Beauty and personal care · County · Maine
Salons, barbers and spas in Penobscot County, ME
How Penobscot County, ME 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 51 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #1,124 of 2,385 scored counties
#14 of 16 scored counties in Maine
- Listings
- 270
- 55 chain locations (20%)
- Official establishments
- 48
- +6.7% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $59.9M
- On personal care products and services · $918 a household
- Spending per listing
- $222K
- 4% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 41.4
- 12% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 157,967
- +3.8% since 2020
See the salons, barbers and spas around any address in Penobscot 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 Penobscot 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
Households in Penobscot County spend about $59.9M a year on personal care products and services, or $918 per household, 9% below the U.S. average. That works out to $222K per business, 4% above the U.S. figure of $213K.
There are 270 salons, barbers and spas on map listings in Penobscot County as of September 2026. Chain locations make up 20% of them, against 15% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 41.4, 12% below the U.S. rate of 47.2.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as personal care services in Penobscot County was 48 in 2023, up 6.7% from 2019. That is one for every 1,359 households, against one for every 804 across the U.S. Official counts also show 510 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 1 SBA-backed loan worth $760K has gone to businesses classed as personal care services in Penobscot County.
Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Penobscot County grew 3.8%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). The Groundwork market score for salons, barbers and spas in Penobscot County is 51 (upper middle), #1,124 of 2,385 scored counties and #14 of 16 scored counties in Maine.
How Penobscot County compares
The same measures for Maine 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 | Penobscot County | Maine | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 41.4 | 40.0 | 47.2 |
| Spending per listing | $222K | $243K | $213K |
| Households per official establishment | 1,359 | 1,185 | 804 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +6.7% | +11.5% | +14.1% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +3.8% | +3.7% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on personal care products and services | $918 | $973 | $1,005 |
| Median household income | $66,356 | $74,733 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 51 | 64 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 45 → 48+6.7% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 202
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $6.5M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 510Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 27055 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 281The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 1
- Amount
- $760K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as personal care services in Penobscot 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 Penobscot County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 157,967+3.8% since 2020
- Households
- 65,221
- Median age
- 43.4
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 71%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.8
- Land area
- 3,397 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 46
- Median household income
- $66,356+30.6% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $88,290
- Median home value
- $214,100
- Jobs located here
- 73,466
- Daytime population
- 158,403Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Penobscot 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 Penobscot 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 Maine
Every Maine market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in Maine for salons, barbers and spas, numbered among those based in Maine, with Penobscot County marked.
Top counties in Maine
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Oxford County, ME | 72 | 67 | 27.8 | $315K | +4.2% | #236 of 2,385 |
| 2Somerset County, ME | 70 | 59 | 25.4 | $330K | +2.3% | #293 of 2,385 |
| 3Piscataquis County, ME | 68 | 20 | 23.9 | $359K | +3.5% | #336 of 2,385 |
| 4Franklin County, ME | 68 | 40 | 31.6 | $273K | +4.6% | #354 of 2,385 |
| 5Waldo County, ME | 67 | 48 | 27.5 | $337K | +2.6% | #381 of 2,385 |
| 6York County, ME | 62 | 371 | 40.6 | $257K | +4.8% | #579 of 2,385 |
| 7Kennebec County, ME | 61 | 210 | 38.7 | $239K | +3.5% | #625 of 2,385 |
| 8Aroostook County, ME | 59 | 84 | 28.1 | $300K | −0.7% | #690 of 2,385 |
| 9Sagadahoc County, ME | 59 | 64 | 38.9 | $261K | +3.4% | #712 of 2,385 |
| 10Androscoggin County, ME | 59 | 164 | 34.9 | $260K | +4.8% | #714 of 2,385 |
| 14Penobscot County, ME | 51 | 270 | 41.4 | $222K | +3.8% | #1,124 of 2,385 |
Other business types in Penobscot 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 spas51
- Hair salons54
- Barbershops64
- Nail salons73
- Spas and skin care55
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 Penobscot County, ME?
As of September 2026, map listings count 270 salons, barbers and spas in Penobscot County. 55 of them (20%) are chain locations. The listings count hair and nail salons, barbers, spas and skin care. Official counts show 48 businesses with payroll classed as personal care services in 2023, up 6.7% from 2019. Another 510 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in Penobscot County, ME spend on personal care products and services?
About $59.9M a year, or $918 per household. That is 9% below the U.S. average (an index of 91, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 270 salons, barbers and spas on map listings, it comes to $222K per business. It is estimated from the incomes of the 65,221 households in Penobscot County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Penobscot County, ME compare with the U.S. for salons, barbers and spas?
Penobscot County has 41.4 salons, barbers and spas per 10,000 households, 12% below the U.S. rate of 47.2. Spending per business is $222K, 4% above the U.S. figure of $213K. At the U.S. ratio of salons, barbers and spas to household spending, Penobscot County would have about 281, against 270 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,359 households, against one for every 804 across the U.S. The official count rose 6.7% from 2019 to 2023, against +14.1% for the U.S.
How fast is Penobscot County, ME growing?
Population estimates put Penobscot County at 157,967 people in 2025, up 3.8% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 65,221 households. The median household income in Penobscot County is $66,356 a year, 18% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 30.6% 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. Penobscot County scores 51 for salons, barbers and spas (upper middle), #1,124 of 2,385 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Penobscot 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 Penobscot County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Penobscot 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 Penobscot 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.