Groundwork

Beauty and personal care · Small-town market · Iowa

Salons, barbers and spas in the Ottumwa, IA area

How the Ottumwa, IA area compares with other small-town markets and the U.S. for salons, barbers and spas: competitors, household spending, official counts and growth.

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 52 out of 100: Upper middle

Ranked #243 of 538 scored small-town markets
#6 of 15 scored small-town markets based in Iowa

Listings
48
12 chain locations (25%)
Official establishments
9
Businesses with payroll, 2023
Household spending a year
$12.5M
On personal care products and services · $894 a household
Spending per listing
$261K
23% above the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
34.3
27% below the U.S.
Population, 2025
35,210
−0.3% since 2020

See the salons, barbers and spas around any address in the Ottumwa 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 Ottumwa area. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

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

What this means

Households in the Ottumwa area spend about $12.5M a year on personal care products and services, or $894 per household, 11% below the U.S. average. That is about $261K of household spending for each business on map listings, 23% above the U.S. figure of $213K.

There are 48 salons, barbers and spas on map listings in the Ottumwa area as of September 2026. Chain locations make up 25% of them, against 15% across the U.S. That comes to 34.3 for every 10,000 households, 27% below the U.S. rate of 47.2.

The official count of businesses with payroll classed as personal care services in the Ottumwa area was 9 in 2023. That is one for every 1,555 households, against one for every 804 across the U.S. Official counts also show 88 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 1 SBA-backed loan worth $59K has gone to businesses classed as personal care services in the Ottumwa area.

Population estimates put the population change in the Ottumwa area from 2020 to 2025 at −0.3%, against +3.1% for the U.S. For salons, barbers and spas, the Ottumwa area has a Groundwork market score of 52 (upper middle): #243 of 538 scored small-town markets and #6 of 15 scored small-town markets based in Iowa.

How the Ottumwa area compares

The same measures for Iowa 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.

Salons, barbers and spas in Ottumwa, IA area compared with Iowa and the U.S.
MeasureOttumwa areaIowaU.S.
Listings per 10k households34.340.047.2
Spending per listing$261K$248K$213K
Households per official establishment1,5551,077804
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023n/a+5.2%+14.1%
Population growth, 2020–2025−0.3%+1.5%+3.1%
Spending per household on personal care products and services$894$990$1,005
Median household income$64,766$75,059$80,734
Groundwork market score5257

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
9
Employees, 2023
24
Annual payroll, 2023
$682K
One-person businesses, 2023
88Businesses with no payroll
Map listings, September 2026
4812 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
59The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here

SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022

Loans
1
Amount
$59K

SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as personal care services in the Ottumwa 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 Ottumwa area

Population, 2025 estimate
35,210−0.3% since 2020
Households
13,997
Median age
40.5
Homes lived in by their owners
68%
Vehicles per household
1.9
Land area
432 sq. mi.
People per square mile
82
Median household income
$64,766+40.1% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$82,469
Median home value
$125,100
Jobs located here
15,175
Daytime population
34,077Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in the Ottumwa 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 Ottumwa area. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

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Salons, barbers and spas across Iowa

Every Iowa market ranked →

The highest-scoring small-town markets in Iowa for salons, barbers and spas, numbered among those based in Iowa, with the Ottumwa area marked.

Top small-town markets in Iowa

Small-town markets in Iowa ranked for salons, barbers and spas by Groundwork market score
MarketScoreListingsPer 10k householdsSpending per listingPopulation growthU.S. rank
1Marshalltown, IA724629.7$316K−0.5%#39 of 538
2Pella, IA713727.8$361K+2.3%#44 of 538
3Le Mars, IA624442.7$239K0.0%#124 of 538
4Muscatine, IA595732.9$286K−3.0%#158 of 538
5Clinton, IA577236.9$254K−0.9%#183 of 538
6Ottumwa, IA524834.3$261K−0.3%#243 of 538
7Fort Dodge, IA506039.0$233K−0.4%#274 of 538
8Spencer, IA493345.3$203K−0.8%#293 of 538
9Fort Madison, IA474833.5$264K−3.6%#306 of 538
10Spirit Lake, IA434753.1$192K+1.7%#362 of 538

Other business types in the Ottumwa area

Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.

Questions

How many salons, barbers and spas are in the Ottumwa, IA area?

As of September 2026, map listings count 48 salons, barbers and spas in the Ottumwa area. 12 of them (25%) are chain locations. The listings count hair and nail salons, barbers, spas and skin care. Official counts show 9 businesses with payroll classed as personal care services in 2023. Another 88 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.

How much do households in the Ottumwa, IA area spend on personal care products and services?

About $12.5M a year, or $894 per household. That is 11% below the U.S. average (an index of 89, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 48 salons, barbers and spas on map listings, it comes to $261K per business. It is estimated from the incomes of the 13,997 households in the Ottumwa area and national spending patterns by income.

How does the Ottumwa, IA area compare with the U.S. for salons, barbers and spas?

The Ottumwa area has 34.3 salons, barbers and spas per 10,000 households, 27% below the U.S. rate of 47.2. Spending per business is $261K, 23% above the U.S. figure of $213K. At the U.S. ratio of salons, barbers and spas to household spending, the Ottumwa area would have about 59, against 48 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,555 households, against one for every 804 across the U.S.

How fast is the Ottumwa, IA area growing?

Population estimates put the Ottumwa area at 35,210 people in 2025, down 0.3% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 13,997 households. The median household income in the Ottumwa area is $64,766 a year, 20% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 40.1% 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. 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 Ottumwa area scores 52 for salons, barbers and spas (upper middle), #243 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 Ottumwa 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 Ottumwa area

Screening a site or an acquisition in the Ottumwa 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 Ottumwa 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.