locations (25%)
- Official establishments
- 7
- Businesses with payroll, 2023
- Household spending a year
- $73.2M
- On personal care products and services · $1,012 a household
- Spending per listing
- $2M
- 22% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 5.0
- 17% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 182,711
- +4.1% since 2020
See the nail salons around any address in the Iowa City metro 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 Iowa City 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 Iowa City metro area scores 71 (upper middle) on the Groundwork market score for nail salons, ranking #35 of 387 scored metro areas and #2 of 8 scored metro areas based in Iowa. That puts it in the top 10% of metro areas for nail salons.
Households in the Iowa City metro area spend about $73.2M a year on personal care products and services, or $1,012 per household, in line with the U.S. average. That is about $2M of household spending for each salon on map listings, 22% above the U.S. figure of $1.7M. The spending figure covers all personal care products and services, not only nail salons.
The Iowa City metro area has 36 nail salons on map listings as of September 2026. 9 of them (25%) are chain locations, against 27% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 5.0, 17% below the U.S. rate of 6.0.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as nail salons in the Iowa City metro area was 7 in 2023. That is one for every 10,330 households, against one for every 3,754 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 2 SBA-backed loans worth $326K have gone to businesses classed as nail salons in the Iowa City metro area. Population estimates show the Iowa City metro area grew 4.1% from 2020 to 2025, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%).
How the Iowa City metro 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 | Iowa City metro area | Iowa | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 5.0 | 4.1 | 6.0 |
| Spending per listing | $2M | $2.4M | $1.7M |
| Households per official establishment | 10,330 | 8,544 | 3,754 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +42.6% | +23.2% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +4.1% | +1.5% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on personal care products and services | $1,012 | $990 | $1,005 |
| Median household income | $75,088 | $75,059 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 71 | 66 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 7
- Employees, 2023
- 18
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $563K
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 108Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 369 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 44The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 2
- Amount
- $326K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as nail salons in the Iowa City 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 Iowa City metro area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 182,711+4.1% since 2020
- Households
- 72,313
- Median age
- 35.3
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 61%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.8
- Land area
- 1,182 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 152
- Median household income
- $75,088+20.1% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $107,246
- Median home value
- $293,600
- Jobs located here
- 96,346
- Daytime population
- 190,647Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Iowa City 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 nail salons on map listings by name and distance.
Or open the report at the center of the Iowa City metro 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 metro areas in Iowa for nail salons, numbered among those based in Iowa (a market based in another state is listed without a number), with the Iowa City metro area marked.
Top metro areas in Iowa
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Omaha, NE-IA | 82 | 180 | 4.6 | $2.3M | +4.2% | #3 of 387 |
| 1Cedar Rapids, IA | 78 | 42 | 3.7 | $2.8M | +1.0% | #11 of 387 |
| 2Iowa City, IA | 71 | 36 | 5.0 | $2M | +4.1% | #35 of 387 |
| 3Dubuque, IA | 69 | 13 | 3.2 | $3.1M | +0.1% | #41 of 387 |
| 4Ames, IA | 68 | 17 | 3.4 | $2.9M | +2.2% | #47 of 387 |
| 5Waterloo-Cedar Falls, IA | 66 | 21 | 3.0 | $3.2M | +0.5% | #61 of 387 |
| 6Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA | 60 | 166 | 5.6 | $1.9M | +6.7% | #99 of 387 |
| 7Davenport-Moline-Rock Island, IA-IL | 50 | 91 | 5.6 | $1.7M | −0.9% | #192 of 387 |
| 8Sioux City, IA-NE-SD | 41 | 34 | 6.1 | $1.6M | +1.0% | #278 of 387 |
Other business types in the Iowa City 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 spas64
- Hair salons53
- Barbershops79
- Nail salons71
- Spas and skin care69
Fitness and classes
Health care
Child care
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many nail salons are in the Iowa City, IA metro area?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 36 nail salons in the Iowa City metro area. 9 of them (25%) are chain locations. The listings count nail salons. Official counts show 7 businesses with payroll classed as nail salons in 2023. Official counts list 108 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in the Iowa City, IA metro area spend on personal care products and services?
About $73.2M a year, or $1,012 per household. That is in line with the U.S. average (an index of 101, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 36 nail salons on map listings, it comes to $2M 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 72,313 households in the Iowa City metro area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Iowa City, IA metro area compare with the U.S. for nail salons?
The Iowa City metro area has 5.0 nail salons per 10,000 households, 17% below the U.S. rate of 6.0. Spending per salon is $2M, 22% above the U.S. figure of $1.7M. At the U.S. ratio of nail salons to household spending, the Iowa City metro area would have about 44, against 36 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 10,330 households, against one for every 3,754 across the U.S.
How fast is the Iowa City, IA metro area growing?
Population estimates put the Iowa City metro area at 182,711 people in 2025, up 4.1% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 72,313 households. Median household income in the Iowa City metro area is $75,088, 7% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 20.1%, 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 Iowa City metro area scores 71 for nail salons (upper middle), #35 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 Iowa City metro 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 Iowa City metro area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Iowa City 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 Iowa City 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.