Beauty and personal care · Metro area · North Carolina
Salons, barbers and spas in the Raleigh-Cary, NC metro area
How the Raleigh-Cary, NC metro area compares with other metro areas 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 #211 of 387 scored metro areas
#5 of 15 scored metro areas based in North Carolina
- Listings
- 3,292
- 498 chain locations (15%)
- Official establishments
- 810
- +26.4% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $604.4M
- On personal care products and services · $1,052 a household
- Spending per listing
- $184K
- 14% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 57.3
- 21% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 1,595,720
- +12.6% since 2020
See the salons, barbers and spas around any address in the Raleigh-Cary metro 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 Raleigh-Cary metro 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
Map listings as of September 2026 show 3,292 salons, barbers and spas in the Raleigh-Cary metro area. 498 of them (15%) are chain locations, against 15% across the U.S. That comes to 57.3 for every 10,000 households, 21% above the U.S. rate of 47.2.
Households in the Raleigh-Cary metro area spend about $604.4M a year on personal care products and services, or $1,052 per household, 5% above the U.S. average. That works out to $184K per business, 14% below the U.S. figure of $213K.
In 2023, official counts showed 810 businesses with payroll in the Raleigh-Cary metro area classed as personal care services, up 26.4% from 2019. That is one for every 709 households, against one for every 804 across the U.S. Official counts also show 6,668 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 55 SBA-backed loans worth $25.1M have gone to businesses classed as personal care services in the Raleigh-Cary metro area.
Between 2020 and 2025, the population of the Raleigh-Cary metro area grew 12.6%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). For salons, barbers and spas, the Raleigh-Cary metro area has a Groundwork market score of 49 (lower middle): #211 of 387 scored metro areas and #5 of 15 scored metro areas based in North Carolina.
How the Raleigh-Cary metro 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 | Raleigh-Cary metro area | North Carolina | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 57.3 | 50.1 | 47.2 |
| Spending per listing | $184K | $179K | $213K |
| Households per official establishment | 709 | 1,058 | 804 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +26.4% | +25.4% | +14.1% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +12.6% | +7.2% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on personal care products and services | $1,052 | $897 | $1,005 |
| Median household income | $100,103 | $72,388 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 49 | 40 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 810+26.4% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 4,313
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $152.5M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 6,668Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 3,292498 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 2,841The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 55
- Amount
- $25.1M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as personal care services in the Raleigh-Cary metro 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 Raleigh-Cary metro area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 1,595,720+12.6% since 2020
- Households
- 574,295
- Median age
- 38.4
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 67%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 2,119 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 702
- Median household income
- $100,103+32.0% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $131,869
- Median home value
- $418,400
- Jobs located here
- 759,538
- Daytime population
- 1,525,914Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Raleigh-Cary metro area?
These figures cover the whole metro area. 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 Raleigh-Cary metro 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 metro areas in North Carolina for salons, barbers and spas, numbered among those based in North Carolina, with the Raleigh-Cary metro area marked.
Top metro areas in North Carolina
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Durham-Chapel Hill, NC | 72 | 981 | 39.5 | $249K | +7.5% | #18 of 387 |
| 2Pinehurst-Southern Pines, NC | 54 | 213 | 48.4 | $195K | +10.3% | #154 of 387 |
| 3Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton, NC | 51 | 578 | 38.6 | $211K | +3.2% | #187 of 387 |
| 4Winston-Salem, NC | 51 | 1,232 | 43.8 | $194K | +5.3% | #189 of 387 |
| 5Raleigh-Cary, NC | 49 | 3,292 | 57.3 | $184K | +12.6% | #211 of 387 |
| 6Burlington, NC | 49 | 345 | 49.2 | $170K | +8.5% | #212 of 387 |
| 7Rocky Mount, NC | 46 | 256 | 43.8 | $182K | +2.8% | #241 of 387 |
| 8Wilmington, NC | 44 | 1,014 | 50.9 | $179K | +15.9% | #265 of 387 |
| 9Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC | 40 | 6,323 | 58.7 | $165K | +10.1% | #300 of 387 |
| 10Asheville, NC | 38 | 728 | 45.1 | $197K | +3.6% | #312 of 387 |
Other business types in the Raleigh-Cary metro 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 spas49
- Hair salons48
- Barbershops57
- Nail salons61
- Spas and skin care46
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 Raleigh-Cary, NC metro area?
There are 3,292 salons, barbers and spas on map listings in the Raleigh-Cary metro area as of September 2026. 498 of them (15%) are chain locations. The listings count hair and nail salons, barbers, spas and skin care. Official counts show 810 businesses with payroll classed as personal care services in 2023, up 26.4% from 2019. Another 6,668 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in the Raleigh-Cary, NC metro area spend on personal care products and services?
About $604.4M a year, or $1,052 per household. That is 5% above the U.S. average (an index of 105, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 3,292 salons, barbers and spas on map listings, it comes to $184K per business. It is estimated from the incomes of the 574,295 households in the Raleigh-Cary metro area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Raleigh-Cary, NC metro area compare with the U.S. for salons, barbers and spas?
The Raleigh-Cary metro area has 57.3 salons, barbers and spas per 10,000 households, 21% above the U.S. rate of 47.2. Spending per business is $184K, 14% below the U.S. figure of $213K. At the national ratio of salons, barbers and spas to household spending, the Raleigh-Cary metro area would have about 2,841, against 3,292 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 709 households, against one for every 804 across the U.S. The official count rose 26.4% from 2019 to 2023, against +14.1% for the U.S.
How fast is the Raleigh-Cary, NC metro area growing?
Population estimates put the Raleigh-Cary metro area at 1,595,720 people in 2025, up 12.6% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 574,295 households. Median household income in the Raleigh-Cary metro area is $100,103, 24% above the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 32.0%, 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. The Raleigh-Cary metro area scores 49 for salons, barbers and spas (lower middle), #211 of 387 scored metro areas.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in the Raleigh-Cary metro 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 Raleigh-Cary metro area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Raleigh-Cary metro 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 Raleigh-Cary metro 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.