Beauty and personal care · County · Illinois
Salons, barbers and spas in Cook County, IL
How Cook County, IL compares with other counties and the U.S. for salons, barbers and spas: competitors, household spending, official counts and growth.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 38 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,811 of 2,385 scored counties
#78 of 87 scored counties in Illinois
- Listings
- 10,317
- 1,275 chain locations (12%)
- Official establishments
- 2,786
- +10.0% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $2.2B
- On personal care products and services · $1,071 a household
- Spending per listing
- $218K
- 3% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 49.1
- 4% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 5,194,625
- −1.3% since 2020
See the salons, barbers and spas around any address in Cook 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 Cook 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 salons, barbers and spas in Cook County is 38 (lower middle), #1,811 of 2,385 scored counties and #78 of 87 scored counties in Illinois. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.
Map listings as of September 2026 show 10,317 salons, barbers and spas in Cook County. Chain locations make up 12% of them, against 15% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 49.1, 4% above the U.S. rate of 47.2.
Households in Cook County spend about $2.2B a year on personal care products and services, or $1,071 per household, 7% above the U.S. average. Spread across 10,317 salons, barbers and spas, that is $218K per business, 3% above the U.S. figure of $213K.
Official counts show 2,786 businesses with payroll classed as personal care services in Cook County in 2023, up 10.0% from 2019. That is one for every 754 households, against one for every 804 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 171 SBA-backed loans worth $50.7M have gone to businesses classed as personal care services in Cook County. Population estimates put the population change in Cook County from 2020 to 2025 at −1.3%, against +3.1% for the U.S.
How Cook County compares
The same measures for Illinois 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 | Cook County | Illinois | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 49.1 | 45.3 | 47.2 |
| Spending per listing | $218K | $235K | $213K |
| Households per official establishment | 754 | 865 | 804 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +10.0% | +8.2% | +14.1% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −1.3% | −0.6% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on personal care products and services | $1,071 | $1,063 | $1,005 |
| Median household income | $83,498 | $83,390 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 38 | 44 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 2,533 → 2,786+10.0% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 12,592
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $425.3M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 31,472Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 10,3171,275 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 10,576The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 171
- Amount
- $50.7M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as personal care services in Cook 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 Cook County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 5,194,625−1.3% since 2020
- Households
- 2,100,230
- Median age
- 39.2
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 58%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.4
- Land area
- 945 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 5,484
- Median household income
- $83,498+29.1% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $120,729
- Median home value
- $324,500
- Jobs located here
- 2,683,238
- Daytime population
- 5,468,881Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Cook 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 Cook 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 Illinois
Every Illinois market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in Illinois for salons, barbers and spas, numbered among those based in Illinois, with Cook County marked.
Top counties in Illinois
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Boone County, IL | 81 | 35 | 18.0 | $586K | +0.4% | #58 of 2,385 |
| 2Woodford County, IL | 79 | 39 | 26.6 | $412K | −0.8% | #86 of 2,385 |
| 3Douglas County, IL | 76 | 17 | 21.9 | $444K | +0.5% | #132 of 2,385 |
| 4Clinton County, IL | 75 | 46 | 31.6 | $331K | +0.6% | #173 of 2,385 |
| 5Piatt County, IL | 74 | 21 | 30.3 | $357K | +0.6% | #183 of 2,385 |
| 6Menard County, IL | 69 | 8 | 15.3 | $647K | −3.3% | #299 of 2,385 |
| 7Bond County, IL | 67 | 14 | 22.8 | $411K | +0.6% | #368 of 2,385 |
| 8Washington County, IL | 67 | 14 | 24.2 | $402K | −1.2% | #370 of 2,385 |
| 9Macoupin County, IL | 66 | 52 | 29.6 | $326K | −2.6% | #422 of 2,385 |
| 10Fulton County, IL | 65 | 28 | 20.3 | $437K | −2.0% | #446 of 2,385 |
| 78Cook County, IL | 38 | 10,317 | 49.1 | $218K | −1.3% | #1,811 of 2,385 |
Other business types in Cook 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 spas38
- Hair salons45
- Barbershops46
- Nail salons43
- Spas and skin care45
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 Cook County, IL?
There are 10,317 salons, barbers and spas on map listings in Cook County as of September 2026. 1,275 of them (12%) are chain locations. The listings count hair and nail salons, barbers, spas and skin care. Official counts show 2,786 businesses with payroll classed as personal care services in 2023, up 10.0% from 2019. Official counts list 31,472 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Cook County, IL spend on personal care products and services?
About $2.2B a year, or $1,071 per household. That is 7% above the U.S. average (an index of 107, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 10,317 salons, barbers and spas on map listings, it comes to $218K per business. It is estimated from the incomes of the 2,100,230 households in Cook County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Cook County, IL compare with the U.S. for salons, barbers and spas?
Cook County has 49.1 salons, barbers and spas per 10,000 households, 4% above the U.S. rate of 47.2. Spending per business is $218K, 3% above the U.S. figure of $213K. At the national ratio of salons, barbers and spas to household spending, Cook County would have about 10,576, against 10,317 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 754 households, against one for every 804 across the U.S. The official count rose 10.0% from 2019 to 2023, against +14.1% for the U.S.
How fast is Cook County, IL growing?
Population estimates put Cook County at 5,194,625 people in 2025, down 1.3% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 2,100,230 households. Median household income in Cook County is $83,498, 3% above the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 29.1%, 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. Cook County scores 38 for salons, barbers and spas (lower middle), #1,811 of 2,385 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Cook 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 Cook County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Cook 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 Cook 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.