Beauty and personal care · Small-town market · North Carolina
Nail salons in the Wilson, NC area
The nail salons in the Wilson, NC area, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other small-town markets.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 35 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #303 of 387 scored small-town markets
#15 of 23 scored small-town markets based in North Carolina
- Listings
- 25
- 12 chain locations (48%)
- Official establishments
- 5
- Businesses with payroll, 2023
- Household spending a year
- $25.7M
- On personal care products and services · $777 a household
- Spending per listing
- $1M
- 38% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 7.6
- 27% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 81,150
- +1.7% since 2020
See the nail salons around any address in the Wilson 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 Wilson 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
The Wilson area scores 35 (lower middle) on the Groundwork market score for nail salons, ranking #303 of 387 scored small-town markets and #15 of 23 scored small-town markets based in North Carolina. That puts it in the bottom quarter of small-town markets.
At $777 per household (23% below the U.S. average), households in the Wilson area spend about $25.7M a year on personal care products and services. That works out to $1M per salon, 38% below the U.S. figure of $1.7M. The spending figure covers all personal care products and services, not only nail salons.
The Wilson area has 25 nail salons on map listings as of September 2026. 12 of them (48%) are chain locations, against 27% across the U.S. That is 7.6 per 10,000 households, 27% above the U.S. rate of 6.0.
In 2023, official counts showed 5 businesses with payroll in the Wilson area classed as nail salons. That is one for every 6,614 households, against one for every 3,754 across the U.S. Between 2020 and 2025, the population of the Wilson area grew 1.7%, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%).
How the Wilson 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 | Wilson area | North Carolina | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 7.6 | 6.4 | 6.0 |
| Spending per listing | $1M | $1.4M | $1.7M |
| Households per official establishment | 6,614 | 7,513 | 3,754 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +55.7% | +23.2% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +1.7% | +7.2% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on personal care products and services | $777 | $897 | $1,005 |
| Median household income | $56,423 | $72,388 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 35 | 45 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 5
- Employees, 2023
- 15
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $423K
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 76Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 2512 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 15The 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 Wilson 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 Wilson area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 81,150+1.7% since 2020
- Households
- 33,068
- Median age
- 40.9
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 60%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 368 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 216
- Median household income
- $56,423+28.6% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $76,415
- Median home value
- $186,000
- Jobs located here
- 36,414
- Daytime population
- 81,523Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Wilson 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 Wilson 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 Wilson 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 |
| 15Wilson, NC | 35 | 25 | 7.6 | $1M | +1.7% | #303 of 387 |
Other business types in the Wilson 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 spas34
- Hair salons37
- Barbershops29
- Nail salons35
- 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 the Wilson, NC area?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 25 nail salons in the Wilson area. 12 of them (48%) are chain locations. The listings count nail salons. Official counts show 5 businesses with payroll classed as nail salons in 2023. Official counts also show 76 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in the Wilson, NC area spend on personal care products and services?
About $25.7M a year, or $777 per household. That is 23% below the U.S. average (an index of 77, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 25 nail salons on map listings, it comes to $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 33,068 households in the Wilson area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Wilson, NC area compare with the U.S. for nail salons?
The Wilson area has 7.6 nail salons per 10,000 households, 27% above the U.S. rate of 6.0. Spending per salon is $1M, 38% below the U.S. figure of $1.7M. At the U.S. ratio of nail salons to household spending, the Wilson area would have about 15, against 25 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 6,614 households, against one for every 3,754 across the U.S.
How fast is the Wilson, NC area growing?
Population estimates put the Wilson area at 81,150 people in 2025, up 1.7% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 33,068 households. Median household income in the Wilson area is $56,423, 30% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 28.6%, 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 Wilson area scores 35 for nail salons (lower middle), #303 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 Wilson 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 Wilson area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Wilson 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 Wilson 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.