Beauty and personal care · County · California
Salons, barbers and spas in San Diego County, CA
The salons, barbers and spas in San Diego County, CA, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 35 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,954 of 2,385 scored counties
#53 of 55 scored counties in California
- Listings
- 6,759
- 754 chain locations (11%)
- Official establishments
- 1,974
- +12.9% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $1.4B
- On personal care products and services · $1,180 a household
- Spending per listing
- $205K
- 4% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 57.7
- 22% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 3,282,248
- −0.6% since 2020
See the salons, barbers and spas around any address in San Diego County
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 San Diego 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
San Diego County scores 35 (lower middle) on the Groundwork market score for salons, barbers and spas, ranking #1,954 of 2,385 scored counties and #53 of 55 scored counties in California. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.
Map listings as of September 2026 show 6,759 salons, barbers and spas in San Diego County. Chain locations make up 11% of them, against 15% across the U.S. That is 57.7 per 10,000 households, 22% above the U.S. rate of 47.2.
Households in San Diego County spend about $1.4B a year on personal care products and services, or $1,180 per household, 17% above the U.S. average. Spread across 6,759 salons, barbers and spas, that is $205K per business, 4% below the U.S. figure of $213K.
Official counts show 1,974 businesses with payroll classed as personal care services in San Diego County in 2023, up 12.9% from 2019. That is one for every 593 households, against one for every 804 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 109 SBA-backed loans worth $34.1M have gone to businesses classed as personal care services in San Diego County. Between 2020 and 2025, the population of San Diego County declined 0.6%, against +3.1% for the U.S.
How San Diego County 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 | San Diego County | California | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 57.7 | 51.4 | 47.2 |
| Spending per listing | $205K | $223K | $213K |
| Households per official establishment | 593 | 670 | 804 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +12.9% | +18.8% | +14.1% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −0.6% | −0.4% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on personal care products and services | $1,180 | $1,149 | $1,005 |
| Median household income | $106,268 | $99,122 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 35 | 38 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 1,748 → 1,974+12.9% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 10,467
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $291.9M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 11,299Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 6,759754 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 6,500The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 109
- Amount
- $34.1M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as personal care services in San Diego 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 San Diego County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 3,282,248−0.6% since 2020
- Households
- 1,171,278
- Median age
- 38.9
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 55%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 4,211 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 781
- Median household income
- $106,268+34.6% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $141,250
- Median home value
- $854,700
- Jobs located here
- 1,516,991
- Daytime population
- 3,269,716Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in San Diego 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 salons, barbers and spas on map listings by name and distance.
Or open the report at the center of San Diego County. 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 counties in California for salons, barbers and spas, numbered among those based in California, with San Diego County marked.
Top counties in California
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Yuba County, CA | 91 | 43 | 15.0 | $647K | +8.2% | #7 of 2,385 |
| 2Calaveras County, CA | 78 | 58 | 31.5 | $327K | +2.8% | #111 of 2,385 |
| 3Madera County, CA | 76 | 148 | 32.6 | $302K | +7.4% | #154 of 2,385 |
| 4Merced County, CA | 73 | 261 | 30.3 | $301K | +5.1% | #219 of 2,385 |
| 5Colusa County, CA | 70 | 17 | 22.6 | $426K | −0.1% | #280 of 2,385 |
| 6Mariposa County, CA | 68 | 15 | 20.0 | $474K | −1.2% | #329 of 2,385 |
| 7Amador County, CA | 68 | 64 | 39.8 | $260K | +3.2% | #358 of 2,385 |
| 8Mono County, CA | 67 | 16 | 27.9 | $405K | −5.4% | #369 of 2,385 |
| 9Yolo County, CA | 67 | 251 | 32.7 | $334K | +3.1% | #383 of 2,385 |
| 10San Benito County, CA | 67 | 87 | 42.3 | $290K | +8.6% | #391 of 2,385 |
| 53San Diego County, CA | 35 | 6,759 | 57.7 | $205K | −0.6% | #1,954 of 2,385 |
Other business types in San Diego 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 spas35
- Hair salons49
- Barbershops53
- Nail salons42
- Spas and skin care32
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 San Diego County, CA?
There are 6,759 salons, barbers and spas on map listings in San Diego County as of September 2026. 754 of them (11%) are chain locations. The listings count hair and nail salons, barbers, spas and skin care. Official counts show 1,974 businesses with payroll classed as personal care services in 2023, up 12.9% from 2019. Official counts list 11,299 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in San Diego County, CA spend on personal care products and services?
About $1.4B a year, or $1,180 per household. That is 17% above the U.S. average (an index of 117, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 6,759 salons, barbers and spas on map listings, it comes to $205K per business. It is estimated from the incomes of the 1,171,278 households in San Diego County and national spending patterns by income.
How does San Diego County, CA compare with the U.S. for salons, barbers and spas?
San Diego County has 57.7 salons, barbers and spas per 10,000 households, 22% above the U.S. rate of 47.2. Spending per business is $205K, 4% below the U.S. figure of $213K. At the national ratio of salons, barbers and spas to household spending, San Diego County would have about 6,500, against 6,759 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 593 households, against one for every 804 across the U.S. The official count rose 12.9% from 2019 to 2023, against +14.1% for the U.S.
How fast is San Diego County, CA growing?
Population estimates put San Diego County at 3,282,248 people in 2025, down 0.6% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 1,171,278 households. Median household income in San Diego County is $106,268, 32% above the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 34.6%, 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. 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. San Diego County scores 35 for salons, barbers and spas (lower middle), #1,954 of 2,385 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in San Diego County. 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 San Diego County
Screening a site or an acquisition in San Diego 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 San Diego 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.