Beauty and personal care · County · North Carolina
Nail salons in Buncombe County, NC
How Buncombe County, NC compares with other counties and the U.S. for nail salons: competitors, household spending, official counts and growth.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 46 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #815 of 1,328 scored counties
#42 of 72 scored counties in North Carolina
- Listings
- 68
- 19 chain locations (28%)
- Official establishments
- 17
- Businesses with payroll, 2023
- Household spending a year
- $92.5M
- On personal care products and services · $908 a household
- Spending per listing
- $1.4M
- 19% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 6.7
- 12% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 277,417
- +2.9% since 2020
See the nail salons around any address in Buncombe 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 Buncombe 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 68 nail salons in Buncombe County. Of those, 19 are chain locations, or 28%, against 27% across the U.S. That comes to 6.7 for every 10,000 households, 12% above the U.S. rate of 6.0.
Households in Buncombe County spend about $92.5M a year on personal care products and services, or $908 per household, 10% below the U.S. average. Spread across 68 nail salons, that is $1.4M per salon, 19% 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 Buncombe County was 17 in 2023. That is one for every 5,991 households, against one for every 3,754 across the U.S. Another 181 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts. Since fiscal 2022, 1 SBA-backed loan worth $486K has gone to businesses classed as nail salons in Buncombe County.
Population estimates put the population change in Buncombe County from 2020 to 2025 at +2.9%, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%). The Groundwork market score for nail salons in Buncombe County is 46 (lower middle), #815 of 1,328 scored counties and #42 of 72 scored counties in North Carolina.
How Buncombe County compares
The same measures for North Carolina 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 | Buncombe County | North Carolina | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 6.7 | 6.4 | 6.0 |
| Spending per listing | $1.4M | $1.4M | $1.7M |
| Households per official establishment | 5,991 | 7,513 | 3,754 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +55.7% | +23.2% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +2.9% | +7.2% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on personal care products and services | $908 | $897 | $1,005 |
| Median household income | $74,436 | $72,388 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 46 | 45 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 13 → 17
- Employees, 2023
- 66
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $2.8M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 181Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 6819 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 55The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 1
- Amount
- $486K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as nail salons in Buncombe 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 Buncombe County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 277,417+2.9% since 2020
- Households
- 101,855
- Median age
- 43.4
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 66%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 657 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 418
- Median household income
- $74,436+42.6% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $105,560
- Median home value
- $391,800
- Jobs located here
- 142,929
- Daytime population
- 299,325Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Buncombe 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 Buncombe 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 North Carolina
Every North Carolina market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in North Carolina for nail salons, numbered among those based in North Carolina, with Buncombe County marked.
Top counties in North Carolina
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Chatham County, NC | 88 | 11 | 3.3 | $3.1M | +11.0% | #7 of 1,328 |
| 2Orange County, NC | 87 | 18 | 3.1 | $3.3M | +6.1% | #12 of 1,328 |
| 3Franklin County, NC | 75 | 9 | 3.2 | $2.8M | +18.8% | #85 of 1,328 |
| 4Lincoln County, NC | 74 | 18 | 4.9 | $1.9M | +13.2% | #110 of 1,328 |
| 5Davie County, NC | 69 | 7 | 4.1 | $2.3M | +6.9% | #177 of 1,328 |
| 6Henderson County, NC | 68 | 17 | 3.3 | $2.6M | +5.0% | #191 of 1,328 |
| 7Johnston County, NC | 67 | 40 | 4.7 | $2M | +17.9% | #219 of 1,328 |
| 8Brunswick County, NC | 67 | 38 | 5.5 | $1.6M | +26.5% | #228 of 1,328 |
| 9Union County, NC | 66 | 51 | 6.1 | $1.8M | +11.7% | #251 of 1,328 |
| 10Rowan County, NC | 65 | 21 | 3.6 | $2.3M | +5.6% | #267 of 1,328 |
| 42Buncombe County, NC | 46 | 68 | 6.7 | $1.4M | +2.9% | #815 of 1,328 |
Other business types in Buncombe 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 spas30
- Hair salons34
- Barbershops74
- Nail salons46
- Spas and skin care24
Fitness and classes
Health care
Child care
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many nail salons are in Buncombe County, NC?
Buncombe County has 68 nail salons on map listings as of September 2026. 19 of them (28%) are chain locations. The listings count nail salons. Official counts show 17 businesses with payroll classed as nail salons in 2023. Official counts list 181 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Buncombe County, NC spend on personal care products and services?
About $92.5M a year, or $908 per household. That is 10% below the U.S. average (an index of 90, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 68 nail salons on map listings, it comes to $1.4M per salon. The spending figure covers all personal care products and services, not only nail salons. It is estimated from the incomes of the 101,855 households in Buncombe County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Buncombe County, NC compare with the U.S. for nail salons?
Buncombe County has 6.7 nail salons per 10,000 households, 12% above the U.S. rate of 6.0. Spending per salon is $1.4M, 19% below the U.S. figure of $1.7M. At the national ratio of nail salons to household spending, Buncombe County would have about 55, against 68 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 5,991 households, against one for every 3,754 across the U.S.
How fast is Buncombe County, NC growing?
Population estimates put Buncombe County at 277,417 people in 2025, up 2.9% since 2020, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 101,855 households. The median household income in Buncombe County is $74,436 a year, 8% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 42.6% 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. Buncombe County scores 46 for nail salons (lower middle), #815 of 1,328 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Buncombe 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 Buncombe County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Buncombe 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 Buncombe 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.