Beauty and personal care · County · West Virginia
Nail salons in Kanawha County, WV
How Kanawha County, WV 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 37 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,004 of 1,328 scored counties
#7 of 16 scored counties in West Virginia
- Listings
- 39
- 11 chain locations (28%)
- Official establishments
- 11
- Businesses with payroll, 2023
- Household spending a year
- $61.8M
- On personal care products and services · $808 a household
- Spending per listing
- $1.6M
- 5% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 5.1
- 15% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 172,381
- −4.3% since 2020
See the nail salons around any address in Kanawha 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 Kanawha 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
The Groundwork market score for nail salons in Kanawha County is 37 (lower middle), #1,004 of 1,328 scored counties and #7 of 16 scored counties in West Virginia. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.
As of September 2026, map listings count 39 nail salons in Kanawha County. Chain locations make up 28% of them, against 27% across the U.S. That comes to 5.1 for every 10,000 households, 15% below the U.S. rate of 6.0.
Households in Kanawha County spend about $61.8M a year on personal care products and services, or $808 per household, 20% below the U.S. average. Spread across 39 nail salons, that is $1.6M per salon, 5% 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.
In 2023, official counts showed 11 businesses with payroll in Kanawha County classed as nail salons. That is one for every 6,951 households, against one for every 3,754 across the U.S. Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Kanawha County declined 4.3%, against +3.1% for the U.S.
How Kanawha County compares
The same measures for West Virginia 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 | Kanawha County | West Virginia | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 5.1 | 4.1 | 6.0 |
| Spending per listing | $1.6M | $2M | $1.7M |
| Households per official establishment | 6,951 | 13,248 | 3,754 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +77.4% | +23.2% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −4.3% | −1.4% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on personal care products and services | $808 | $802 | $1,005 |
| Median household income | $60,943 | $59,608 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 37 | 40 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 5 → 11
- Employees, 2023
- 17
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $460K
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 107Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 3911 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 37The 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 Kanawha 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 Kanawha County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 172,381−4.3% since 2020
- Households
- 76,459
- Median age
- 43.8
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 71%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.6
- Land area
- 902 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 196
- Median household income
- $60,943+30.7% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $84,041
- Median home value
- $147,300
- Jobs located here
- 104,812
- Daytime population
- 206,412Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Kanawha 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 Kanawha 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 West Virginia
Every West Virginia market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in West Virginia for nail salons, numbered among those based in West Virginia, with Kanawha County marked.
Top counties in West Virginia
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Jefferson County, WV | 82 | 8 | 3.5 | $2.9M | +9.2% | #30 of 1,328 |
| 2Berkeley County, WV | 70 | 21 | 4.1 | $2.2M | +13.7% | #152 of 1,328 |
| 3Monongalia County, WV | 47 | 32 | 7.2 | $1.2M | +2.0% | #790 of 1,328 |
| 4Ohio County, WV | 40 | 8 | 4.4 | $1.9M | −4.4% | #946 of 1,328 |
| 5Marion County, WV | 39 | 10 | 4.3 | $1.9M | −1.2% | #963 of 1,328 |
| 6Mercer County, WV | 38 | 8 | 3.3 | $2.3M | −3.4% | #979 of 1,328 |
| 7Kanawha County, WV | 37 | 39 | 5.1 | $1.6M | −4.3% | #1,004 of 1,328 |
| 8Putnam County, WV | 36 | 14 | 6.0 | $1.6M | −1.0% | #1,023 of 1,328 |
| 9Cabell County, WV | 31 | 26 | 6.6 | $1.2M | −3.2% | #1,129 of 1,328 |
| 10Raleigh County, WV | 30 | 16 | 5.5 | $1.3M | −3.5% | #1,140 of 1,328 |
Other business types in Kanawha 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 spas27
- Hair salons37
- Barbershops32
- Nail salons37
- Spas and skin care32
Fitness and classes
Health care
Child care
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many nail salons are in Kanawha County, WV?
Kanawha County has 39 nail salons on map listings as of September 2026. 11 of them (28%) are chain locations. The listings count nail salons. Official counts show 11 businesses with payroll classed as nail salons in 2023. Official counts also show 107 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Kanawha County, WV spend on personal care products and services?
About $61.8M a year, or $808 per household. That is 20% below the U.S. average (an index of 80, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 39 nail salons on map listings, it comes to $1.6M per salon. The spending figure covers all personal care products and services, not only nail salons. It is estimated from the incomes of the 76,459 households in Kanawha County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Kanawha County, WV compare with the U.S. for nail salons?
Kanawha County has 5.1 nail salons per 10,000 households, 15% below the U.S. rate of 6.0. Spending per salon is $1.6M, 5% below the U.S. figure of $1.7M. At the national ratio of nail salons to household spending, Kanawha County would have about 37, against 39 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 6,951 households, against one for every 3,754 across the U.S.
How fast is Kanawha County, WV growing?
Population estimates put Kanawha County at 172,381 people in 2025, down 4.3% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 76,459 households. The median household income in Kanawha County is $60,943 a year, 25% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 30.7% 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. Kanawha County scores 37 for nail salons (lower middle), #1,004 of 1,328 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Kanawha 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 Kanawha County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Kanawha 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 Kanawha 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.