Beauty and personal care · County · California
Barbershops in San Mateo County, CA
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for barbershops in San Mateo County, CA, set against other counties and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 81 out of 100: High
Ranked #58 of 1,356 scored counties
#3 of 48 scored counties in California
- Listings
- 85
- 9 chain locations (11%)
- Official establishments
- 3
- Businesses with payroll, 2023
- Household spending a year
- $374.8M
- On personal care products and services · $1,418 a household
- Spending per listing
- $4.4M
- 2.3 times the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 3.2
- 40% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 743,568
- −2.5% since 2020
See the barbershops around any address in San Mateo 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 San Mateo County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.
Free10 actions over 3 days, no cardSurvey estimates 2020–2024 · population estimates 2025 · official business counts 2023 · map listings September 2026 · Data credits · How we measure
What this means
For barbershops, San Mateo County has a Groundwork market score of 81 (high): #58 of 1,356 scored counties and #3 of 48 scored counties in California. That puts it in the top 10% of counties for barbershops.
Household spending on personal care products and services in San Mateo County comes to about $374.8M a year: $1,418 per household, 41% above the U.S. average. That works out to $4.4M per shop, 2.3 times the U.S. figure of $1.9M. The spending figure covers all personal care products and services, not only barbershops.
There are 85 barbershops on map listings in San Mateo County as of September 2026. 9 of them (11%) are chain locations, against 12% across the U.S. That comes to 3.2 for every 10,000 households, 40% below the U.S. rate of 5.3.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as barber shops in San Mateo County was 3 in 2023. That is one for every 88,140 households, against one for every 16,589 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 2 SBA-backed loans worth $33K have gone to businesses classed as barber shops in San Mateo County. Population estimates put the population change in San Mateo County from 2020 to 2025 at −2.5%, against +3.1% for the U.S.
How San Mateo 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.
| Measure | San Mateo County | California | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 3.2 | 5.4 | 5.3 |
| Spending per listing | $4.4M | $2.1M | $1.9M |
| Households per official establishment | 88,140 | 22,808 | 16,589 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +17.9% | +28.5% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −2.5% | −0.4% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on personal care products and services | $1,418 | $1,149 | $1,005 |
| Median household income | $158,855 | $99,122 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 81 | 55 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 13 → 3
- Employees, 2023
- 5
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $132K
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 183Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 859 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 199The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 2
- Amount
- $33K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as barber shops in San Mateo 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 San Mateo County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 743,568−2.5% since 2020
- Households
- 264,419
- Median age
- 41.8
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 58%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 449 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 1,655
- Median household income
- $158,855+29.5% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $231,822
- Median home value
- $1,559,600
- Jobs located here
- 425,111
- Daytime population
- 795,447Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in San Mateo 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 San Mateo County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.
Free10 actions over 3 days, no cardBarbershops across California
Every California market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in California for barbershops, numbered among those based in California, with San Mateo County marked.
Top counties in California
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1San Benito County, CA | 89 | 8 | 3.9 | $3.2M | +8.6% | #21 of 1,356 |
| 2Placer County, CA | 88 | 69 | 4.4 | $2.8M | +8.9% | #24 of 1,356 |
| 3San Mateo County, CA | 81 | 85 | 3.2 | $4.4M | −2.5% | #58 of 1,356 |
| 4Sonoma County, CA | 80 | 67 | 3.5 | $3.4M | −0.4% | #71 of 1,356 |
| 5Amador County, CA | 80 | 5 | 3.1 | $3.3M | +3.2% | #72 of 1,356 |
| 6Yolo County, CA | 80 | 26 | 3.4 | $3.2M | +3.1% | #74 of 1,356 |
| 7Marin County, CA | 78 | 24 | 2.3 | $5.9M | −2.9% | #86 of 1,356 |
| 8El Dorado County, CA | 77 | 26 | 3.4 | $3.5M | +0.6% | #104 of 1,356 |
| 9Calaveras County, CA | 77 | 6 | 3.3 | $3.2M | +2.8% | #105 of 1,356 |
| 10Contra Costa County, CA | 77 | 180 | 4.3 | $3M | +0.3% | #107 of 1,356 |
Other business types in San Mateo County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
Groceries and convenience
Auto
Beauty and personal care
- Salons, barbers and spas49
- Hair salons56
- Barbershops81
- Nail salons50
- Spas and skin care45
Fitness and classes
Health care
Child care
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many barbershops are in San Mateo County, CA?
As of September 2026, map listings count 85 barbershops in San Mateo County. 9 of them (11%) are chain locations. The listings count barbershops. Official counts show 3 businesses with payroll classed as barber shops in 2023. Another 183 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in San Mateo County, CA spend on personal care products and services?
About $374.8M a year, or $1,418 per household. That is 41% above the U.S. average (an index of 141, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 85 barbershops on map listings, it comes to $4.4M 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 264,419 households in San Mateo County and national spending patterns by income.
How does San Mateo County, CA compare with the U.S. for barbershops?
San Mateo County has 3.2 barbershops per 10,000 households, 40% below the U.S. rate of 5.3. Spending per shop is $4.4M, 2.3 times the U.S. figure of $1.9M. At the U.S. ratio of barbershops to household spending, San Mateo County would have about 199, against 85 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 88,140 households, against one for every 16,589 across the U.S.
How fast is San Mateo County, CA growing?
Population estimates put San Mateo County at 743,568 people in 2025, down 2.5% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 264,419 households. The median household income in San Mateo County is $158,855 a year, 97% above the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 29.5% 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. San Mateo County scores 81 for barbershops (high), #58 of 1,356 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in San Mateo 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 San Mateo County
Screening a site or an acquisition in San Mateo 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 San Mateo 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.