Beauty and personal care · Small-town market · Iowa
Salons, barbers and spas in the Spencer, IA area
How the Spencer, 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 49 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #293 of 538 scored small-town markets
#8 of 15 scored small-town markets based in Iowa
- Listings
- 33
- 13 chain locations (39%)
- Official establishments
- 3
- Businesses with payroll, 2023
- Household spending a year
- $6.7M
- On personal care products and services · $921 a household
- Spending per listing
- $203K
- 4% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 45.3
- 4% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 16,202
- −0.8% since 2020
See the salons, barbers and spas around any address in the Spencer 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 Spencer 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
Households in the Spencer area spend about $6.7M a year on personal care products and services, or $921 per household, 8% below the U.S. average. That is about $203K of household spending for each business on map listings, 4% below the U.S. figure of $213K.
There are 33 salons, barbers and spas on map listings in the Spencer area as of September 2026. 13 of them (39%) are chain locations, against 15% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 45.3, 4% below the U.S. rate of 47.2.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as personal care services in the Spencer area was 3 in 2023. That is one for every 2,427 households, against one for every 804 across the U.S. Official counts also show 56 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 1 SBA-backed loan worth $65K has gone to businesses classed as personal care services in the Spencer area.
Population estimates put the population change in the Spencer area from 2020 to 2025 at −0.8%, against +3.1% for the U.S. The Groundwork market score for salons, barbers and spas in the Spencer area is 49 (lower middle), #293 of 538 scored small-town markets and #8 of 15 scored small-town markets based in Iowa.
How the Spencer 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.
| Measure | Spencer area | Iowa | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 45.3 | 40.0 | 47.2 |
| Spending per listing | $203K | $248K | $213K |
| Households per official establishment | 2,427 | 1,077 | 804 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +5.2% | +14.1% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −0.8% | +1.5% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on personal care products and services | $921 | $990 | $1,005 |
| Median household income | $65,428 | $75,059 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 49 | 57 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 3
- Employees, 2023
- 28
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $676K
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 56Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 3313 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
- 1
- Amount
- $65K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as personal care services in the Spencer 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 Spencer area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 16,202−0.8% since 2020
- Households
- 7,282
- Median age
- 43.1
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 73%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 567 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 29
- Median household income
- $65,428+29.5% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $83,614
- Median home value
- $178,600
- Jobs located here
- 8,325
- Daytime population
- 16,701Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Spencer 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 Spencer 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 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 Spencer area marked.
Top small-town markets in Iowa
| 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 |
Other business types in the Spencer 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 spas49
- Hair salons45
- Barbershops
- Nail salons
- Spas and skin care31
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 Spencer, IA area?
As of September 2026, map listings count 33 salons, barbers and spas in the Spencer area. 13 of them (39%) are chain locations. The listings count hair and nail salons, barbers, spas and skin care. Official counts show 3 businesses with payroll classed as personal care services in 2023. Another 56 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in the Spencer, IA area spend on personal care products and services?
About $6.7M a year, or $921 per household. That is 8% below the U.S. average (an index of 92, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 33 salons, barbers and spas on map listings, it comes to $203K per business. It is estimated from the incomes of the 7,282 households in the Spencer area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Spencer, IA area compare with the U.S. for salons, barbers and spas?
The Spencer area has 45.3 salons, barbers and spas per 10,000 households, 4% below the U.S. rate of 47.2. Spending per business is $203K, 4% below the U.S. figure of $213K. At the U.S. ratio of salons, barbers and spas to household spending, the Spencer area would have about 32, against 33 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 2,427 households, against one for every 804 across the U.S.
How fast is the Spencer, IA area growing?
Population estimates put the Spencer area at 16,202 people in 2025, down 0.8% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 7,282 households. The median household income in the Spencer area is $65,428 a year, 19% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 29.5% 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 Spencer area scores 49 for salons, barbers and spas (lower middle), #293 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 Spencer 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 Spencer area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Spencer 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 Spencer 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.