Beauty and personal care · County · Iowa
Salons, barbers and spas in Polk County, IA
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for salons, barbers and spas in Polk County, IA, set against other counties and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 45 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,478 of 2,385 scored counties
#52 of 72 scored counties in Iowa
- Listings
- 1,021
- 167 chain locations (16%)
- Official establishments
- 342
- +9.6% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $217M
- On personal care products and services · $1,057 a household
- Spending per listing
- $213K
- In line with the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 49.7
- 5% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 516,546
- +4.8% since 2020
See the salons, barbers and spas around any address in Polk 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 Polk 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
Household spending on personal care products and services in Polk County comes to about $217M a year: $1,057 per household, 5% above the U.S. average. That is about $213K of household spending for each business on map listings, in line with the U.S. figure of $213K.
Polk County has 1,021 salons, barbers and spas on map listings as of September 2026. Chain locations make up 16% of them, against 15% across the U.S. That is 49.7 per 10,000 households, 5% above the U.S. rate of 47.2.
In 2023, official counts showed 342 businesses with payroll in Polk County classed as personal care services, up 9.6% from 2019. That is one for every 600 households, against one for every 804 across the U.S. Official counts also show 1,916 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 14 SBA-backed loans worth $3.5M have gone to businesses classed as personal care services in Polk County.
Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Polk County grew 4.8%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). For salons, barbers and spas, Polk County has a Groundwork market score of 45 (lower middle): #1,478 of 2,385 scored counties and #52 of 72 scored counties in Iowa.
How Polk County 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.
| Measure | Polk County | Iowa | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 49.7 | 40.0 | 47.2 |
| Spending per listing | $213K | $248K | $213K |
| Households per official establishment | 600 | 1,077 | 804 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +9.6% | +5.2% | +14.1% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +4.8% | +1.5% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on personal care products and services | $1,057 | $990 | $1,005 |
| Median household income | $83,576 | $75,059 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 45 | 57 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 312 → 342+9.6% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 1,542
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $51M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 1,916Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 1,021167 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 1,020The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 14
- Amount
- $3.5M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as personal care services in Polk 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 Polk County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 516,546+4.8% since 2020
- Households
- 205,358
- Median age
- 37.1
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 67%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.8
- Land area
- 573 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 879
- Median household income
- $83,576+23.6% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $109,398
- Median home value
- $262,100
- Jobs located here
- 309,340
- Daytime population
- 566,731Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Polk 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 Polk 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 Iowa
Every Iowa market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in Iowa for salons, barbers and spas, numbered among those based in Iowa, with Polk County marked.
Top counties in Iowa
| 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 |
| 52Polk County, IA | 45 | 1,021 | 49.7 | $213K | +4.8% | #1,478 of 2,385 |
Other business types in Polk 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 spas45
- Hair salons49
- Barbershops69
- Nail salons55
- Spas and skin care47
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 Polk County, IA?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 1,021 salons, barbers and spas in Polk County. 167 of them (16%) are chain locations. The listings count hair and nail salons, barbers, spas and skin care. Official counts show 342 businesses with payroll classed as personal care services in 2023, up 9.6% from 2019. Another 1,916 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in Polk County, IA spend on personal care products and services?
About $217M a year, or $1,057 per household. That is 5% above the U.S. average (an index of 105, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 1,021 salons, barbers and spas on map listings, it comes to $213K per business. It is estimated from the incomes of the 205,358 households in Polk County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Polk County, IA compare with the U.S. for salons, barbers and spas?
Polk County has 49.7 salons, barbers and spas per 10,000 households, 5% above the U.S. rate of 47.2. Spending per business is $213K, in line with the U.S. figure of $213K. At the U.S. ratio of salons, barbers and spas to household spending, Polk County would have about 1,020, against 1,021 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 600 households, against one for every 804 across the U.S. The official count rose 9.6% from 2019 to 2023, against +14.1% for the U.S.
How fast is Polk County, IA growing?
Population estimates put Polk County at 516,546 people in 2025, up 4.8% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 205,358 households. The median household income in Polk County is $83,576 a year, 4% above the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 23.6% 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. 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. Polk County scores 45 for salons, barbers and spas (lower middle), #1,478 of 2,385 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Polk 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 Polk County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Polk 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 Polk 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.