Beauty and personal care · County · North Carolina
Salons, barbers and spas in New Hanover County, NC
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for salons, barbers and spas in New Hanover County, NC, set against other counties and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 33 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #2,046 of 2,385 scored counties
#84 of 96 scored counties in North Carolina
- Listings
- 678
- 93 chain locations (14%)
- Official establishments
- 167
- +36.9% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $96.5M
- On personal care products and services · $920 a household
- Spending per listing
- $142K
- 33% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 64.7
- 37% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 245,959
- +8.6% since 2020
See the salons, barbers and spas around any address in New Hanover 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 New Hanover 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
For salons, barbers and spas, New Hanover County has a Groundwork market score of 33 (lower middle): #2,046 of 2,385 scored counties and #84 of 96 scored counties in North Carolina. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.
Map listings as of September 2026 show 678 salons, barbers and spas in New Hanover County. 93 of them (14%) are chain locations, against 15% across the U.S. That comes to 64.7 for every 10,000 households, 37% above the U.S. rate of 47.2.
At $920 per household (8% below the U.S. average), households in New Hanover County spend about $96.5M a year on personal care products and services. That works out to $142K per business, 33% below the U.S. figure of $213K.
In 2023, official counts showed 167 businesses with payroll in New Hanover County classed as personal care services, up 36.9% from 2019. That is one for every 628 households, against one for every 804 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 10 SBA-backed loans worth $5.6M have gone to businesses classed as personal care services in New Hanover County. Population estimates put the population change in New Hanover County from 2020 to 2025 at +8.6%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%).
How New Hanover 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 | New Hanover County | North Carolina | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 64.7 | 50.1 | 47.2 |
| Spending per listing | $142K | $179K | $213K |
| Households per official establishment | 628 | 1,058 | 804 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +36.9% | +25.4% | +14.1% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +8.6% | +7.2% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on personal care products and services | $920 | $897 | $1,005 |
| Median household income | $75,166 | $72,388 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 33 | 40 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 122 → 167+36.9% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 884
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $28.2M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 1,287Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 67893 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 454The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 10
- Amount
- $5.6M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as personal care services in New Hanover 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 New Hanover County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 245,959+8.6% since 2020
- Households
- 104,856
- Median age
- 41.0
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 61%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.8
- Land area
- 192 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 1,223
- Median household income
- $75,166+36.9% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $107,828
- Median home value
- $387,800
- Jobs located here
- 128,058
- Daytime population
- 260,358Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in New Hanover 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 New Hanover 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 New Hanover 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 |
| 84New Hanover County, NC | 33 | 678 | 64.7 | $142K | +8.6% | #2,046 of 2,385 |
Other business types in New Hanover 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 spas33
- Hair salons36
- Barbershops55
- Nail salons48
- Spas and skin care30
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 New Hanover County, NC?
There are 678 salons, barbers and spas on map listings in New Hanover County as of September 2026. 93 of them (14%) are chain locations. The listings count hair and nail salons, barbers, spas and skin care. Official counts show 167 businesses with payroll classed as personal care services in 2023, up 36.9% from 2019. Official counts list 1,287 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in New Hanover County, NC spend on personal care products and services?
About $96.5M a year, or $920 per household. That is 8% below the U.S. average (an index of 92, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 678 salons, barbers and spas on map listings, it comes to $142K per business. It is estimated from the incomes of the 104,856 households in New Hanover County and national spending patterns by income.
How does New Hanover County, NC compare with the U.S. for salons, barbers and spas?
New Hanover County has 64.7 salons, barbers and spas per 10,000 households, 37% above the U.S. rate of 47.2. Spending per business is $142K, 33% below the U.S. figure of $213K. At the national ratio of salons, barbers and spas to household spending, New Hanover County would have about 454, against 678 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 628 households, against one for every 804 across the U.S. The official count rose 36.9% from 2019 to 2023, against +14.1% for the U.S.
How fast is New Hanover County, NC growing?
Population estimates put New Hanover County at 245,959 people in 2025, up 8.6% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 104,856 households. Median household income in New Hanover County is $75,166, 7% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 36.9%, 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. New Hanover County scores 33 for salons, barbers and spas (lower middle), #2,046 of 2,385 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in New Hanover 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 New Hanover County
Screening a site or an acquisition in New Hanover 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 New Hanover 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.