Beauty and personal care · County · Maryland
Nail salons in Howard County, MD
The nail salons in Howard County, MD, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 48 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #759 of 1,328 scored counties
#9 of 21 scored counties in Maryland
- Listings
- 97
- 31 chain locations (32%)
- Official establishments
- 43
- +48.3% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $154.8M
- On personal care products and services · $1,278 a household
- Spending per listing
- $1.6M
- 5% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 8.0
- 33% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 339,183
- +1.9% since 2020
See the nail salons around any address in Howard 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 Howard 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
Map listings as of September 2026 show 97 nail salons in Howard County. 31 of them (32%) are chain locations, against 27% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 8.0, 33% above the U.S. rate of 6.0.
At $1,278 per household (27% above the U.S. average), households in Howard County spend about $154.8M a year on personal care products and services. That is about $1.6M of household spending for each salon on map listings, 5% below 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.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as nail salons in Howard County was 43 in 2023, up 48.3% from 2019. That is one for every 2,815 households, against one for every 3,754 across the U.S. Official counts list 417 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 2 SBA-backed loans worth $414K have gone to businesses classed as nail salons in Howard County.
Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Howard County grew 1.9%, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). The Groundwork market score for nail salons in Howard County is 48 (lower middle), #759 of 1,328 scored counties and #9 of 21 scored counties in Maryland.
How Howard County compares
The same measures for Maryland 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 | Howard County | Maryland | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 8.0 | 6.4 | 6.0 |
| Spending per listing | $1.6M | $1.7M | $1.7M |
| Households per official establishment | 2,815 | 3,998 | 3,754 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +48.3% | +31.3% | +23.2% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +1.9% | +1.4% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on personal care products and services | $1,278 | $1,072 | $1,005 |
| Median household income | $149,763 | $103,678 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 48 | 42 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 29 → 43+48.3% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 184
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $5.6M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 417Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 9731 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 93The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 2
- Amount
- $414K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as nail salons in Howard 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 Howard County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 339,183+1.9% since 2020
- Households
- 121,065
- Median age
- 40.7
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 71%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 251 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 1,340
- Median household income
- $149,763+23.6% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $184,243
- Median home value
- $597,900
- Jobs located here
- 185,575
- Daytime population
- 363,145Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Howard 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 Howard 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 Maryland
Every Maryland market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in Maryland for nail salons, numbered among those based in Maryland, with Howard County marked.
Top counties in Maryland
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Cecil County, MD | 81 | 11 | 2.7 | $3.6M | +3.2% | #37 of 1,328 |
| 2Queen Anne’s County, MD | 72 | 12 | 6.0 | $1.8M | +8.8% | #125 of 1,328 |
| 3Carroll County, MD | 67 | 39 | 6.1 | $1.9M | +2.2% | #220 of 1,328 |
| 4Frederick County, MD | 67 | 66 | 6.3 | $1.8M | +11.0% | #222 of 1,328 |
| 5Harford County, MD | 62 | 56 | 5.5 | $2M | +2.0% | #349 of 1,328 |
| 6Montgomery County, MD | 60 | 204 | 5.2 | $2.3M | +1.3% | #395 of 1,328 |
| 7St. Mary’s County, MD | 57 | 28 | 6.6 | $1.7M | +2.4% | #488 of 1,328 |
| 8Dorchester County, MD | 49 | 6 | 4.4 | $1.9M | +3.4% | #732 of 1,328 |
| 9Howard County, MD | 48 | 97 | 8.0 | $1.6M | +1.9% | #759 of 1,328 |
| 10Baltimore city, MD | 47 | 113 | 4.4 | $1.9M | −2.3% | #775 of 1,328 |
Other business types in Howard 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 spas49
- Hair salons60
- Barbershops73
- Nail salons48
- Spas and skin care45
Fitness and classes
Health care
Child care
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many nail salons are in Howard County, MD?
There are 97 nail salons on map listings in Howard County as of September 2026. 31 of them (32%) are chain locations. The listings count nail salons. Official counts show 43 businesses with payroll classed as nail salons in 2023, up 48.3% from 2019. Official counts also show 417 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Howard County, MD spend on personal care products and services?
About $154.8M a year, or $1,278 per household. That is 27% above the U.S. average (an index of 127, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 97 nail salons on map listings, it comes to $1.6M per salon. The spending figure covers all personal care products and services, not only nail salons. It is estimated from the incomes of the 121,065 households in Howard County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Howard County, MD compare with the U.S. for nail salons?
Howard County has 8.0 nail salons per 10,000 households, 33% above the U.S. rate of 6.0. Spending per salon is $1.6M, 5% below the U.S. figure of $1.7M. At the national ratio of nail salons to household spending, Howard County would have about 93, against 97 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 2,815 households, against one for every 3,754 across the U.S. The official count rose 48.3% from 2019 to 2023, against +23.2% for the U.S.
How fast is Howard County, MD growing?
Population estimates put Howard County at 339,183 people in 2025, up 1.9% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 121,065 households. The median household income in Howard County is $149,763 a year, 86% above the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 23.6% 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. Howard County scores 48 for nail salons (lower middle), #759 of 1,328 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Howard 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 Howard County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Howard 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 Howard 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.