Nail salons in Illinois: 937 locations, -1.1% jobs
Official counts for nail salons in Illinois, 2026 Q1: how many there are, whether they are adding jobs, what they pay, and how Illinois compares with the other states. From the Bureau of Labor Statistics and the Census Bureau, refreshed each quarter.
Illinois against the country · 2026 Q1
| Illinois | United States | |
|---|---|---|
| Nail salons with employees | 937 | 34,585 |
| Per 100,000 residents | 7.4 | 10.2 |
| Jobs | 2,841 | 154,394 |
| Jobs, year over year | -1.1% | +2.1% |
| Locations, year over year | +4.2% | +2.3% |
| Average weekly wage | $560 | $500 |
| Rank among states, density | 23 of 50 | |
| Rank among states, job growth | 36 of 50 |
What the numbers say
Illinois has 937 nail salons with payroll, employing 2,841 people. At 7.4 per 100,000 residents the market is thinner than the country as a whole, number 23 among the 50 states with published data. Jobs fell 1.1% over the year, against +2.1% nationally. Locations grew faster than jobs, which usually means more and smaller operators entering: the kind of market where the cheapest service gets crowded first.
Average pay at nail salons in Illinois is $560 a week, 12% above the national figure of $500. Budget labor from this number, not from a national guide.
Over five years, from 2021 to 2025, the number of nail salons in Illinois moved +1.5%, from 906 to 920.
Nail salons in Illinois, annual average
- 2021906
- 2022906
- 2023926
- 2024947
- 2025920
Jobs at nail salons in Illinois
- 20212,635
- 20222,773
- 20232,889
- 20242,871
- 20252,927
What counts as nail salons here
Nail salons: manicures, pedicures and nail enhancements as the primary service. The code is NAICS 812113. BLS counts establishments that report payroll, so a one-person business with no employees is not in these figures; in trades with many solo operators the true number of businesses is higher.
Before you open one in Illinois
A statewide figure tells you which way the wind blows. It does not tell you whether the corner you are looking at has the households, the income and the gap in competition to support one more. A counts the nail salons within reach of one address in Illinois, reads the county trend from the same BLS table, and scores the plan. The saturation check does a city-level version for free.
Questions people ask
How many nail salons are there in Illinois?
BLS counted 937 nail salons with employees in Illinois in 2026 Q1, employing 2,841 people. Owner-only businesses with no payroll are not in that count. That is 7.4 per 100,000 residents, against 10.2 nationally.
Are nail salons growing in Illinois?
Not at the moment. Jobs at nail salons in Illinois changed -1.1% over the year to 2026 Q1, and the number of locations changed +4.2%. That ranks Illinois 36 of 50 states for job growth in this business type. Over five years the location count moved +1.5%.
Is Illinois a crowded market for nail salons?
Illinois has 7.4 nail salons per 100,000 residents, thinner than the country as a whole, ranking 23 of 50 states. Density is a statewide average; a Neur report counts the competitors around one address.
Nail salons in every state
Densest first. The number is nail salons per 100,000 residents in 2026 Q1.
Other business types in Illinois
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, private sector, NAICS 812113, 2026 Q1 (quarterly) and annual averages (five-year series); U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 1-year population estimates. This page is generated from those feeds and rewritten when a new quarter publishes. All 14 business types in Illinois · Growth ranking for Illinois · Nail salons by state