Montana & North Dakota Among Nation’s Most Affordable for Hair Care

When Montanans and North Dakotans sit down in the barber’s chair, their wallets don’t take as big of a trim as in many other states. A new study by WalletHub shows that both states land in the lower half of the country for hair care spending, once household income is factored in.

The analysis looked at the average cost of a men’s haircut and a women’s salon visit, then compared those prices against each state’s median household income. It found that while the cost of personal grooming has risen by roughly 75% nationwide over the past two decades, location still plays a major role in how much that haircut takes out of your paycheck.

Montana ranked 32nd overall, with the cost of a man and woman each getting a trim accounting for about 1.13% of median monthly household income. That’s close to the national middle but still far below high-cost states like Arkansas, where the same services eat up 1.64% of income.

Neighboring North Dakota ranked even lower, at 41st in the nation. Residents there spend around 1.07% of monthly income on a barbershop cut and a salon visit—putting them well ahead of the national average for affordability.

The study underscores how rising service costs can hit families differently depending on where they live. In states with higher incomes relative to grooming prices, like North Dakota, the impact is less noticeable.

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For Montanans and North Dakotans, the findings offer at least a small relief: while costs may still be higher than they were 20 years ago, keeping up appearances is less of a financial strain than in many other corners of the country.