Beauty and personal care · Metro area · California
Salons, barbers and spas in the El Centro, CA metro area
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for salons, barbers and spas in the El Centro, CA metro area, set against other metro areas and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 67 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #41 of 387 scored metro areas
#7 of 25 scored metro areas based in California
- Listings
- 161
- 31 chain locations (19%)
- Official establishments
- 19
- −20.8% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $43M
- On personal care products and services · $866 a household
- Spending per listing
- $267K
- 25% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 32.4
- 31% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 181,411
- +1.1% since 2020
See the salons, barbers and spas around any address in the El Centro metro area
The site report maps the salons, barbers and spas 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 El Centro metro 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
As of September 2026, map listings count 161 salons, barbers and spas in the El Centro metro area. Of those, 31 are chain locations, or 19%, against 15% across the U.S. That comes to 32.4 for every 10,000 households, 31% below the U.S. rate of 47.2.
Household spending on personal care products and services in the El Centro metro area comes to about $43M a year: $866 per household, 14% below the U.S. average. That works out to $267K per business, 25% above the U.S. figure of $213K.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as personal care services in the El Centro metro area was 19 in 2023, down 20.8% from 2019. That is one for every 2,613 households, against one for every 804 across the U.S. Another 448 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
Between 2020 and 2025, the population of the El Centro metro area grew 1.1%, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). The Groundwork market score for salons, barbers and spas in the El Centro metro area is 67 (upper middle), #41 of 387 scored metro areas and #7 of 25 scored metro areas based in California. That puts it in the top quarter of metro areas.
How the El Centro metro area compares
The same measures for California and the whole U.S. Spending per listing divides a year of household spending on all personal care products and services by the salons, barbers and spas 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 | El Centro metro area | California | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 32.4 | 51.4 | 47.2 |
| Spending per listing | $267K | $223K | $213K |
| Households per official establishment | 2,613 | 670 | 804 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | −20.8% | +18.8% | +14.1% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +1.1% | −0.4% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on personal care products and services | $866 | $1,149 | $1,005 |
| Median household income | $57,681 | $99,122 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 67 | 38 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 19−20.8% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 65
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $1.8M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 448Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 16131 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 202The 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 personal care services in the El Centro metro 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 El Centro metro area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 181,411+1.1% since 2020
- Households
- 49,644
- Median age
- 33.6
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 57%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.0
- Land area
- 4,176 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 43
- Median household income
- $57,681+21.1% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $79,363
- Median home value
- $309,600
- Jobs located here
- 63,081
- Daytime population
- 165,766Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the El Centro metro area?
These figures cover the whole metro area. A site report draws rings around one address and counts what’s inside them: households, spending, jobs, and the salons, barbers and spas on map listings by name and distance.
Or open the report at the center of the El Centro metro area. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.
Free10 actions over 3 days, no cardSalons, barbers and spas across California
Every California market ranked →The highest-scoring metro areas in California for salons, barbers and spas, numbered among those based in California, with the El Centro metro area marked.
Top metro areas in California
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Merced, CA | 81 | 261 | 30.3 | $301K | +5.1% | #3 of 387 |
| 2Yuba City, CA | 75 | 241 | 38.9 | $256K | +3.3% | #10 of 387 |
| 3Visalia, CA | 72 | 507 | 35.4 | $269K | +2.4% | #16 of 387 |
| 4Bakersfield-Delano, CA | 71 | 1,009 | 35.4 | $268K | +2.3% | #20 of 387 |
| 5Stockton-Lodi, CA | 71 | 1,011 | 41.2 | $264K | +5.5% | #23 of 387 |
| 6Hanford-Corcoran, CA | 68 | 159 | 36.1 | $261K | +1.0% | #38 of 387 |
| 7El Centro, CA | 67 | 161 | 32.4 | $267K | +1.1% | #41 of 387 |
| 8Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA | 59 | 437 | 45.1 | $269K | −4.7% | #92 of 387 |
| 9Fresno, CA | 59 | 1,573 | 42.5 | $231K | +3.2% | #96 of 387 |
| 10Vallejo, CA | 58 | 739 | 46.9 | $242K | +0.6% | #109 of 387 |
Other business types in the El Centro metro 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 spas67
- Hair salons71
- Barbershops21
- Nail salons59
- Spas and skin care70
Fitness and classes
Health care
Child care
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many salons, barbers and spas are in the El Centro, CA metro area?
The El Centro metro area has 161 salons, barbers and spas on map listings as of September 2026. 31 of them (19%) are chain locations. The listings count hair and nail salons, barbers, spas and skin care. Official counts show 19 businesses with payroll classed as personal care services in 2023, down 20.8% from 2019. Official counts list 448 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in the El Centro, CA metro area spend on personal care products and services?
About $43M a year, or $866 per household. That is 14% below the U.S. average (an index of 86, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 161 salons, barbers and spas on map listings, it comes to $267K per business. It is estimated from the incomes of the 49,644 households in the El Centro metro area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the El Centro, CA metro area compare with the U.S. for salons, barbers and spas?
The El Centro metro area has 32.4 salons, barbers and spas per 10,000 households, 31% below the U.S. rate of 47.2. Spending per business is $267K, 25% above the U.S. figure of $213K. At the national ratio of salons, barbers and spas to household spending, the El Centro metro area would have about 202, against 161 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 2,613 households, against one for every 804 across the U.S. The official count fell 20.8% from 2019 to 2023, against +14.1% for the U.S.
How fast is the El Centro, CA metro area growing?
Population estimates put the El Centro metro area at 181,411 people in 2025, up 1.1% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 49,644 households. Median household income in the El Centro metro area is $57,681, 29% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 21.1%, 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. The El Centro metro area scores 67 for salons, barbers and spas (upper middle), #41 of 387 scored metro areas.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in the El Centro metro area. It maps the salons, barbers and spas 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 salons, barbers and spas · All 56 business types in the El Centro metro area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the El Centro metro 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 El Centro metro 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.