Beauty and personal care · County · North Carolina
Nail salons in Wake County, NC
The nail salons in Wake County, NC, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 62 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #356 of 1,328 scored counties
#12 of 72 scored counties in North Carolina
- Listings
- 357
- 88 chain locations (25%)
- Official establishments
- 76
- +15.2% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $499.6M
- On personal care products and services · $1,086 a household
- Spending per listing
- $1.4M
- 16% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 7.8
- 30% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 1,257,235
- +11.2% since 2020
See the nail salons around any address in Wake 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 Wake 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
Households in Wake County spend about $499.6M a year on personal care products and services, or $1,086 per household, 8% above the U.S. average. Spread across 357 nail salons, that is $1.4M per salon, 16% below the U.S. figure of $1.7M. The spending figure covers all personal care products and services, not only nail salons.
Wake County has 357 nail salons on map listings as of September 2026. 88 of them (25%) are chain locations, against 27% across the U.S. That comes to 7.8 for every 10,000 households, 30% above the U.S. rate of 6.0.
In 2023, official counts showed 76 businesses with payroll in Wake County classed as nail salons, up 15.2% from 2019. That is one for every 6,055 households, against one for every 3,754 across the U.S. Official counts also show 1,748 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 5 SBA-backed loans worth $1.6M have gone to businesses classed as nail salons in Wake County.
Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Wake County grew 11.2%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). The Groundwork market score for nail salons in Wake County is 62 (upper middle), #356 of 1,328 scored counties and #12 of 72 scored counties in North Carolina.
How Wake 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 | Wake County | North Carolina | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 7.8 | 6.4 | 6.0 |
| Spending per listing | $1.4M | $1.4M | $1.7M |
| Households per official establishment | 6,055 | 7,513 | 3,754 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +15.2% | +55.7% | +23.2% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +11.2% | +7.2% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on personal care products and services | $1,086 | $897 | $1,005 |
| Median household income | $105,768 | $72,388 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 62 | 45 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 66 → 76+15.2% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 187
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $4.9M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 1,748Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 35788 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 299The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 5
- Amount
- $1.6M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as nail salons in Wake 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 Wake County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 1,257,235+11.2% since 2020
- Households
- 460,175
- Median age
- 38.2
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 64%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.8
- Land area
- 835 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 1,412
- Median household income
- $105,768+31.2% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $139,587
- Median home value
- $461,300
- Jobs located here
- 687,531
- Daytime population
- 1,293,967Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Wake 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 Wake 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 Wake 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 |
| 12Wake County, NC | 62 | 357 | 7.8 | $1.4M | +11.2% | #356 of 1,328 |
Other business types in Wake 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 salons46
- Barbershops57
- Nail salons62
- Spas and skin care43
Fitness and classes
Health care
Child care
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many nail salons are in Wake County, NC?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 357 nail salons in Wake County. 88 of them (25%) are chain locations. The listings count nail salons. Official counts show 76 businesses with payroll classed as nail salons in 2023, up 15.2% from 2019. Another 1,748 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in Wake County, NC spend on personal care products and services?
About $499.6M a year, or $1,086 per household. That is 8% above the U.S. average (an index of 108, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 357 nail salons on map listings, it comes to $1.4M 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 460,175 households in Wake County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Wake County, NC compare with the U.S. for nail salons?
Wake County has 7.8 nail salons per 10,000 households, 30% above the U.S. rate of 6.0. Spending per salon is $1.4M, 16% below the U.S. figure of $1.7M. At the U.S. ratio of nail salons to household spending, Wake County would have about 299, against 357 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 6,055 households, against one for every 3,754 across the U.S. The official count rose 15.2% from 2019 to 2023, against +23.2% for the U.S.
How fast is Wake County, NC growing?
Population estimates put Wake County at 1,257,235 people in 2025, up 11.2% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 460,175 households. Median household income in Wake County is $105,768, 31% above the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 31.2%, 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. Wake County scores 62 for nail salons (upper middle), #356 of 1,328 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Wake 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 Wake County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Wake 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 Wake 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.