Groundwork

Beauty and personal care · County · California

Barbershops in Alameda County, CA

How Alameda County, CA compares with other counties and the U.S. for barbershops: competitors, household spending, official counts and growth.

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 69 out of 100: Upper middle

Ranked #252 of 1,356 scored counties
#21 of 48 scored counties in California

Listings
239
26 chain locations (11%)
Official establishments
32
+39.1% since 2019
Household spending a year
$779.3M
On personal care products and services · $1,303 a household
Spending per listing
$3.3M
73% above the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
4.0
25% below the U.S.
Population, 2025
1,636,630
−2.6% since 2020

See the barbershops around any address in Alameda County

The site report maps the barbershops on map listings near the address, by name and distance, and sizes the households and spending around it. Or open the report at the center of Alameda County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

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Survey estimates 2020–2024 · population estimates 2025 · official business counts 2023 · map listings September 2026 · Data credits · How we measure

What this means

At $1,303 per household (30% above the U.S. average), households in Alameda County spend about $779.3M a year on personal care products and services. That is about $3.3M of household spending for each shop on map listings, 73% above the U.S. figure of $1.9M. The spending figure covers all personal care products and services, not only barbershops.

There are 239 barbershops on map listings in Alameda County as of September 2026. 26 of them (11%) are chain locations, against 12% across the U.S. That comes to 4.0 for every 10,000 households, 25% below the U.S. rate of 5.3.

The official count of businesses with payroll classed as barber shops in Alameda County was 32 in 2023, up 39.1% from 2019. That is one for every 18,695 households, against one for every 16,589 across the U.S. Another 489 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.

Population estimates show Alameda County declined 2.6% from 2020 to 2025, against +3.1% for the U.S. For barbershops, Alameda County has a Groundwork market score of 69 (upper middle): #252 of 1,356 scored counties and #21 of 48 scored counties in California. That puts it in the top quarter of counties.

How Alameda County compares

The same measures for California and the whole U.S. Spending per listing divides a year of household spending on all personal care products and services by the barbershops counted, so it measures the demand for each competitor, not any business’s revenue. Households per establishment does the same with the official count.

Barbershops in Alameda County, CA compared with California and the U.S.
MeasureAlameda CountyCaliforniaU.S.
Listings per 10k households4.05.45.3
Spending per listing$3.3M$2.1M$1.9M
Households per official establishment18,69522,80816,589
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023+39.1%+17.9%+28.5%
Population growth, 2020–2025−2.6%−0.4%+3.1%
Spending per household on personal care products and services$1,303$1,149$1,005
Median household income$129,367$99,122$80,734
Groundwork market score6955

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
23 → 32+39.1% over the period
Employees, 2023
110
Annual payroll, 2023
$4.3M
One-person businesses, 2023
489Businesses with no payroll
Map listings, September 2026
23926 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
413The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here

SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022

Loans
0
Amount
$0

SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as barber shops in Alameda County, through June 2026, placed by the borrower’s ZIP code. Official establishments are businesses with payroll; the official counts leave out places with fewer than 3.

Population and households in Alameda County

Population, 2025 estimate
1,636,630−2.6% since 2020
Households
598,246
Median age
40.1
Homes lived in by their owners
54%
Vehicles per household
1.8
Land area
738 sq. mi.
People per square mile
2,237
Median household income
$129,367+30.1% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$177,147
Median home value
$1,090,100
Jobs located here
831,131
Daytime population
1,673,490Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in Alameda County?

These figures cover the whole county. A site report draws rings around one address and counts what’s inside them: households, spending, jobs, and the barbershops on map listings by name and distance.

Or open the report at the center of Alameda County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

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Barbershops across California

Every California market ranked →

The highest-scoring counties in California for barbershops, numbered among those based in California, with Alameda County marked.

Top counties in California

Counties in California ranked for barbershops by Groundwork market score
MarketScoreListingsPer 10k householdsSpending per listingPopulation growthU.S. rank
1San Benito County, CA8983.9$3.2M+8.6%#21 of 1,356
2Placer County, CA88694.4$2.8M+8.9%#24 of 1,356
3San Mateo County, CA81853.2$4.4M−2.5%#58 of 1,356
4Sonoma County, CA80673.5$3.4M−0.4%#71 of 1,356
5Amador County, CA8053.1$3.3M+3.2%#72 of 1,356
6Yolo County, CA80263.4$3.2M+3.1%#74 of 1,356
7Marin County, CA78242.3$5.9M−2.9%#86 of 1,356
8El Dorado County, CA77263.4$3.5M+0.6%#104 of 1,356
9Calaveras County, CA7763.3$3.2M+2.8%#105 of 1,356
10Contra Costa County, CA771804.3$3M+0.3%#107 of 1,356
21Alameda County, CA692394.0$3.3M−2.6%#252 of 1,356

Other business types in Alameda County

Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.

Questions

How many barbershops are in Alameda County, CA?

As of September 2026, map listings count 239 barbershops in Alameda County. 26 of them (11%) are chain locations. The listings count barbershops. Official counts show 32 businesses with payroll classed as barber shops in 2023, up 39.1% from 2019. Official counts list 489 one-person businesses without payroll.

How much do households in Alameda County, CA spend on personal care products and services?

About $779.3M a year, or $1,303 per household. That is 30% above the U.S. average (an index of 130, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 239 barbershops on map listings, it comes to $3.3M per shop. That spending covers all personal care products and services, which barbershops share with other businesses in the trade. It is estimated from the incomes of the 598,246 households in Alameda County and national spending patterns by income.

How does Alameda County, CA compare with the U.S. for barbershops?

Alameda County has 4.0 barbershops per 10,000 households, 25% below the U.S. rate of 5.3. Spending per shop is $3.3M, 73% above the U.S. figure of $1.9M. At the U.S. ratio of barbershops to household spending, Alameda County would have about 413, against 239 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 18,695 households, against one for every 16,589 across the U.S. The official count rose 39.1% from 2019 to 2023, against +28.5% for the U.S.

How fast is Alameda County, CA growing?

Population estimates put Alameda County at 1,636,630 people in 2025, down 2.6% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 598,246 households. The median household income in Alameda County is $129,367 a year, 60% above the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 30.1% from the 2015–2019 survey, before inflation.

What is the Groundwork market score?

The Groundwork market score runs from 0 to 100 and compares a market with others of its kind for one business type: states with states, metro areas with metro areas, small-town markets and counties with their own. It weighs household spending per competitor (35%), households per business with payroll (25%), population growth (20%) and spending power (20%), each ranked against those peers. A higher score means that, taken together, the market has more household spending and more households for each business already there, faster population growth and more spending per household than similar markets. It describes a market, not any one site or deal. Alameda County scores 69 for barbershops (upper middle), #252 of 1,356 scored counties.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Alameda County. It maps the barbershops on map listings near the site and sizes the households and spending within the distance you choose. New accounts get 10 actions over 3 days, no card.

How the score works · Top markets for barbershops · All 56 business types in Alameda County

Screening a site or an acquisition in Alameda County?

A site report maps the competitors on map listings near an address and sizes the households and spending around it.

The button opens the report at the center of Alameda County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

This product uses the Census Bureau Data API but is not endorsed or certified by the Census Bureau.

Figures are estimates for research only. Not investment or real estate advice.