Beauty and personal care · County · North Carolina
Nail salons in Gaston County, NC
How Gaston 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 59 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #435 of 1,328 scored counties
#15 of 72 scored counties in North Carolina
- Listings
- 51
- 19 chain locations (37%)
- Official establishments
- 9
- Businesses with payroll, 2023
- Household spending a year
- $79.7M
- On personal care products and services · $852 a household
- Spending per listing
- $1.6M
- 6% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 5.5
- 8% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 246,558
- +7.8% since 2020
See the nail salons around any address in Gaston 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 Gaston 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
At $852 per household (15% below the U.S. average), households in Gaston County spend about $79.7M a year on personal care products and services. Spread across 51 nail salons, that is $1.6M per salon, 6% below the U.S. figure of $1.7M. The spending figure covers all personal care products and services, not only nail salons.
There are 51 nail salons on map listings in Gaston County as of September 2026. Chain locations make up 37% of them, against 27% across the U.S. That comes to 5.5 for every 10,000 households, 8% below the U.S. rate of 6.0.
Official counts show 9 businesses with payroll classed as nail salons in Gaston County in 2023. That is one for every 10,397 households, against one for every 3,754 across the U.S. Official counts also show 208 one-person businesses without payroll.
Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Gaston County grew 7.8%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). Gaston County scores 59 (upper middle) on the Groundwork market score for nail salons, ranking #435 of 1,328 scored counties and #15 of 72 scored counties in North Carolina.
How Gaston 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 | Gaston County | North Carolina | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 5.5 | 6.4 | 6.0 |
| Spending per listing | $1.6M | $1.4M | $1.7M |
| Households per official establishment | 10,397 | 7,513 | 3,754 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +55.7% | +23.2% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +7.8% | +7.2% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on personal care products and services | $852 | $897 | $1,005 |
| Median household income | $67,478 | $72,388 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 59 | 45 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 7 → 9
- Employees, 2023
- 71
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $2.7M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 208Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 5119 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 48The 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 Gaston 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 Gaston County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 246,558+7.8% since 2020
- Households
- 93,576
- Median age
- 40.0
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 67%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 356 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 660
- Median household income
- $67,478+27.7% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $91,074
- Median home value
- $266,000
- Jobs located here
- 82,464
- Daytime population
- 195,265Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Gaston 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 Gaston 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 Gaston 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 |
| 15Gaston County, NC | 59 | 51 | 5.5 | $1.6M | +7.8% | #435 of 1,328 |
Other business types in Gaston 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 spas43
- Hair salons47
- Barbershops46
- Nail salons59
- Spas and skin care51
Fitness and classes
Health care
Child care
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many nail salons are in Gaston County, NC?
As of September 2026, map listings count 51 nail salons in Gaston County. 19 of them (37%) are chain locations. The listings count nail salons. Official counts show 9 businesses with payroll classed as nail salons in 2023. Another 208 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in Gaston County, NC spend on personal care products and services?
About $79.7M a year, or $852 per household. That is 15% below the U.S. average (an index of 85, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 51 nail salons on map listings, it comes to $1.6M 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 93,576 households in Gaston County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Gaston County, NC compare with the U.S. for nail salons?
Gaston County has 5.5 nail salons per 10,000 households, 8% below the U.S. rate of 6.0. Spending per salon is $1.6M, 6% below the U.S. figure of $1.7M. At the U.S. ratio of nail salons to household spending, Gaston County would have about 48, against 51 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 10,397 households, against one for every 3,754 across the U.S.
How fast is Gaston County, NC growing?
Population estimates put Gaston County at 246,558 people in 2025, up 7.8% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 93,576 households. Median household income in Gaston County is $67,478, 16% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 27.7%, 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. Gaston County scores 59 for nail salons (upper middle), #435 of 1,328 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Gaston 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 Gaston County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Gaston 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 Gaston 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.