Beauty and personal care · Small-town market · North Carolina
Salons, barbers and spas in the Morehead City, NC area
The salons, barbers and spas in the Morehead City, NC area, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other small-town markets.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 37 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #423 of 538 scored small-town markets
#17 of 23 scored small-town markets based in North Carolina
- Listings
- 162
- 31 chain locations (19%)
- Official establishments
- 30
- Businesses with payroll, 2023
- Household spending a year
- $28.5M
- On personal care products and services · $890 a household
- Spending per listing
- $176K
- 17% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 50.7
- 7% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 70,469
- +4.1% since 2020
See the salons, barbers and spas around any address in the Morehead City 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 Morehead City 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
The Morehead City area scores 37 (lower middle) on the Groundwork market score for salons, barbers and spas, ranking #423 of 538 scored small-town markets and #17 of 23 scored small-town markets based in North Carolina. That puts it in the bottom quarter of small-town markets.
As of September 2026, map listings count 162 salons, barbers and spas in the Morehead City area. 31 of them (19%) are chain locations, against 15% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 50.7, 7% above the U.S. rate of 47.2.
Household spending on personal care products and services in the Morehead City area comes to about $28.5M a year: $890 per household, 11% below the U.S. average. That works out to $176K per business, 17% below the U.S. figure of $213K.
Official counts show 30 businesses with payroll classed as personal care services in the Morehead City area in 2023. That is one for every 1,066 households, against one for every 804 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 4 SBA-backed loans worth $1M have gone to businesses classed as personal care services in the Morehead City area. Population estimates put the population change in the Morehead City area from 2020 to 2025 at +4.1%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%).
How the Morehead City area 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 | Morehead City area | North Carolina | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 50.7 | 50.1 | 47.2 |
| Spending per listing | $176K | $179K | $213K |
| Households per official establishment | 1,066 | 1,058 | 804 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +25.4% | +14.1% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +4.1% | +7.2% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on personal care products and services | $890 | $897 | $1,005 |
| Median household income | $72,322 | $72,388 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 37 | 40 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 30
- Employees, 2023
- 91
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $3M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 251Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 16231 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 134The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 4
- Amount
- $1M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as personal care services in the Morehead City 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 Morehead City area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 70,469+4.1% since 2020
- Households
- 31,977
- Median age
- 49.5
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 75%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 508 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 136
- Median household income
- $72,322+26.5% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $99,351
- Median home value
- $333,300
- Jobs located here
- 23,748
- Daytime population
- 65,592Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Morehead City 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 Morehead City 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 North Carolina
Every North Carolina market ranked →The highest-scoring small-town markets in North Carolina for salons, barbers and spas, numbered among those based in North Carolina, with the Morehead City area marked.
Top small-town markets in North Carolina
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Anderson Creek, NC | 78 | 143 | 28.7 | $299K | +12.3% | #18 of 538 |
| 2Marion, NC | 57 | 63 | 33.8 | $229K | +1.5% | #190 of 538 |
| 3North Wilkesboro, NC | 56 | 76 | 28.0 | $261K | +0.6% | #202 of 538 |
| 4Kill Devil Hills, NC | 46 | 85 | 50.5 | $197K | +3.3% | #327 of 538 |
| 5Shelby-Kings Mountain, NC | 45 | 170 | 43.8 | $180K | +3.4% | #341 of 538 |
| 6Roanoke Rapids, NC | 44 | 81 | 28.7 | $251K | −4.3% | #344 of 538 |
| 7Brevard, NC | 44 | 57 | 39.1 | $216K | +2.9% | #347 of 538 |
| 8Lumberton, NC | 44 | 177 | 41.0 | $166K | +3.4% | #356 of 538 |
| 9Albemarle, NC | 42 | 109 | 43.2 | $187K | +9.8% | #369 of 538 |
| 10Forest City, NC | 42 | 109 | 40.9 | $183K | +2.1% | #370 of 538 |
| 17Morehead City, NC | 37 | 162 | 50.7 | $176K | +4.1% | #423 of 538 |
Other business types in the Morehead City 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 spas37
- Hair salons45
- Barbershops68
- Nail salons43
- Spas and skin care35
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 Morehead City, NC area?
The Morehead City area has 162 salons, barbers and spas on map listings as of September 2026. 31 of them (19%) are chain locations. The listings count hair and nail salons, barbers, spas and skin care. Official counts show 30 businesses with payroll classed as personal care services in 2023. Another 251 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in the Morehead City, NC area spend on personal care products and services?
About $28.5M a year, or $890 per household. That is 11% below the U.S. average (an index of 89, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 162 salons, barbers and spas on map listings, it comes to $176K per business. It is estimated from the incomes of the 31,977 households in the Morehead City area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Morehead City, NC area compare with the U.S. for salons, barbers and spas?
The Morehead City area has 50.7 salons, barbers and spas per 10,000 households, 7% above the U.S. rate of 47.2. Spending per business is $176K, 17% below the U.S. figure of $213K. At the national ratio of salons, barbers and spas to household spending, the Morehead City area would have about 134, against 162 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,066 households, against one for every 804 across the U.S.
How fast is the Morehead City, NC area growing?
Population estimates put the Morehead City area at 70,469 people in 2025, up 4.1% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 31,977 households. Median household income in the Morehead City area is $72,322, 10% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 26.5%, 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. 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 Morehead City area scores 37 for salons, barbers and spas (lower middle), #423 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 Morehead City 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 Morehead City area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Morehead City 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 Morehead City 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.