Beauty and personal care · County · Massachusetts
Salons, barbers and spas in Essex County, MA
How Essex County, MA 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 38 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,824 of 2,385 scored counties
#14 of 14 scored counties in Massachusetts
- Listings
- 1,863
- 219 chain locations (12%)
- Official establishments
- 616
- +15.6% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $360.4M
- On personal care products and services · $1,151 a household
- Spending per listing
- $193K
- 9% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 59.5
- 26% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 826,653
- +2.3% since 2020
See the salons, barbers and spas around any address in Essex 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 Essex 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
The Groundwork market score for salons, barbers and spas in Essex County is 38 (lower middle), #1,824 of 2,385 scored counties and #14 of 14 scored counties in Massachusetts. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.
Map listings as of September 2026 show 1,863 salons, barbers and spas in Essex County. Chain locations make up 12% of them, against 15% across the U.S. That comes to 59.5 for every 10,000 households, 26% above the U.S. rate of 47.2.
At $1,151 per household (15% above the U.S. average), households in Essex County spend about $360.4M a year on personal care products and services. Spread across 1,863 salons, barbers and spas, that is $193K per business, 9% below the U.S. figure of $213K.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as personal care services in Essex County was 616 in 2023, up 15.6% from 2019. That is one for every 508 households, against one for every 804 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 64 SBA-backed loans worth $10.1M have gone to businesses classed as personal care services in Essex County. Population estimates put the population change in Essex County from 2020 to 2025 at +2.3%, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%).
How Essex County compares
The same measures for Massachusetts 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 | Essex County | Massachusetts | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 59.5 | 50.6 | 47.2 |
| Spending per listing | $193K | $230K | $213K |
| Households per official establishment | 508 | 599 | 804 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +15.6% | +9.4% | +14.1% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +2.3% | +2.4% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on personal care products and services | $1,151 | $1,165 | $1,005 |
| Median household income | $101,883 | $103,960 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 38 | 46 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 533 → 616+15.6% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 2,832
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $91.9M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 2,960Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 1,863219 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 1,694The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 64
- Amount
- $10.1M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as personal care services in Essex 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 Essex County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 826,653+2.3% since 2020
- Households
- 313,147
- Median age
- 42.2
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 64%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.7
- Land area
- 493 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 1,651
- Median household income
- $101,883+28.5% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $140,108
- Median home value
- $619,100
- Jobs located here
- 329,644
- Daytime population
- 736,954Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Essex 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 Essex 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 Massachusetts
Every Massachusetts market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in Massachusetts for salons, barbers and spas, numbered among those based in Massachusetts, with Essex County marked.
Top counties in Massachusetts
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Hampshire County, MA | 68 | 227 | 36.5 | $289K | +10.4% | #351 of 2,385 |
| 2Franklin County, MA | 64 | 93 | 29.5 | $326K | −0.3% | #495 of 2,385 |
| 3Berkshire County, MA | 52 | 206 | 35.8 | $278K | −1.2% | #1,041 of 2,385 |
| 4Plymouth County, MA | 51 | 988 | 48.6 | $249K | +3.5% | #1,110 of 2,385 |
| 5Worcester County, MA | 51 | 1,590 | 47.3 | $234K | +3.7% | #1,116 of 2,385 |
| 6Nantucket County, MA | 50 | 30 | 57.1 | $242K | +3.6% | #1,179 of 2,385 |
| 7Barnstable County, MA | 49 | 478 | 45.2 | $248K | +2.4% | #1,220 of 2,385 |
| 8Middlesex County, MA | 48 | 3,476 | 54.8 | $237K | +2.8% | #1,279 of 2,385 |
| 9Norfolk County, MA | 46 | 1,554 | 54.8 | $237K | +2.2% | #1,406 of 2,385 |
| 10Dukes County, MA | 44 | 44 | 58.0 | $215K | +3.1% | #1,526 of 2,385 |
| 14Essex County, MA | 38 | 1,863 | 59.5 | $193K | +2.3% | #1,824 of 2,385 |
Other business types in Essex 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 spas38
- Hair salons43
- Barbershops48
- Nail salons43
- Spas and skin care43
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 Essex County, MA?
There are 1,863 salons, barbers and spas on map listings in Essex County as of September 2026. 219 of them (12%) are chain locations. The listings count hair and nail salons, barbers, spas and skin care. Official counts show 616 businesses with payroll classed as personal care services in 2023, up 15.6% from 2019. Official counts list 2,960 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Essex County, MA spend on personal care products and services?
About $360.4M a year, or $1,151 per household. That is 15% above the U.S. average (an index of 115, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 1,863 salons, barbers and spas on map listings, it comes to $193K per business. It is estimated from the incomes of the 313,147 households in Essex County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Essex County, MA compare with the U.S. for salons, barbers and spas?
Essex County has 59.5 salons, barbers and spas per 10,000 households, 26% above the U.S. rate of 47.2. Spending per business is $193K, 9% below the U.S. figure of $213K. At the national ratio of salons, barbers and spas to household spending, Essex County would have about 1,694, against 1,863 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 508 households, against one for every 804 across the U.S. The official count rose 15.6% from 2019 to 2023, against +14.1% for the U.S.
How fast is Essex County, MA growing?
Population estimates put Essex County at 826,653 people in 2025, up 2.3% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 313,147 households. Median household income in Essex County is $101,883, 26% above the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 28.5%, 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. Essex County scores 38 for salons, barbers and spas (lower middle), #1,824 of 2,385 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Essex 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 Essex County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Essex 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 Essex 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.