Beauty and personal care · Metro area · California
Salons, barbers and spas in the Merced, CA metro area
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for salons, barbers and spas in the Merced, CA metro area, set against other metro areas and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 81 out of 100: High
Ranked #3 of 387 scored metro areas
#1 of 25 scored metro areas based in California
- Listings
- 261
- 39 chain locations (15%)
- Official establishments
- 32
- −5.9% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $78.6M
- On personal care products and services · $913 a household
- Spending per listing
- $301K
- 42% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 30.3
- 36% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 297,260
- +5.1% since 2020
See the salons, barbers and spas around any address in the Merced 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 Merced 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
For salons, barbers and spas, the Merced metro area has a Groundwork market score of 81 (high): #3 of 387 scored metro areas and #1 of 25 scored metro areas based in California. That puts it in the top 10% of metro areas for salons, barbers and spas.
Household spending on personal care products and services in the Merced metro area comes to about $78.6M a year: $913 per household, 9% below the U.S. average. That is about $301K of household spending for each business on map listings, 42% above the U.S. figure of $213K.
There are 261 salons, barbers and spas on map listings in the Merced metro area as of September 2026. Of those, 39 are chain locations, or 15%, against 15% across the U.S. That comes to 30.3 for every 10,000 households, 36% below the U.S. rate of 47.2.
In 2023, official counts showed 32 businesses with payroll in the Merced metro area classed as personal care services, down 5.9% from 2019. That is one for every 2,689 households, against one for every 804 across the U.S. Population estimates show the Merced metro area grew 5.1% from 2020 to 2025, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%).
How the Merced 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 | Merced metro area | California | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 30.3 | 51.4 | 47.2 |
| Spending per listing | $301K | $223K | $213K |
| Households per official establishment | 2,689 | 670 | 804 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | −5.9% | +18.8% | +14.1% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +5.1% | −0.4% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on personal care products and services | $913 | $1,149 | $1,005 |
| Median household income | $65,510 | $99,122 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 81 | 38 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 32−5.9% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 172
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $4.8M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 822Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 26139 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 369The 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 Merced 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 Merced metro area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 297,260+5.1% since 2020
- Households
- 86,055
- Median age
- 32.1
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 54%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.1
- Land area
- 1,938 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 150
- Median household income
- $65,510+22.1% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $87,781
- Median home value
- $391,800
- Jobs located here
- 77,775
- Daytime population
- 255,124Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Merced 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 Merced 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 Merced 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 Merced 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 spas81
- Hair salons80
- Barbershops48
- Nail salons67
- Spas and skin care83
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 Merced, CA metro area?
As of September 2026, map listings count 261 salons, barbers and spas in the Merced metro area. 39 of them (15%) are chain locations. The listings count hair and nail salons, barbers, spas and skin care. Official counts show 32 businesses with payroll classed as personal care services in 2023, down 5.9% from 2019. Official counts also show 822 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in the Merced, CA metro area spend on personal care products and services?
About $78.6M a year, or $913 per household. That is 9% below the U.S. average (an index of 91, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 261 salons, barbers and spas on map listings, it comes to $301K per business. It is estimated from the incomes of the 86,055 households in the Merced metro area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Merced, CA metro area compare with the U.S. for salons, barbers and spas?
The Merced metro area has 30.3 salons, barbers and spas per 10,000 households, 36% below the U.S. rate of 47.2. Spending per business is $301K, 42% above the U.S. figure of $213K. At the U.S. ratio of salons, barbers and spas to household spending, the Merced metro area would have about 369, against 261 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 2,689 households, against one for every 804 across the U.S. The official count fell 5.9% from 2019 to 2023, against +14.1% for the U.S.
How fast is the Merced, CA metro area growing?
Population estimates put the Merced metro area at 297,260 people in 2025, up 5.1% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 86,055 households. The median household income in the Merced metro area is $65,510 a year, 19% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 22.1% 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. The Merced metro area scores 81 for salons, barbers and spas (high), #3 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 Merced 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 Merced metro area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Merced 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 Merced 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.