Beauty and personal care · Small-town market · Colorado
Salons, barbers and spas in the Sterling, CO area
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for salons, barbers and spas in the Sterling, CO area, set against other small-town markets and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 34 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #452 of 538 scored small-town markets
#9 of 10 scored small-town markets based in Colorado
- Listings
- 33
- 6 chain locations (18%)
- Official establishments
- 5
- Businesses with payroll, 2023
- Household spending a year
- $6.8M
- On personal care products and services · $834 a household
- Spending per listing
- $207K
- 2% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 40.2
- 15% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 20,654
- −2.7% since 2020
See the salons, barbers and spas around any address in the Sterling 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 Sterling 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 Sterling area scores 34 (lower middle) on the Groundwork market score for salons, barbers and spas, ranking #452 of 538 scored small-town markets and #9 of 10 scored small-town markets based in Colorado. That puts it in the bottom quarter of small-town markets.
Map listings as of September 2026 show 33 salons, barbers and spas in the Sterling area. 6 of them (18%) are chain locations, against 15% across the U.S. That comes to 40.2 for every 10,000 households, 15% below the U.S. rate of 47.2.
At $834 per household (17% below the U.S. average), households in the Sterling area spend about $6.8M a year on personal care products and services. Spread across 33 salons, barbers and spas, that is $207K per business, 2% below the U.S. figure of $213K.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as personal care services in the Sterling area was 5 in 2023. That is one for every 1,641 households, against one for every 804 across the U.S. Population estimates show the Sterling area declined 2.7% from 2020 to 2025, against +3.1% for the U.S.
How the Sterling area compares
The same measures for Colorado 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 | Sterling area | Colorado | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 40.2 | 49.6 | 47.2 |
| Spending per listing | $207K | $226K | $213K |
| Households per official establishment | 1,641 | 616 | 804 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +21.5% | +14.1% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −2.7% | +3.9% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on personal care products and services | $834 | $1,118 | $1,005 |
| Median household income | $51,829 | $95,470 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 34 | 48 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 5
- Employees, 2023
- 20
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $443K
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 44Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 336 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 32The 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 Sterling 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 Sterling area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 20,654−2.7% since 2020
- Households
- 8,203
- Median age
- 39.9
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 66%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 1,839 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 11
- Median household income
- $51,829−2.8% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $74,877
- Median home value
- $245,300
- Jobs located here
- 6,794
- Daytime population
- 18,497Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Sterling 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 salons, barbers and spas on map listings by name and distance.
Or open the report at the center of the Sterling 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 Colorado
Every Colorado market ranked →The highest-scoring small-town markets in Colorado for salons, barbers and spas, numbered among those based in Colorado, with the Sterling area marked.
Top small-town markets in Colorado
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Alamosa, CO | 69 | 29 | 25.3 | $321K | +2.1% | #57 of 538 |
| 2Fort Morgan, CO | 64 | 46 | 41.6 | $217K | +4.2% | #102 of 538 |
| 3Cañon City, CO | 55 | 69 | 38.4 | $230K | +2.4% | #213 of 538 |
| 4Steamboat Springs, CO | 51 | 75 | 45.0 | $247K | +0.9% | #257 of 538 |
| 5Montrose, CO | 49 | 83 | 45.9 | $203K | +4.1% | #292 of 538 |
| 6Rifle, CO | 47 | 161 | 49.4 | $223K | +1.2% | #314 of 538 |
| 7Durango, CO | 47 | 121 | 49.6 | $211K | +2.2% | #315 of 538 |
| 8Breckenridge, CO | 45 | 88 | 56.5 | $213K | +1.1% | #333 of 538 |
| 9Sterling, CO | 34 | 33 | 40.2 | $207K | −2.7% | #452 of 538 |
| 10Edwards, CO | 29 | 143 | 64.8 | $181K | −2.4% | #491 of 538 |
Other business types in the Sterling 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 salons41
- Barbershops
- Nail salons17
- Spas and skin care19
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 Sterling, CO area?
There are 33 salons, barbers and spas on map listings in the Sterling area as of September 2026. 6 of them (18%) are chain locations. The listings count hair and nail salons, barbers, spas and skin care. Official counts show 5 businesses with payroll classed as personal care services in 2023. Another 44 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in the Sterling, CO area spend on personal care products and services?
About $6.8M a year, or $834 per household. That is 17% below the U.S. average (an index of 83, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 33 salons, barbers and spas on map listings, it comes to $207K per business. It is estimated from the incomes of the 8,203 households in the Sterling area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Sterling, CO area compare with the U.S. for salons, barbers and spas?
The Sterling area has 40.2 salons, barbers and spas per 10,000 households, 15% below the U.S. rate of 47.2. Spending per business is $207K, 2% below the U.S. figure of $213K. At the national ratio of salons, barbers and spas to household spending, the Sterling area would have about 32, against 33 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,641 households, against one for every 804 across the U.S.
How fast is the Sterling, CO area growing?
Population estimates put the Sterling area at 20,654 people in 2025, down 2.7% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 8,203 households. Median household income in the Sterling area is $51,829, 36% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median fell 2.8%, 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 Sterling area scores 34 for salons, barbers and spas (lower middle), #452 of 538 scored small-town markets.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in the Sterling 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 Sterling area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Sterling 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 Sterling 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.