Beauty and personal care · County · Maryland
Salons, barbers and spas in Howard County, MD
How Howard County, MD 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 49 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,217 of 2,385 scored counties
#14 of 24 scored counties in Maryland
- Listings
- 611
- 105 chain locations (17%)
- Official establishments
- 210
- +16.7% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $154.8M
- On personal care products and services · $1,278 a household
- Spending per listing
- $253K
- 19% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 50.5
- 7% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 339,183
- +1.9% since 2020
See the salons, barbers and spas around any address in Howard 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 Howard 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 Howard County spend about $154.8M a year on personal care products and services, or $1,278 per household, 27% above the U.S. average. Spread across 611 salons, barbers and spas, that is $253K per business, 19% above the U.S. figure of $213K.
Howard County has 611 salons, barbers and spas on map listings as of September 2026. 105 of them (17%) are chain locations, against 15% across the U.S. That comes to 50.5 for every 10,000 households, 7% above the U.S. rate of 47.2.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as personal care services in Howard County was 210 in 2023, up 16.7% from 2019. That is one for every 577 households, against one for every 804 across the U.S. Official counts list 1,142 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 13 SBA-backed loans worth $2.2M have gone to businesses classed as personal care services in Howard County.
Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Howard County grew 1.9%, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). The Groundwork market score for salons, barbers and spas in Howard County is 49 (lower middle), #1,217 of 2,385 scored counties and #14 of 24 scored counties in Maryland.
How Howard County compares
The same measures for Maryland 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 | Howard County | Maryland | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 50.5 | 46.1 | 47.2 |
| Spending per listing | $253K | $232K | $213K |
| Households per official establishment | 577 | 877 | 804 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +16.7% | +11.5% | +14.1% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +1.9% | +1.4% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on personal care products and services | $1,278 | $1,072 | $1,005 |
| Median household income | $149,763 | $103,678 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 49 | 50 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 180 → 210+16.7% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 1,140
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $39.7M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 1,142Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 611105 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 728The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 13
- Amount
- $2.2M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as personal care services in Howard 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 Howard County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 339,183+1.9% since 2020
- Households
- 121,065
- Median age
- 40.7
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 71%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 251 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 1,340
- Median household income
- $149,763+23.6% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $184,243
- Median home value
- $597,900
- Jobs located here
- 185,575
- Daytime population
- 363,145Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Howard 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 Howard 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 Maryland
Every Maryland market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in Maryland for salons, barbers and spas, numbered among those based in Maryland, with Howard County marked.
Top counties in Maryland
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Cecil County, MD | 68 | 111 | 27.3 | $360K | +3.2% | #334 of 2,385 |
| 2Somerset County, MD | 65 | 11 | 13.2 | $598K | +1.7% | #444 of 2,385 |
| 3Queen Anne’s County, MD | 64 | 84 | 42.2 | $264K | +8.8% | #512 of 2,385 |
| 4St. Mary’s County, MD | 63 | 152 | 35.8 | $318K | +2.4% | #532 of 2,385 |
| 5Calvert County, MD | 61 | 117 | 35.0 | $346K | +1.7% | #598 of 2,385 |
| 6Frederick County, MD | 59 | 497 | 47.5 | $245K | +11.0% | #716 of 2,385 |
| 7Montgomery County, MD | 58 | 1,567 | 40.3 | $301K | +1.3% | #742 of 2,385 |
| 8Carroll County, MD | 57 | 255 | 39.7 | $287K | +2.2% | #784 of 2,385 |
| 9Caroline County, MD | 57 | 39 | 31.2 | $272K | +2.5% | #796 of 2,385 |
| 10Harford County, MD | 56 | 397 | 39.0 | $281K | +2.0% | #837 of 2,385 |
| 14Howard County, MD | 49 | 611 | 50.5 | $253K | +1.9% | #1,217 of 2,385 |
Other business types in Howard 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 spas49
- Hair salons60
- Barbershops73
- Nail salons48
- Spas and skin care45
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 Howard County, MD?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 611 salons, barbers and spas in Howard County. 105 of them (17%) are chain locations. The listings count hair and nail salons, barbers, spas and skin care. Official counts show 210 businesses with payroll classed as personal care services in 2023, up 16.7% from 2019. Official counts also show 1,142 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Howard County, MD spend on personal care products and services?
About $154.8M a year, or $1,278 per household. That is 27% above the U.S. average (an index of 127, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 611 salons, barbers and spas on map listings, it comes to $253K per business. It is estimated from the incomes of the 121,065 households in Howard County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Howard County, MD compare with the U.S. for salons, barbers and spas?
Howard County has 50.5 salons, barbers and spas per 10,000 households, 7% above the U.S. rate of 47.2. Spending per business is $253K, 19% above the U.S. figure of $213K. At the U.S. ratio of salons, barbers and spas to household spending, Howard County would have about 728, against 611 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 577 households, against one for every 804 across the U.S. The official count rose 16.7% from 2019 to 2023, against +14.1% for the U.S.
How fast is Howard County, MD growing?
Population estimates put Howard County at 339,183 people in 2025, up 1.9% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 121,065 households. The median household income in Howard County is $149,763 a year, 86% 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. Howard County scores 49 for salons, barbers and spas (lower middle), #1,217 of 2,385 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Howard 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 Howard County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Howard 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 Howard 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.