Beauty and personal care · Small-town market · North Carolina
Nail salons in the Morehead City, NC area
The nail salons in the Morehead City, NC area, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other small-town markets.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 43 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #249 of 387 scored small-town markets
#11 of 23 scored small-town markets based in North Carolina
- Listings
- 25
- 9 chain locations (36%)
- Official establishments
- n/a
- Fewer than 3, or not published
- Household spending a year
- $28.5M
- On personal care products and services · $890 a household
- Spending per listing
- $1.1M
- 32% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 7.8
- 30% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 70,469
- +4.1% since 2020
See the nail salons around any address in the Morehead City 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 Morehead City 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
Households in the Morehead City area spend about $28.5M a year on personal care products and services, or $890 per household, 11% below the U.S. average. Spread across 25 nail salons, that is $1.1M per salon, 32% below the U.S. figure of $1.7M. The spending figure covers all personal care products and services, not only nail salons.
There are 25 nail salons on map listings in the Morehead City area as of September 2026. 9 of them (36%) are chain locations, against 27% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 7.8, 30% above the U.S. rate of 6.0.
Official counts don’t publish a figure for nail salons in the Morehead City area, since they leave out counts under 3. Official counts also show 55 one-person businesses without payroll.
Population estimates show the Morehead City area grew 4.1% from 2020 to 2025, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). For nail salons, the Morehead City area has a Groundwork market score of 43 (lower middle): #249 of 387 scored small-town markets and #11 of 23 scored small-town markets based in North Carolina.
How the Morehead City area 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 | Morehead City area | North Carolina | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 7.8 | 6.4 | 6.0 |
| Spending per listing | $1.1M | $1.4M | $1.7M |
| Households per official establishment | n/a | 7,513 | 3,754 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +55.7% | +23.2% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +4.1% | +7.2% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on personal care products and services | $890 | $897 | $1,005 |
| Median household income | $72,322 | $72,388 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 43 | 45 |
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
- 55Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 259 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 17The 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 Morehead City 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 Morehead City area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 70,469+4.1% since 2020
- Households
- 31,977
- Median age
- 49.5
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 75%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 508 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 136
- Median household income
- $72,322+26.5% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $99,351
- Median home value
- $333,300
- Jobs located here
- 23,748
- Daytime population
- 65,592Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Morehead City 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 Morehead City 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 North Carolina
Every North Carolina market ranked →The highest-scoring small-town markets in North Carolina for nail salons, numbered among those based in North Carolina, with the Morehead City area marked.
Top small-town markets in North Carolina
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1North Wilkesboro, NC | 59 | 5 | 1.8 | $4M | +0.6% | #131 of 387 |
| 2Marion, NC | 59 | 5 | 2.7 | $2.9M | +1.5% | #132 of 387 |
| 3Brevard, NC | 57 | 6 | 4.1 | $2.1M | +2.9% | #149 of 387 |
| 4Waynesville, NC | 55 | 9 | 3.3 | $2.5M | +1.9% | #161 of 387 |
| 5Kill Devil Hills, NC | 55 | 12 | 7.1 | $1.4M | +3.3% | #171 of 387 |
| 6Anderson Creek, NC | 53 | 28 | 5.6 | $1.5M | +12.3% | #187 of 387 |
| 7Washington, NC | 52 | 7 | 3.6 | $2.2M | 0.0% | #191 of 387 |
| 8Boone, NC | 47 | 8 | 3.8 | $2.1M | +0.6% | #222 of 387 |
| 9New Bern, NC | 46 | 37 | 7.1 | $1.2M | +3.6% | #227 of 387 |
| 10Sanford, NC | 45 | 15 | 6.0 | $1.4M | +10.8% | #236 of 387 |
| 11Morehead City, NC | 43 | 25 | 7.8 | $1.1M | +4.1% | #249 of 387 |
Other business types in the Morehead City 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 spas37
- Hair salons45
- Barbershops68
- Nail salons43
- Spas and skin care35
Fitness and classes
Health care
Child care
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many nail salons are in the Morehead City, NC area?
As of September 2026, map listings count 25 nail salons in the Morehead City area. 9 of them (36%) are chain locations. The listings count nail salons. No official count is published for nail salons in the Morehead City area: counts under 3 are left out. Official counts list 55 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in the Morehead City, NC area spend on personal care products and services?
About $28.5M a year, or $890 per household. That is 11% below the U.S. average (an index of 89, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 25 nail salons on map listings, it comes to $1.1M 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 31,977 households in the Morehead City area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Morehead City, NC area compare with the U.S. for nail salons?
The Morehead City area has 7.8 nail salons per 10,000 households, 30% above the U.S. rate of 6.0. Spending per salon is $1.1M, 32% below the U.S. figure of $1.7M. At the U.S. ratio of nail salons to household spending, the Morehead City area would have about 17, against 25 on map listings.
How fast is the Morehead City, NC area growing?
Population estimates put the Morehead City area at 70,469 people in 2025, up 4.1% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 31,977 households. Median household income in the Morehead City area is $72,322, 10% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 26.5%, 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 Morehead City area scores 43 for nail salons (lower middle), #249 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 Morehead City 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 Morehead City area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Morehead City 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 Morehead City 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.