Market rankings · Iowa

Salons, barbers and spas in Iowa

Markets across Iowa ranked by the Groundwork market score for salons, barbers and spas, with competitor counts and household spending for each.

Listings: 5,258; 1,046 chain locations (20%)
Official establishments: 1,222; +5.2% since 2019
Household spending a year: $1.3B; On personal care products and services
Listings per 10k households: 40.0; 15% below the U.S.
Spending per listing: $248K; 16% above the U.S.
Rank among states: #15 of 51; Market score 57 · Upper middle

A site report maps the salons, barbers and spas on map listings around any address in Iowa by name and distance, and the spending within reach.

Free10 actions over 3 days, no card

Survey estimates 2020–2024 · population estimates 2025 · official business counts 2023 · map listings September 2026 · Data credits · How we measure

What this means

Map listings as of September 2026 show 5,258 salons, barbers and spas in Iowa. 1,046 of them (20%) are chain locations, against 15% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 40.0, 15% below the U.S. rate of 47.2.

Households in Iowa spend about $1.3B a year on personal care products and services, or $990 per household, 2% below the U.S. average. That is about $248K of household spending for each business on map listings, 16% above the U.S. figure of $213K.

In 2023, official counts showed 1,222 businesses with payroll in Iowa classed as personal care services, up 5.2% from 2019. That is one for every 1,077 households, against one for every 804 across the U.S. Across the U.S., the count rose 14.1% over the same years. Since fiscal 2022, 66 SBA-backed loans worth $13.7M have gone to businesses classed as personal care services in Iowa.

Among the 50 states and DC, Iowa ranks #15 for salons, barbers and spas, with a Groundwork market score of 57 (upper middle). Of the 9 scored metro areas in or partly in Iowa, the Ames metro area scores highest (69). Of the 15 scored small-town markets in or partly in Iowa, the Marshalltown area scores highest (72).

Every market in Iowa for salons, barbers and spas

Download the ranking (CSV)

Numbered by Groundwork market score among the markets based in Iowa, highest first; the U.S. rank compares each market with every other of its kind. A metro area that crosses a state line is listed in each state it reaches, and numbered only in the state its page is under. How the score works.

Metro areas

Metro areas reaching Iowa, ranked for salons, barbers and spas by Groundwork market score
Market	Score	Listings	Per 10k households	Spending per listing	Population growth	U.S. rank
1Ames, IA	69	147	29.5	$334K	+2.2%	#27 of 387
Omaha, NE-IA	67	1,566	40.2	$265K	+4.2%	#42 of 387
2Iowa City, IA	64	297	41.1	$246K	+4.1%	#56 of 387
3Cedar Rapids, IA	61	479	42.0	$241K	+1.0%	#78 of 387
4Waterloo-Cedar Falls, IA	60	274	39.5	$242K	+0.5%	#84 of 387
5Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA	60	1,327	45.0	$238K	+6.7%	#87 of 387
6Sioux City, IA-NE-SD	56	237	42.7	$228K	+1.0%	#134 of 387
7Davenport-Moline-Rock Island, IA-IL	51	699	43.2	$226K	−0.9%	#182 of 387
8Dubuque, IA	46	182	44.4	$225K	+0.1%	#236 of 387

Small-town markets

Small-town markets reaching Iowa, ranked for salons, barbers and spas by Groundwork market score
Market	Score	Listings	Per 10k households	Spending per listing	Population growth	U.S. rank
1Marshalltown, IA	72	46	29.7	$316K	−0.5%	#39 of 538
2Pella, IA	71	37	27.8	$361K	+2.3%	#44 of 538
3Le Mars, IA	62	44	42.7	$239K	0.0%	#124 of 538
4Muscatine, IA	59	57	32.9	$286K	−3.0%	#158 of 538
5Clinton, IA	57	72	36.9	$254K	−0.9%	#183 of 538
6Ottumwa, IA	52	48	34.3	$261K	−0.3%	#243 of 538
7Fort Dodge, IA	50	60	39.0	$233K	−0.4%	#274 of 538
8Spencer, IA	49	33	45.3	$203K	−0.8%	#293 of 538
9Fort Madison, IA	47	48	33.5	$264K	−3.6%	#306 of 538
10Spirit Lake, IA	43	47	53.1	$192K	+1.7%	#362 of 538
11Storm Lake, IA	39	33	43.7	$222K	−1.7%	#398 of 538
12Oskaloosa, IA	33	42	48.0	$193K	−1.2%	#460 of 538
13Burlington, IA-IL	30	90	45.3	$197K	−2.5%	#483 of 538
14Mason City, IA	29	114	50.2	$189K	−1.5%	#490 of 538
15Carroll, IA	27	49	55.7	$173K	−2.0%	#501 of 538

Counties

Counties in Iowa, ranked for salons, barbers and spas by Groundwork market score
Market	Score	Listings	Per 10k households	Spending per listing	Population growth	U.S. rank
1Madison County, IA	85	15	22.4	$472K	+3.8%	#32 of 2,385
2Benton County, IA	83	15	14.7	$706K	+1.8%	#45 of 2,385
3Warren County, IA	77	56	27.1	$404K	+9.0%	#121 of 2,385
4Mills County, IA	77	15	27.8	$386K	+2.6%	#123 of 2,385
5Guthrie County, IA	76	12	26.1	$386K	+1.6%	#140 of 2,385
6Lyon County, IA	74	14	31.3	$316K	+3.6%	#193 of 2,385
7Marion County, IA	67	37	27.8	$361K	+2.3%	#376 of 2,385
8Dallas County, IA	67	177	41.7	$286K	+17.8%	#393 of 2,385
9Harrison County, IA	66	19	31.2	$318K	+0.4%	#425 of 2,385
10Marshall County, IA	66	46	29.7	$316K	−0.5%	#426 of 2,385
11Butler County, IA	65	14	23.9	$404K	−2.0%	#449 of 2,385
12Boone County, IA	65	35	32.0	$318K	+0.4%	#462 of 2,385
13Jones County, IA	65	30	36.6	$262K	+2.9%	#475 of 2,385
14Delaware County, IA	64	23	31.2	$312K	+1.3%	#497 of 2,385
15Hamilton County, IA	64	21	32.6	$296K	−0.5%	#504 of 2,385
16Grundy County, IA	64	18	35.2	$293K	+0.2%	#505 of 2,385
17Iowa County, IA	63	19	27.5	$349K	−1.0%	#524 of 2,385
18Hardin County, IA	62	18	25.6	$349K	−2.2%	#559 of 2,385
19Story County, IA	62	112	28.8	$339K	+2.7%	#560 of 2,385
20Hancock County, IA	61	10	21.4	$429K	−2.2%	#588 of 2,385
21Tama County, IA	61	16	23.8	$387K	−1.5%	#592 of 2,385
22Pottawattamie County, IA	61	98	26.0	$370K	−0.7%	#596 of 2,385
23Cedar County, IA	60	30	39.4	$253K	−0.7%	#664 of 2,385
24Buchanan County, IA	60	34	41.2	$234K	+1.3%	#668 of 2,385
25Floyd County, IA	59	14	21.5	$429K	−4.4%	#672 of 2,385

Show all 99 counties

Counties in Iowa, ranked for salons, barbers and spas by Groundwork market score, continued
Market	Score	Listings	Per 10k households	Spending per listing	Population growth	U.S. rank
26Cherokee County, IA	59	15	29.7	$322K	−2.4%	#684 of 2,385
27Jasper County, IA	59	46	30.6	$314K	+0.9%	#685 of 2,385
28Crawford County, IA	59	20	31.6	$294K	−1.5%	#695 of 2,385
29Clayton County, IA	58	21	28.0	$329K	−1.1%	#736 of 2,385
30Plymouth County, IA	57	44	42.7	$239K	0.0%	#809 of 2,385
31Louisa County, IA	56	13	30.7	$318K	−3.7%	#826 of 2,385
32Muscatine County, IA	56	57	32.9	$286K	−3.0%	#833 of 2,385
33Allamakee County, IA	56	21	35.3	$265K	+1.2%	#845 of 2,385
34Sioux County, IA	56	52	41.0	$255K	+2.5%	#849 of 2,385
35Wright County, IA	55	19	35.5	$266K	−0.9%	#894 of 2,385
36Clinton County, IA	54	72	36.9	$254K	−0.9%	#940 of 2,385
37Johnson County, IA	54	262	41.4	$246K	+4.6%	#944 of 2,385
38Bremer County, IA	53	39	40.1	$256K	+1.1%	#996 of 2,385
39Washington County, IA	53	35	39.0	$250K	+0.6%	#999 of 2,385
40Winnebago County, IA	52	13	28.0	$325K	−3.8%	#1,033 of 2,385
41Poweshiek County, IA	52	27	34.6	$275K	−1.4%	#1,042 of 2,385
42Jackson County, IA	51	30	36.4	$264K	−0.8%	#1,100 of 2,385
43Chickasaw County, IA	50	15	30.0	$318K	−2.8%	#1,150 of 2,385
44Wapello County, IA	49	48	34.3	$261K	−0.3%	#1,213 of 2,385
45Mitchell County, IA	48	17	37.0	$262K	+0.6%	#1,266 of 2,385
46Black Hawk County, IA	48	217	39.8	$235K	+0.4%	#1,281 of 2,385
47Webster County, IA	47	60	39.0	$233K	−0.4%	#1,346 of 2,385
48Lee County, IA	46	48	33.5	$264K	−3.6%	#1,392 of 2,385
49O’Brien County, IA	46	21	36.2	$259K	+0.5%	#1,395 of 2,385
50Linn County, IA	46	434	45.4	$224K	+0.7%	#1,415 of 2,385
51Clay County, IA	46	33	45.3	$203K	−0.8%	#1,426 of 2,385
52Polk County, IA	45	1,021	49.7	$213K	+4.8%	#1,478 of 2,385
53Shelby County, IA	44	26	53.3	$187K	−0.2%	#1,541 of 2,385
54Jefferson County, IA	43	26	37.4	$236K	−2.5%	#1,568 of 2,385
55Fayette County, IA	41	28	33.6	$264K	−2.1%	#1,660 of 2,385
56Dubuque County, IA	41	182	44.4	$225K	+0.1%	#1,673 of 2,385
57Woodbury County, IA	41	188	46.2	$207K	+0.7%	#1,685 of 2,385
58Dickinson County, IA	41	47	53.1	$192K	+1.7%	#1,691 of 2,385
59Cass County, IA	38	22	37.6	$240K	−1.2%	#1,807 of 2,385
60Winneshiek County, IA	38	36	44.2	$224K	−1.6%	#1,810 of 2,385
61Scott County, IA	38	375	51.3	$199K	+0.4%	#1,820 of 2,385
62Buena Vista County, IA	37	33	43.7	$222K	−1.7%	#1,851 of 2,385
63Montgomery County, IA	35	17	37.1	$238K	−3.2%	#1,937 of 2,385
64Mahaska County, IA	33	42	48.0	$193K	−1.2%	#2,029 of 2,385
65Kossuth County, IA	31	31	47.4	$196K	−3.2%	#2,104 of 2,385
66Page County, IA	29	25	40.0	$216K	−2.3%	#2,150 of 2,385
67Henry County, IA	28	36	47.1	$197K	−5.4%	#2,176 of 2,385
68Carroll County, IA	28	49	55.7	$173K	−2.0%	#2,183 of 2,385
69Des Moines County, IA	27	84	48.9	$183K	−2.0%	#2,196 of 2,385
70Cerro Gordo County, IA	23	109	55.8	$169K	−1.5%	#2,263 of 2,385
71Appanoose County, IA	20	24	46.2	$180K	−1.7%	#2,302 of 2,385
72Union County, IA	17	28	54.7	$154K	−2.5%	#2,332 of 2,385
Franklin County, IA	Not scored	14	33.3	$259K	−1.2%
Keokuk County, IA	Not scored	7	17.2	$526K	−2.0%
Calhoun County, IA	Not scored	8	20.0	$463K	−3.4%
Sac County, IA	Not scored	12	27.9	$335K	−2.7%
Clarke County, IA	Not scored	12	29.5	$322K	−1.6%
Humboldt County, IA	Not scored	20	47.4	$201K	−2.0%
Howard County, IA	Not scored	11	29.2	$315K	−0.8%
Emmet County, IA	Not scored	13	32.0	$273K	−2.5%
Davis County, IA	Not scored	7	21.9	$443K	+1.3%
Palo Alto County, IA	Not scored	12	31.7	$301K	−1.0%
Lucas County, IA	Not scored	5	13.5	$639K	+2.6%
Greene County, IA	Not scored	9	22.9	$402K	−1.0%
Monona County, IA	Not scored	13	33.5	$271K	−2.4%
Decatur County, IA	Not scored	6	19.6	$432K	−0.9%
Monroe County, IA	Not scored	6	19.4	$478K	−2.5%
Adair County, IA	Not scored	11	34.0	$278K	−1.3%
Worth County, IA	Not scored	5	15.7	$616K	−1.3%
Van Buren County, IA	Not scored	6	20.7	$421K	−1.2%
Pocahontas County, IA	Not scored	8	26.7	$335K	−3.5%
Ida County, IA	Not scored	10	32.8	$278K	−3.4%
Wayne County, IA	Not scored	10	39.0	$234K	+3.6%
Fremont County, IA	Not scored	10	35.4	$272K	−0.8%
Osceola County, IA	Not scored	9	34.2	$272K	−3.6%
Taylor County, IA	Not scored	6	24.1	$371K	−0.5%
Audubon County, IA	Not scored	8	30.8	$290K	−3.0%
Ringgold County, IA	Not scored	10	52.7	$182K	0.0%
Adams County, IA	Not scored	4	26.0	$371K	−2.5%

Markets with fewer than 5 salons, barbers and spas on map listings, and counties under 10,000 people, aren’t scored; they’re listed last in each table.

Questions

How many salons, barbers and spas are in Iowa?

There are 5,258 salons, barbers and spas on map listings in Iowa as of September 2026. 1,046 of them (20%) are chain locations. The listings count hair and nail salons, barbers, spas and skin care. Official counts show 1,222 businesses with payroll classed as personal care services in 2023, up 5.2% from 2019. Official counts also show 10,601 one-person businesses without payroll.

How much do households in Iowa spend on personal care products and services?

About $1.3B a year, or $990 per household. That is 2% below the U.S. average (an index of 98, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 5,258 salons, barbers and spas on map listings, it comes to $248K per business. It is estimated from the incomes of the 1,315,707 households in Iowa and national spending patterns by income.

How does Iowa compare with the U.S. for salons, barbers and spas?

Iowa has 40.0 salons, barbers and spas per 10,000 households, 15% below the U.S. rate of 47.2. Spending per business is $248K, 16% above the U.S. figure of $213K. At the national ratio of salons, barbers and spas to household spending, Iowa would have about 6,121, against 5,258 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,077 households, against one for every 804 across the U.S. The official count rose 5.2% from 2019 to 2023, against +14.1% for the U.S.

Which market in Iowa has the highest market score for salons, barbers and spas?

Among 9 scored metro areas in or partly in Iowa, the Ames metro area scores highest, at 69 (upper middle). Among 15 scored small-town markets in or partly in Iowa, the Marshalltown area scores highest, at 72 (upper middle). Among 72 scored counties in Iowa, Madison County scores highest, at 85 (high). Scores compare each market with others of its kind across the U.S.

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. Iowa scores 57 for salons, barbers and spas (upper middle), #15 of the 50 states and DC.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Iowa. 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.

Hair salons3,086 listings
Barbershops420 listings
Nail salons535 listings
Spas and skin care1,139 listings

Screening a site or an acquisition in Iowa?

A site report maps the competitors on map listings near an address and sizes the households and spending around it.

Run a site report See plans