Local market data · Barbershops · Chicago
AI for barbershops in Chicago
The Chicago metro area had 244 barbershops in 2022, the 3rd most of 244 US metros and 3% of all in the country. They employed 945 people at an average of $30,161 a year. 85% have fewer than 10 staff, so the same few people answer the phone, book, follow up and do the paperwork. Those are the jobs AI tools take on today.
Talk through your shop with the person who builds it
A free 30-minute call. You leave knowing which part of your barbershop to hand to AI first, what we would build, and roughly how long it takes.
Barbershops in Chicago vs the US
| Chicago metro | United States | |
|---|---|---|
| Businesses | 244 | 7,363 |
| People employed | 945 | 28,674 |
| Average staff per business | 3.9 | 3.9 |
| Average yearly pay per employee | $30,161 | $31,315 |
| Share with fewer than 10 staff | 85% | 90% |
Pay here is 4% lower than the national average for barbershops, so every hour of staff time costs less to spend on admin. The average barbershop here has 3.9 people on payroll, about the same as the US figure of 3.9.
How big barbershops in Chicago are
Businesses with paid employees, by number of employees, March 2022.
Barbershops by county in the Chicago area
Cook County has the most, with 148 of the metro's 244 (61%). Among the 10 big metros on this page, Chicago ranks 8th for average pay and 7th for the share of small firms.
| County | Businesses | Employees | Avg pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cook County | 148 | 646 | $31,017 |
| DuPage County | 34 | 130 | $32,754 |
| Kane County | 17 | 32 | $33,844 |
| Lake County | 16 | 71 | $20,944 |
| Will County | 12 | 12 | $26,417 |
| Lake County | 7 | 22 | $22,955 |
| McHenry County | 4 | 26 | $24,269 |
| DeKalb County | 3 | 3 | $35,667 |
Census withholds pay where few firms would make it identifiable.
Where AI helps a barbershop first
A barbershop makes its money on repeat customers and full chairs, so the first jobs for AI are the ones that protect both: telling walk-ins how long the wait is, keeping regulars on a rhythm, and filling the slot when someone does not show. Westward builds these to fit how your shop runs, and a person approves what goes out.
What your team's admin hours cost in Chicago
Change any number. The starting values are the Chicago averages above; the hours and the share are yours to set.
Those hours cost you$24,000 a year
The share you would hand off$7,200 a year
Hours your team gets back480 a year
See what we would build for thisGuides for barbershops, one job each
- Get more customers for barbershops
- Never miss a call for barbershops
- Follow up automatically for barbershops
- Booking and scheduling for barbershops
- More reviews for barbershops
- Marketing and content for barbershops
- Show up on Google and ChatGPT for barbershops
- Cut admin and paperwork for barbershops
- A dashboard that runs itself for barbershops
Barbershops in other big metros
| Metro | Businesses | Avg pay | Rank of 387 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles | 228 | $32,719 | 5th |
| New York | 1,301 | $26,945 | 1st |
| Miami | 294 | $25,904 | 2nd |
| Dallas | 196 | $37,828 | 7th |
| Houston | 107 | $31,315 | 14th |
| Atlanta | 155 | $32,863 | 8th |
| Washington | 198 | $33,114 | 6th |
| Philadelphia | 237 | $31,992 | 4th |
| Boston | 124 | $32,997 | 9th |
Where these numbers come from
From the U.S. Census Bureau, County Business Patterns 2022 (released 2024), industry code NAICS 812111 (Barber shops), for the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN metro area (13 counties). It counts businesses with paid employees in March 2022, so solo owners with no payroll are not in it. Average pay is total yearly payroll divided by employees. The calculator uses 50 working weeks and 2,080 hours a year. Page checked 2026-11-12.
Find the hours your shop can get back
A free 30-minute call. You leave knowing which part of your barbershop to hand to AI first, what we would build, and roughly how long it takes.
Related businesses in Chicago