Beauty and personal care · Metro area · Pennsylvania
Salons, barbers and spas in the Reading, PA metro area
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for salons, barbers and spas in the Reading, PA metro area, set against other metro areas and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 54 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #148 of 387 scored metro areas
#7 of 16 scored metro areas based in Pennsylvania
- Listings
- 641
- 100 chain locations (16%)
- Official establishments
- 240
- +6.2% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $162.9M
- On personal care products and services · $998 a household
- Spending per listing
- $254K
- 19% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 39.3
- 17% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 440,072
- +2.7% since 2020
See the salons, barbers and spas around any address in the Reading 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 Reading 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
As of September 2026, map listings count 641 salons, barbers and spas in the Reading metro area. 100 of them (16%) are chain locations, against 15% across the U.S. That comes to 39.3 for every 10,000 households, 17% below the U.S. rate of 47.2.
Households in the Reading metro area spend about $162.9M a year on personal care products and services, or $998 per household, in line with the U.S. average. Spread across 641 salons, barbers and spas, that is $254K per business, 19% above the U.S. figure of $213K.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as personal care services in the Reading metro area was 240 in 2023, up 6.2% from 2019. That is one for every 680 households, against one for every 804 across the U.S. Another 1,129 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts. Since fiscal 2022, 7 SBA-backed loans worth $3.5M have gone to businesses classed as personal care services in the Reading metro area.
Between 2020 and 2025, the population of the Reading metro area grew 2.7%, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%). The Groundwork market score for salons, barbers and spas in the Reading metro area is 54 (upper middle), #148 of 387 scored metro areas and #7 of 16 scored metro areas based in Pennsylvania.
How the Reading metro area compares
The same measures for Pennsylvania 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 | Reading metro area | Pennsylvania | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 39.3 | 40.3 | 47.2 |
| Spending per listing | $254K | $249K | $213K |
| Households per official establishment | 680 | 643 | 804 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +6.2% | +7.3% | +14.1% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +2.7% | +0.5% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on personal care products and services | $998 | $1,004 | $1,005 |
| Median household income | $79,777 | $77,971 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 54 | 45 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 240+6.2% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 1,240
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $33.3M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 1,129Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 641100 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 766The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 7
- Amount
- $3.5M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as personal care services in the Reading 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 Reading metro area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 440,072+2.7% since 2020
- Households
- 163,236
- Median age
- 40.9
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 71%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 856 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 506
- Median household income
- $79,777+25.2% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $103,265
- Median home value
- $257,300
- Jobs located here
- 179,513
- Daytime population
- 404,462Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Reading 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 Reading 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 Pennsylvania
Every Pennsylvania market ranked →The highest-scoring metro areas in Pennsylvania for salons, barbers and spas, numbered among those based in Pennsylvania, with the Reading metro area marked.
Top metro areas in Pennsylvania
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Gettysburg, PA | 79 | 115 | 28.2 | $360K | +3.6% | #6 of 387 |
| 2York-Hanover, PA | 65 | 673 | 37.1 | $275K | +3.6% | #46 of 387 |
| 3Chambersburg, PA | 61 | 213 | 33.5 | $291K | +3.0% | #71 of 387 |
| 4Lebanon, PA | 58 | 182 | 32.1 | $306K | +2.2% | #100 of 387 |
| 5Lancaster, PA | 58 | 841 | 39.5 | $264K | +1.9% | #105 of 387 |
| 6State College, PA | 57 | 171 | 29.0 | $338K | −0.4% | #115 of 387 |
| 7Reading, PA | 54 | 641 | 39.3 | $254K | +2.7% | #148 of 387 |
| 8Williamsport, PA | 52 | 147 | 31.4 | $283K | −1.3% | #165 of 387 |
| 9Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD | 52 | 10,668 | 43.2 | $250K | +1.4% | #169 of 387 |
| 10Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton, PA-NJ | 51 | 1,484 | 43.7 | $238K | +3.0% | #177 of 387 |
Other business types in the Reading 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 spas54
- Hair salons47
- Barbershops63
- Nail salons51
- Spas and skin care77
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 Reading, PA metro area?
The Reading metro area has 641 salons, barbers and spas on map listings as of September 2026. 100 of them (16%) are chain locations. The listings count hair and nail salons, barbers, spas and skin care. Official counts show 240 businesses with payroll classed as personal care services in 2023, up 6.2% from 2019. Official counts list 1,129 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in the Reading, PA metro area spend on personal care products and services?
About $162.9M a year, or $998 per household. That is in line with the U.S. average (an index of 99, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 641 salons, barbers and spas on map listings, it comes to $254K per business. It is estimated from the incomes of the 163,236 households in the Reading metro area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Reading, PA metro area compare with the U.S. for salons, barbers and spas?
The Reading metro area has 39.3 salons, barbers and spas per 10,000 households, 17% below the U.S. rate of 47.2. Spending per business is $254K, 19% above the U.S. figure of $213K. At the national ratio of salons, barbers and spas to household spending, the Reading metro area would have about 766, against 641 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 680 households, against one for every 804 across the U.S. The official count rose 6.2% from 2019 to 2023, against +14.1% for the U.S.
How fast is the Reading, PA metro area growing?
Population estimates put the Reading metro area at 440,072 people in 2025, up 2.7% since 2020, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 163,236 households. Median household income in the Reading metro area is $79,777, in line with the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 25.2%, 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 Reading metro area scores 54 for salons, barbers and spas (upper middle), #148 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 Reading 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 Reading metro area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Reading 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 Reading 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.