Beauty and personal care · County · North Carolina
Spas and skin care studios in Watauga County, NC
The spas and skin care studios in Watauga County, NC, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 17 out of 100: Low
Ranked #1,723 of 1,769 scored counties
#77 of 78 scored counties in North Carolina
- Listings
- 26
- 3 chain locations (12%)
- Official establishments
- 8
- Businesses with payroll, 2023
- Household spending a year
- $16.8M
- On personal care products and services · $791 a household
- Spending per listing
- $645K
- 26% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 12.3
- 7% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 54,786
- +0.6% since 2020
See the spas and skin care studios around any address in Watauga County
The site report maps the spas and skin care studios 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 Watauga 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 spas and skin care studios, Watauga County has a Groundwork market score of 17 (low): #1,723 of 1,769 scored counties and #77 of 78 scored counties in North Carolina. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.
Map listings as of September 2026 show 26 spas and skin care studios in Watauga County. Chain locations make up 12% of them, against 10% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 12.3, 7% above the U.S. rate of 11.5.
Household spending on personal care products and services in Watauga County comes to about $16.8M a year: $791 per household, 21% below the U.S. average. That is about $645K of household spending for each studio on map listings, 26% below the U.S. figure of $876K. That spending covers all personal care products and services, which spas and skin care studios share with other businesses in the trade.
In 2023, official counts showed 8 businesses with payroll in Watauga County classed as other personal care services. That is one for every 2,650 households, against one for every 4,055 across the U.S. Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Watauga County grew 0.6%, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%).
How Watauga 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 spas and skin care studios 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 | Watauga County | North Carolina | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 12.3 | 11.1 | 11.5 |
| Spending per listing | $645K | $811K | $876K |
| Households per official establishment | 2,650 | 4,313 | 4,055 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +39.9% | +29.8% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +0.6% | +7.2% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on personal care products and services | $791 | $897 | $1,005 |
| Median household income | $51,693 | $72,388 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 17 | 42 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 6 → 8
- Employees, 2023
- 48
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $1.5M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- Not publishedNot published for this business type
- Map listings, September 2026
- 263 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 19The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 0
- Amount
- $0
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as other personal care services in Watauga 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 Watauga County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 54,786+0.6% since 2020
- Households
- 21,198
- Median age
- 35.8
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 62%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 312 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 176
- Median household income
- $51,693+8.8% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $83,665
- Median home value
- $358,900
- Jobs located here
- 24,062
- Daytime population
- 59,737Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Watauga 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 spas and skin care studios on map listings by name and distance.
Or open the report at the center of Watauga County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.
Free10 actions over 3 days, no cardSpas and skin care across North Carolina
Every North Carolina market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in North Carolina for spas and skin care studios, numbered among those based in North Carolina, with Watauga 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 | 18 | 5.5 | $1.9M | +11.0% | #12 of 1,769 |
| 2Johnston County, NC | 85 | 45 | 5.3 | $1.8M | +17.9% | #33 of 1,769 |
| 3Harnett County, NC | 84 | 17 | 3.4 | $2.5M | +12.3% | #36 of 1,769 |
| 4Franklin County, NC | 83 | 12 | 4.2 | $2.1M | +18.8% | #44 of 1,769 |
| 5Currituck County, NC | 83 | 8 | 6.8 | $1.5M | +16.7% | #45 of 1,769 |
| 6Davie County, NC | 79 | 8 | 4.6 | $2M | +6.9% | #71 of 1,769 |
| 7Union County, NC | 79 | 64 | 7.6 | $1.4M | +11.7% | #81 of 1,769 |
| 8Hoke County, NC | 73 | 9 | 4.7 | $1.8M | +9.0% | #157 of 1,769 |
| 9Davidson County, NC | 73 | 36 | 5.2 | $1.6M | +6.6% | #158 of 1,769 |
| 10Rowan County, NC | 71 | 35 | 5.9 | $1.4M | +5.6% | #196 of 1,769 |
| 77Watauga County, NC | 17 | 26 | 12.3 | $645K | +0.6% | #1,723 of 1,769 |
Other business types in Watauga 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 spas31
- Hair salons36
- Barbershops
- Nail salons44
- Spas and skin care17
Fitness and classes
Health care
Child care
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many spas and skin care studios are in Watauga County, NC?
There are 26 spas and skin care studios on map listings in Watauga County as of September 2026. 3 of them (12%) are chain locations. The listings count spas, skin care, waxing, lash and tanning studios. Official counts show 8 businesses with payroll classed as other personal care services in 2023.
How much do households in Watauga County, NC spend on personal care products and services?
About $16.8M a year, or $791 per household. That is 21% below the U.S. average (an index of 79, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 26 spas and skin care studios on map listings, it comes to $645K per studio. The spending figure covers all personal care products and services, not only spas and skin care studios. It is estimated from the incomes of the 21,198 households in Watauga County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Watauga County, NC compare with the U.S. for spas and skin care studios?
Watauga County has 12.3 spas and skin care studios per 10,000 households, 7% above the U.S. rate of 11.5. Spending per studio is $645K, 26% below the U.S. figure of $876K. At the national ratio of spas and skin care studios to household spending, Watauga County would have about 19, against 26 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 2,650 households, against one for every 4,055 across the U.S.
How fast is Watauga County, NC growing?
Population estimates put Watauga County at 54,786 people in 2025, up 0.6% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 21,198 households. Median household income in Watauga County is $51,693, 36% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 8.8%, 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. Watauga County scores 17 for spas and skin care studios (low), #1,723 of 1,769 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Watauga County. It maps the spas and skin care studios 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 spas and skin care studios · All 56 business types in Watauga County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Watauga 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 Watauga 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.