Beauty and personal care · Metro area · South Carolina
Salons, barbers and spas in the Columbia, SC metro area
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for salons, barbers and spas in the Columbia, SC metro area, set against other metro areas and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 38 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #321 of 387 scored metro areas
#5 of 8 scored metro areas based in South Carolina
- Listings
- 1,875
- 262 chain locations (14%)
- Official establishments
- 305
- +16.5% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $293.4M
- On personal care products and services · $864 a household
- Spending per listing
- $156K
- 26% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 55.2
- 17% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 879,918
- +6.0% since 2020
See the salons, barbers and spas around any address in the Columbia 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 Columbia 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
The Groundwork market score for salons, barbers and spas in the Columbia metro area is 38 (lower middle), #321 of 387 scored metro areas and #5 of 8 scored metro areas based in South Carolina. That puts it in the bottom quarter of metro areas.
Map listings as of September 2026 show 1,875 salons, barbers and spas in the Columbia metro area. Chain locations make up 14% of them, against 15% across the U.S. That comes to 55.2 for every 10,000 households, 17% above the U.S. rate of 47.2.
At $864 per household (14% below the U.S. average), households in the Columbia metro area spend about $293.4M a year on personal care products and services. That is about $156K of household spending for each business on map listings, 26% below the U.S. figure of $213K.
Official counts show 305 businesses with payroll classed as personal care services in the Columbia metro area in 2023, up 16.5% from 2019. That is one for every 1,113 households, against one for every 804 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 16 SBA-backed loans worth $8.9M have gone to businesses classed as personal care services in the Columbia metro area. Population estimates show the Columbia metro area grew 6.0% from 2020 to 2025, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%).
How the Columbia metro area compares
The same measures for South 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 | Columbia metro area | South Carolina | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 55.2 | 49.7 | 47.2 |
| Spending per listing | $156K | $175K | $213K |
| Households per official establishment | 1,113 | 1,100 | 804 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +16.5% | +26.3% | +14.1% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +6.0% | +8.5% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on personal care products and services | $864 | $871 | $1,005 |
| Median household income | $68,359 | $69,324 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 38 | 42 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 305+16.5% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 1,430
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $42M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 4,922Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 1,875262 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 1,379The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 16
- Amount
- $8.9M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as personal care services in the Columbia 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 Columbia metro area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 879,918+6.0% since 2020
- Households
- 339,601
- Median age
- 39.2
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 69%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 3,703 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 229
- Median household income
- $68,359+22.1% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $92,243
- Median home value
- $232,400
- Jobs located here
- 410,492
- Daytime population
- 894,123Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Columbia 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 Columbia 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 South Carolina
Every South Carolina market ranked →The highest-scoring metro areas in South Carolina for salons, barbers and spas, numbered among those based in South Carolina (a market based in another state is listed without a number), with the Columbia metro area marked.
Top metro areas in South Carolina
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Spartanburg, SC | 53 | 651 | 45.4 | $182K | +14.3% | #164 of 387 |
| 2Greenville-Anderson-Greer, SC | 42 | 2,007 | 52.3 | $168K | +9.0% | #282 of 387 |
| 3Hilton Head Island-Bluffton-Port Royal, SC | 41 | 509 | 53.3 | $182K | +12.0% | #291 of 387 |
| 4Charleston-North Charleston, SC | 40 | 1,931 | 57.5 | $168K | +10.7% | #299 of 387 |
| Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC | 40 | 6,323 | 58.7 | $165K | +10.1% | #300 of 387 |
| Augusta-Richmond County, GA-SC | 39 | 1,217 | 52.5 | $165K | +4.7% | #309 of 387 |
| 5Columbia, SC | 38 | 1,875 | 55.2 | $156K | +6.0% | #321 of 387 |
| 6Myrtle Beach-Conway-North Myrtle Beach, SC | 33 | 838 | 52.8 | $159K | +20.9% | #353 of 387 |
| 7Sumter, SC | 28 | 190 | 46.2 | $169K | −0.3% | #369 of 387 |
| 8Florence, SC | 28 | 440 | 56.1 | $140K | +0.9% | #371 of 387 |
Other business types in the Columbia 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 spas38
- Hair salons37
- Barbershops45
- Nail salons43
- Spas and skin care42
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 Columbia, SC metro area?
There are 1,875 salons, barbers and spas on map listings in the Columbia metro area as of September 2026. 262 of them (14%) are chain locations. The listings count hair and nail salons, barbers, spas and skin care. Official counts show 305 businesses with payroll classed as personal care services in 2023, up 16.5% from 2019. Official counts list 4,922 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in the Columbia, SC metro area spend on personal care products and services?
About $293.4M a year, or $864 per household. That is 14% below the U.S. average (an index of 86, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 1,875 salons, barbers and spas on map listings, it comes to $156K per business. It is estimated from the incomes of the 339,601 households in the Columbia metro area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Columbia, SC metro area compare with the U.S. for salons, barbers and spas?
The Columbia metro area has 55.2 salons, barbers and spas per 10,000 households, 17% above the U.S. rate of 47.2. Spending per business is $156K, 26% below the U.S. figure of $213K. At the national ratio of salons, barbers and spas to household spending, the Columbia metro area would have about 1,379, against 1,875 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,113 households, against one for every 804 across the U.S. The official count rose 16.5% from 2019 to 2023, against +14.1% for the U.S.
How fast is the Columbia, SC metro area growing?
Population estimates put the Columbia metro area at 879,918 people in 2025, up 6.0% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 339,601 households. Median household income in the Columbia metro area is $68,359, 15% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 22.1%, 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 Columbia metro area scores 38 for salons, barbers and spas (lower middle), #321 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 Columbia 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 Columbia metro area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Columbia 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 Columbia 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.