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How big is the US salon industry? As of the latest Census County Business Patterns data, the United States has 84,176 employer salon establishments employing 391,064 people, with a combined annual payroll of $12.4 billion. This page compiles the key statistics on the industry — market size, state-by-state distribution, wages, and new business formation — every number sourced directly to federal data.
Figures in the market-size tables cover employer beauty salons (NAICS 812112) with paid staff. Booth renters and solo stylists — the majority of the profession — are counted separately in the solo operators section below.
Key Salon Industry Statistics
- There are 84,176 employer salon establishments in the United States (Census County Business Patterns, 2023).
- Employer firms are the minority form: 838,264 booth renters and solo stylists operate as nonemployer businesses (2023 Census Nonemployer Statistics) — 10.0 for every employer establishment.
- The industry employs 391,064 people with a combined annual payroll of $12.4 billion.
- Average pay works out to $31,717 per employee per year; the average establishment has 4.6 employees and carries $147k in annual payroll.
- California has the most establishments of any state — 8,733, or 10.4% of the national total.
- Relative to population, New Jersey is the most saturated market (39.2 establishments per 100,000 residents) and Mississippi the least (10.3).
- Pay is highest in District of Columbia ($46,914 per employee per year) and lowest in Utah ($24,906).
- The industry accounts for 1.01% of all US employer establishments.
- Americans filed 503,498 new business applications in the broader Other Services sector in the twelve months from Aug-2025 through Jul-2026 — a +5.4% change year over year (Census Business Formation Statistics).
Market Size
| Measure | Value |
|---|---|
| Employer establishments | 84,176 |
| Employees | 391,064 |
| Annual payroll | $12.4 billion |
| Average pay per employee | $31,717/year |
| Average employees per establishment | 4.6 |
| Average payroll per establishment | $147k/year |
| Share of all US employer establishments | 1.01% |
The Biggest States
| State | Establishments | Employees |
|---|---|---|
| California | 8,733 | 33,898 |
| Florida | 7,534 | 28,246 |
| New York | 7,124 | 28,001 |
| Texas | 5,740 | 29,688 |
| Pennsylvania | 4,846 | 25,539 |
Market size is not market opportunity: relative to population, New Jersey is the most saturated state (39.2 establishments per 100,000 residents) while Mississippi is the thinnest (10.3). We rank every state on saturation, revenue proxies, labor cost, and formation momentum in the Best States to Start a Salon index.
Wages by State
| Highest pay per employee | Annual |
|---|---|
| District of Columbia | $46,914 |
| Washington | $40,147 |
| Maine | $38,640 |
| Vermont | $36,294 |
| Colorado | $36,241 |
| Lowest pay per employee | Annual |
|---|---|
| Utah | $24,906 |
| West Virginia | $26,763 |
| New Jersey | $28,151 |
| Arkansas | $28,302 |
| Ohio | $28,476 |
Solo Operators: The Nonemployer Side of the Industry
The employer figures above are only part of the picture. The Census Bureau counts businesses with no paid employees separately, as nonemployers — and in this industry they are the majority: 838,264 booth renters and solo stylists filed as nonemployer businesses in 2023, about 10.0 for every employer establishment. Together they took in $25.5 billion in receipts — an average of $30,374 per solo business per year. The adjacent trades are just as solo-heavy: 141,769 nonemployer barber shops and 295,977 nonemployer nail salons operate nationwide on top of the beauty-salon figures above.
States With the Most Booth Renters and Solo Stylists
| State | Nonemployer businesses | Avg annual receipts | Solo per employer firm |
|---|---|---|---|
| California | 91,170 | $36,412 | 10.4 |
| Texas | 84,397 | $29,725 | 14.7 |
| Florida | 73,746 | $30,524 | 9.8 |
| Georgia | 48,205 | $23,865 | 18.8 |
| New York | 39,620 | $28,247 | 5.6 |
Solo operation dominates most in Mississippi (44.0 nonemployers per employer establishment) and least in New Jersey (3.4), where a larger share of the industry runs on payroll.
How Much Do Salons Make?
The honest federal answer comes in two parts. For solo operators, the Census reports actual revenue: the average nonemployer salon grossed $30,374 in annual receipts in 2023 — gross revenue before expenses, not take-home income. For employer firms, the Census does not publish revenue at the state level, but payroll gives the scale: the average establishment carries $147k in annual payroll across 4.6 employees.
Where Solo Booth Renters and Solo Stylists Gross the Most
| State | Avg annual receipts (solo) | Solo businesses |
|---|---|---|
| New Hampshire | $46,373 | 2,744 |
| Washington | $43,669 | 12,584 |
| Hawaii | $42,686 | 2,282 |
| North Dakota | $41,248 | 1,377 |
| Massachusetts | $40,788 | 10,853 |
States with fewer than 1,000 nonemployer businesses excluded to avoid small-sample noise. Receipts are gross revenue as reported to the IRS, before any expenses.
New Business Formation
The Census Bureau tracks new business applications weekly. In the twelve months from Aug-2025 through Jul-2026, Americans filed 503,498 applications in the Other Services sector (the broader NAICS sector containing salon businesses) — a +5.4% change from the prior twelve months. State-by-state application counts, per-capita rates, and trends are on our business formation statistics page, updated monthly. For how new ventures fare once launched — 1-, 5-, and 10-year odds in every state — see business survival rates by state; for what they borrow to get started, SBA loan statistics.
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Frequently Asked Questions
How many salon businesses are there in the US?
There are 84,176 employer salon establishments in the United States as of the 2023 Census County Business Patterns, employing 391,064 people. Figures in the market-size tables cover employer beauty salons (NAICS 812112) with paid staff. Booth renters and solo stylists — the majority of the profession — are counted separately in the solo operators section below.
How big is the US salon industry?
Measured by payroll, employer establishments in the industry pay $12.4 billion in annual wages across 391,064 employees — an average of $31,717 per employee per year.
Which state has the most salon businesses?
California leads with 8,733 employer establishments (10.4% of the US total), followed by Florida (7,534) and New York (7,124).
How many self-employed booth renters and solo stylists are there in the US?
The Census Bureau’s 2023 Nonemployer Statistics count 838,264 salon businesses with no paid employees — booth renters and solo stylists operating alone — averaging $30,374 in annual receipts. That is about 10.0 solo businesses for every employer establishment in the industry.
How much does a salon make?
For solo operators the Census reports actual revenue: the average nonemployer salon grossed $30,374 in 2023 — gross receipts before expenses, not profit. Employer firms are larger: the average establishment carries $147k in annual payroll across 4.6 employees; the Census does not publish their revenue at the state level.
Sources & Citation
| Data | Source | Vintage |
|---|---|---|
| Establishments, employment, payroll (NAICS 812112, Beauty Salons) | U.S. Census Bureau, County Business Patterns | 2023 |
| Business applications | U.S. Census Bureau, Business Formation Statistics | Aug-2025 through Jul-2026 |
| Solo operators (nonemployer businesses, NAICS 812112, Beauty Salons) | U.S. Census Bureau, Nonemployer Statistics | 2023 |
| State population (per-capita rates) | U.S. Census Bureau, Population Estimates | 2024 |
You are welcome to cite these statistics with attribution and a link to this page.