Beauty and personal care · County · North Carolina
Salons, barbers and spas in McDowell County, NC
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for salons, barbers and spas in McDowell County, NC, set against other counties and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 51 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #1,122 of 2,385 scored counties
#34 of 96 scored counties in North Carolina
- Listings
- 63
- 15 chain locations (24%)
- Official establishments
- 4
- Businesses with payroll, 2023
- Household spending a year
- $14.5M
- On personal care products and services · $775 a household
- Spending per listing
- $229K
- 8% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 33.8
- 28% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 45,198
- +1.5% since 2020
See the salons, barbers and spas around any address in McDowell 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 McDowell 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 McDowell County spend about $14.5M a year on personal care products and services, or $775 per household, 23% below the U.S. average. That is about $229K of household spending for each business on map listings, 8% above the U.S. figure of $213K.
There are 63 salons, barbers and spas on map listings in McDowell County as of September 2026. Chain locations make up 24% of them, against 15% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 33.8, 28% below the U.S. rate of 47.2.
Official counts show 4 businesses with payroll classed as personal care services in McDowell County in 2023. That is one for every 4,660 households, against one for every 804 across the U.S. Another 141 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
Population estimates put the population change in McDowell County from 2020 to 2025 at +1.5%, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). McDowell County scores 51 (upper middle) on the Groundwork market score for salons, barbers and spas, ranking #1,122 of 2,385 scored counties and #34 of 96 scored counties in North Carolina.
How McDowell County compares
The same measures for North Carolina 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 | McDowell County | North Carolina | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 33.8 | 50.1 | 47.2 |
| Spending per listing | $229K | $179K | $213K |
| Households per official establishment | 4,660 | 1,058 | 804 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +25.4% | +14.1% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +1.5% | +7.2% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on personal care products and services | $775 | $897 | $1,005 |
| Median household income | $57,168 | $72,388 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 51 | 40 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 3 → 4
- Employees, 2023
- 17
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $203K
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 141Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 6315 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 68The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 0
- Amount
- $0
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as personal care services in McDowell 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 McDowell County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 45,198+1.5% since 2020
- Households
- 18,638
- Median age
- 44.7
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 76%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.0
- Land area
- 440 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 102
- Median household income
- $57,168+31.0% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $72,753
- Median home value
- $171,100
- Jobs located here
- 15,917
- Daytime population
- 39,859Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in McDowell 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 McDowell 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 North Carolina
Every North Carolina market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in North Carolina for salons, barbers and spas, numbered among those based in North Carolina, with McDowell County marked.
Top counties in North Carolina
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Chatham County, NC | 90 | 78 | 23.6 | $443K | +11.0% | #11 of 2,385 |
| 2Camden County, NC | 89 | 5 | 12.5 | $763K | +8.8% | #13 of 2,385 |
| 3Currituck County, NC | 86 | 28 | 23.6 | $428K | +16.7% | #29 of 2,385 |
| 4Franklin County, NC | 79 | 58 | 20.3 | $428K | +18.8% | #85 of 2,385 |
| 5Madison County, NC | 74 | 12 | 14.4 | $556K | +5.9% | #178 of 2,385 |
| 6Hoke County, NC | 74 | 50 | 26.0 | $320K | +9.0% | #192 of 2,385 |
| 7Harnett County, NC | 74 | 143 | 28.7 | $299K | +12.3% | #194 of 2,385 |
| 8Davie County, NC | 74 | 57 | 33.0 | $277K | +6.9% | #197 of 2,385 |
| 9Perquimans County, NC | 71 | 10 | 17.8 | $469K | +3.6% | #244 of 2,385 |
| 10Yancey County, NC | 69 | 13 | 16.0 | $507K | +3.2% | #300 of 2,385 |
| 34McDowell County, NC | 51 | 63 | 33.8 | $229K | +1.5% | #1,122 of 2,385 |
Other business types in McDowell 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 salons36
- Barbershops40
- Nail salons55
- 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 McDowell County, NC?
As of September 2026, map listings count 63 salons, barbers and spas in McDowell County. 15 of them (24%) are chain locations. The listings count hair and nail salons, barbers, spas and skin care. Official counts show 4 businesses with payroll classed as personal care services in 2023. Official counts list 141 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in McDowell County, NC spend on personal care products and services?
About $14.5M a year, or $775 per household. That is 23% below the U.S. average (an index of 77, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 63 salons, barbers and spas on map listings, it comes to $229K per business. It is estimated from the incomes of the 18,638 households in McDowell County and national spending patterns by income.
How does McDowell County, NC compare with the U.S. for salons, barbers and spas?
McDowell County has 33.8 salons, barbers and spas per 10,000 households, 28% below the U.S. rate of 47.2. Spending per business is $229K, 8% above the U.S. figure of $213K. At the U.S. ratio of salons, barbers and spas to household spending, McDowell County would have about 68, against 63 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 4,660 households, against one for every 804 across the U.S.
How fast is McDowell County, NC growing?
Population estimates put McDowell County at 45,198 people in 2025, up 1.5% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 18,638 households. The median household income in McDowell County is $57,168 a year, 29% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 31.0% 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. McDowell County scores 51 for salons, barbers and spas (upper middle), #1,122 of 2,385 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in McDowell 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 McDowell County
Screening a site or an acquisition in McDowell 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 McDowell 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.