Nail salons in North Carolina: 601 locations, -2.3% jobs
Official counts for nail salons in North Carolina, 2026 Q1: how many there are, whether they are adding jobs, what they pay, and how North Carolina compares with the other states. From the Bureau of Labor Statistics and the Census Bureau, refreshed each quarter.
North Carolina against the country · 2026 Q1
| North Carolina | United States | |
|---|---|---|
| Nail salons with employees | 601 | 34,585 |
| Per 100,000 residents | 5.4 | 10.2 |
| Jobs | 1,856 | 154,394 |
| Jobs, year over year | -2.3% | +2.1% |
| Locations, year over year | +10.7% | +2.3% |
| Average weekly wage | $607 | $500 |
| Rank among states, density | 35 of 50 | |
| Rank among states, job growth | 39 of 50 |
What the numbers say
North Carolina has 601 nail salons with payroll, employing 1,856 people. At 5.4 per 100,000 residents the market is thinner than the country as a whole, number 35 among the 50 states with published data. Jobs fell 2.3% 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 North Carolina is $607 a week, 21% 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 North Carolina moved +8.1%, from 521 to 563.
Nail salons in North Carolina, annual average
- 2021521
- 2022577
- 2023636
- 2024610
- 2025563
Jobs at nail salons in North Carolina
- 20211,647
- 20221,754
- 20231,868
- 20241,890
- 20251,909
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 North Carolina
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 North Carolina, 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 North Carolina?
BLS counted 601 nail salons with employees in North Carolina in 2026 Q1, employing 1,856 people. Owner-only businesses with no payroll are not in that count. That is 5.4 per 100,000 residents, against 10.2 nationally.
Are nail salons growing in North Carolina?
Not at the moment. Jobs at nail salons in North Carolina changed -2.3% over the year to 2026 Q1, and the number of locations changed +10.7%. That ranks North Carolina 39 of 50 states for job growth in this business type. Over five years the location count moved +8.1%.
Is North Carolina a crowded market for nail salons?
North Carolina has 5.4 nail salons per 100,000 residents, thinner than the country as a whole, ranking 35 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 North Carolina
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 North Carolina · Growth ranking for North Carolina · Nail salons by state