Groundwork

Beauty and personal care · Metro area · Virginia

Salons, barbers and spas in the Richmond, VA metro area

Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for salons, barbers and spas in the Richmond, VA metro area, set against other metro areas and the U.S.

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 48 out of 100: Lower middle

Ranked #219 of 387 scored metro areas
#5 of 9 scored metro areas based in Virginia

Listings
2,439
395 chain locations (16%)
Official establishments
769
+14.1% since 2019
Household spending a year
$523.1M
On personal care products and services · $981 a household
Spending per listing
$214K
In line with the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
45.7
3% below the U.S.
Population, 2025
1,389,338
+5.5% since 2020

See the salons, barbers and spas around any address in the Richmond 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 Richmond metro area. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

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Survey estimates 2020–2024 · population estimates 2025 · official business counts 2023 · map listings September 2026 · Data credits · How we measure

What this means

Households in the Richmond metro area spend about $523.1M a year on personal care products and services, or $981 per household, 2% below the U.S. average. Spread across 2,439 salons, barbers and spas, that is $214K per business, in line with the U.S. figure of $213K.

The Richmond metro area has 2,439 salons, barbers and spas on map listings as of September 2026. Of those, 395 are chain locations, or 16%, against 15% across the U.S. That comes to 45.7 for every 10,000 households, 3% below the U.S. rate of 47.2.

In 2023, official counts showed 769 businesses with payroll in the Richmond metro area classed as personal care services, up 14.1% from 2019. That is one for every 694 households, against one for every 804 across the U.S. Another 5,903 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts. Since fiscal 2022, 28 SBA-backed loans worth $7M have gone to businesses classed as personal care services in the Richmond metro area.

Population estimates show the Richmond metro area grew 5.5% from 2020 to 2025, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). The Groundwork market score for salons, barbers and spas in the Richmond metro area is 48 (lower middle), #219 of 387 scored metro areas and #5 of 9 scored metro areas based in Virginia.

How the Richmond metro area compares

The same measures for Virginia 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.

Salons, barbers and spas in Richmond, VA metro area compared with Virginia and the U.S.
MeasureRichmond metro areaVirginiaU.S.
Listings per 10k households45.743.547.2
Spending per listing$214K$235K$213K
Households per official establishment694708804
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023+14.1%+13.1%+14.1%
Population growth, 2020–2025+5.5%+2.8%+3.1%
Spending per household on personal care products and services$981$1,023$1,005
Median household income$86,679$93,170$80,734
Groundwork market score4849

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
769+14.1% over the period
Employees, 2023
3,930
Annual payroll, 2023
$140.1M
One-person businesses, 2023
5,903Businesses with no payroll
Map listings, September 2026
2,439395 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
2,459The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here

SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022

Loans
28
Amount
$7M

SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as personal care services in the Richmond 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 Richmond metro area

Population, 2025 estimate
1,389,338+5.5% since 2020
Households
533,430
Median age
40.2
Homes lived in by their owners
67%
Vehicles per household
1.9
Land area
4,368 sq. mi.
People per square mile
307
Median household income
$86,679+26.5% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$117,479
Median home value
$353,500
Jobs located here
693,750
Daytime population
1,389,666Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in the Richmond 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 Richmond metro area. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

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Salons, barbers and spas across Virginia

Every Virginia market ranked →

The highest-scoring metro areas in Virginia for salons, barbers and spas, numbered among those based in Virginia (a market based in another state is listed without a number), with the Richmond metro area marked.

Top metro areas in Virginia

Metro areas in Virginia ranked for salons, barbers and spas by Groundwork market score
MarketScoreListingsPer 10k householdsSpending per listingPopulation growthU.S. rank
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV6510,62244.8$265K+3.3%#48 of 387
1Charlottesville, VA6333937.5$272K+3.1%#59 of 387
2Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford, VA5520529.2$292K−0.1%#137 of 387
3Staunton-Stuarts Draft, VA5319437.1$232K+3.2%#158 of 387
4Harrisonburg, VA5216933.8$262K+3.5%#167 of 387
Kingsport-Bristol, TN-VA5048437.0$215K+2.3%#197 of 387
5Richmond, VA482,43945.7$214K+5.5%#219 of 387
6Winchester, VA-WV4825545.9$208K+6.5%#221 of 387
7Lynchburg, VA4043542.1$202K+2.9%#296 of 387
8Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk, VA-NC303,47649.1$193K+0.9%#363 of 387

Other business types in the Richmond metro area

Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.

Questions

How many salons, barbers and spas are in the Richmond, VA metro area?

Map listings as of September 2026 show 2,439 salons, barbers and spas in the Richmond metro area. 395 of them (16%) are chain locations. The listings count hair and nail salons, barbers, spas and skin care. Official counts show 769 businesses with payroll classed as personal care services in 2023, up 14.1% from 2019. Official counts list 5,903 one-person businesses without payroll.

How much do households in the Richmond, VA metro area spend on personal care products and services?

About $523.1M a year, or $981 per household. That is 2% below the U.S. average (an index of 98, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 2,439 salons, barbers and spas on map listings, it comes to $214K per business. It is estimated from the incomes of the 533,430 households in the Richmond metro area and national spending patterns by income.

How does the Richmond, VA metro area compare with the U.S. for salons, barbers and spas?

The Richmond metro area has 45.7 salons, barbers and spas per 10,000 households, 3% below the U.S. rate of 47.2. Spending per business is $214K, in line with the U.S. figure of $213K. At the U.S. ratio of salons, barbers and spas to household spending, the Richmond metro area would have about 2,459, against 2,439 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 694 households, against one for every 804 across the U.S. The official count rose 14.1% from 2019 to 2023, against +14.1% for the U.S.

How fast is the Richmond, VA metro area growing?

Population estimates put the Richmond metro area at 1,389,338 people in 2025, up 5.5% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 533,430 households. The median household income in the Richmond metro area is $86,679 a year, 7% above the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 26.5% from the 2015–2019 survey, 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 Richmond metro area scores 48 for salons, barbers and spas (lower middle), #219 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 Richmond 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 Richmond metro area

Screening a site or an acquisition in the Richmond 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 Richmond 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.