How to research a location for a barbershop.
Barbershop offering men's haircuts, fades, beard trims and shaves. Barbershops draw a mix of walk-in and planned visits, so both the people within a short walk and the traffic on the road count. This guide takes the six questions every location raises, says which public record answers each one for a barbershop, and points to the free page that reads it. Nothing here says a spot will work; it says what to measure before you decide.
What matters most for a barbershop
- Walk-ins from the block. Workers within a short walk fill lunch-hour and after-work chairs. The check counts jobs within a 5 and 10 minute walk.
- Regulars who live nearby. Repeat clients come from the homes within a short drive. The check counts households and their spending on personal care.
- Barbershops and salons nearby. DoorWorthy counts barbershops and hair salons within half a mile as competition, with the nearest ones by name.
- A sign people can see. Walk-in trade rewards visibility. The check reads traffic counts for the nearest roads.
1. Who is within reach
Barbershops draw a mix of walk-in and planned visits, so both the people within a short walk and the traffic on the road count. The Census American Community Survey gives residents, households and household income by ZIP, and the Census LODES data counts jobs by where people work, so a ring around an address shows the weekday crowd. Read both on the ZIP check for a whole ZIP, or on the free barbershop location check for one address.
2. How many barbershops are already there
Census County Business Patterns counted 5 barbershops with paid employees in the United States in 2023, or 0.0 per 10,000 residents. The rate is the number to compare: a metro well above it is crowded, one well below it is either underserved or uninterested, and the ZIP tables show which. See how many barbershops are in each state and metro area.
3. What the road carries
State departments of transportation publish annual average daily traffic for the roads they count, collected by the Federal Highway Administration. The count says how many pass, not how many stop; read it next to the parking and the turn-in. The free location check shows the nearest counted road and the year of the count.
4. Whether the rules let you open
Zoning decides whether a barbershop is allowed at that parcel; the city reads it from the zoning district, and a change of use can need a hearing. Licensing is what you file before opening day: the entity, the tax accounts, the salon or shop license and the operators’ own licenses, and the employer registrations. DoorWorthy lists the order for a barbershop in Alabama, Arkansas, California, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Mississippi, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oregon, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas and Washington, each item with its agency.
5. Whether the math works
In 2023, 8.1% of other services, including personal care establishments in the United States closed and 10.0% opened, by the Census Business Dynamics Statistics; the IRS reports net income of 24.4% of receipts for personal and laundry services businesses in 2023. Those are the numbers to hold your own forecast against: rent as a share of sales, a bad year built in. See whether a barbershop is profitable, by state, and run your own numbers in the calculators.
6. What the records miss
A record describes a year, a ZIP, a road. Walk the block at the hours a barbershop would be open, twice, once in bad weather. Count who goes into the nearest competitor. Then read the lease with a lawyer. The research narrows the choice; the walk and the lease decide it.
Before you sign
- Residents and workers within reach, with the year of the count.
- The barbershops nearby, named, and the count per 10,000 residents for the area.
- The traffic count on the road and its year.
- Zoning that allows a barbershop at this parcel, confirmed with the city.
- Every license and permit the state and city require, in order, with the agency.
- Rent as a share of your sales forecast, against what businesses like yours spend.
- Two visits to the block at your opening hours.
Check a barbershop location free