North Carolina Second-Most Expensive State For Hair Care, Study Finds

NORTH CAROLINA – Haircuts and salon visits are taking a bigger bite out of household budgets in North Carolina than in nearly every other state, according to a new WalletHub study.

North Carolina ranked No. 2 nationally in WalletHub’s 2026 report on states where people spend the most and least on hair care.

WalletHub compared the cost of a men’s barbershop haircut and a women’s shampoo, trim and blow-dry in all 50 states with each state’s median household income.

In North Carolina, the combined average cost of those services was $96.82.

That equals about 1.61 percent of the state’s median monthly household income, according to WalletHub.

North Carolina also ranked 11th highest for the average price of a men’s barbershop haircut and 10th highest for the average cost of a women’s shampoo, trim and blow-dry.

How North Carolina Compares

North Carolina ranked second in the nation, trailing only Arkansas, where hair care costs equal 1.63 percent of median monthly household income. North Carolina followed at 1.61 percent, with Mississippi third at 1.58 percent.

Among nearby states, Tennessee ranked 15th at 1.39 percent, South Carolina ranked 24th at 1.30 percent and Georgia ranked 31st at 1.21 percent.

Virginia was at the opposite end of the list. It ranked 50th, with hair care costs equal to just 0.89 percent of median monthly household income.

The Top 10 states were Arkansas, North Carolina, Mississippi, New Mexico, Florida, Kentucky, Pennsylvania, California, Illinois and West Virginia.

The five states where hair care consumed the smallest share of household income were Virginia, New Jersey, Minnesota, Utah and Nebraska.

The ranking comes as hair care costs continue to rise nationwide.

WalletHub reported that the cost of a haircut has increased by nearly 79 percent over the past two decades.

The personal-finance company said the study was designed to measure affordability rather than simply compare the price of a haircut from state to state.

The full rankings and methodology are available from WalletHub.