Beauty and personal care · County · California
Barbershops in Santa Barbara County, CA
How Santa Barbara 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 47 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #783 of 1,356 scored counties
#43 of 48 scored counties in California
- Listings
- 99
- 12 chain locations (12%)
- Official establishments
- n/a
- Fewer than 3, or not published
- Household spending a year
- $170.9M
- On personal care products and services · $1,142 a household
- Spending per listing
- $1.7M
- 8% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 6.6
- 25% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 442,065
- −1.4% since 2020
See the barbershops around any address in Santa Barbara 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 Santa Barbara 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
At $1,142 per household (14% above the U.S. average), households in Santa Barbara County spend about $170.9M a year on personal care products and services. That works out to $1.7M per shop, 8% below the U.S. figure of $1.9M. The spending figure covers all personal care products and services, not only barbershops.
Santa Barbara County has 99 barbershops on map listings as of September 2026. Of those, 12 are chain locations, or 12%, against 12% across the U.S. That is 6.6 per 10,000 households, 25% above the U.S. rate of 5.3.
Official counts don’t publish a figure for barber shops in Santa Barbara County, since they leave out counts under 3. Official counts also show 211 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 1 SBA-backed loan worth $15K has gone to businesses classed as barber shops in Santa Barbara County.
Population estimates put the population change in Santa Barbara County from 2020 to 2025 at −1.4%, against +3.1% for the U.S. The Groundwork market score for barbershops in Santa Barbara County is 47 (lower middle), #783 of 1,356 scored counties and #43 of 48 scored counties in California.
How Santa Barbara 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 | Santa Barbara County | California | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 6.6 | 5.4 | 5.3 |
| Spending per listing | $1.7M | $2.1M | $1.9M |
| Households per official establishment | n/a | 22,808 | 16,589 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +17.9% | +28.5% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −1.4% | −0.4% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on personal care products and services | $1,142 | $1,149 | $1,005 |
| Median household income | $98,161 | $99,122 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 47 | 55 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- n/a
- Employees, 2023
- n/a
- Annual payroll, 2023
- n/a
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 211Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 9912 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 91The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 1
- Amount
- $15K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as barber shops in Santa Barbara 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 Santa Barbara County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 442,065−1.4% since 2020
- Households
- 149,608
- Median age
- 37.4
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 52%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.0
- Land area
- 2,734 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 162
- Median household income
- $98,161+31.5% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $140,895
- Median home value
- $790,700
- Jobs located here
- 193,212
- Daytime population
- 452,081Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Santa Barbara 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 Santa Barbara 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 Santa Barbara 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 |
| 43Santa Barbara County, CA | 47 | 99 | 6.6 | $1.7M | −1.4% | #783 of 1,356 |
Other business types in Santa Barbara 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 spas43
- Hair salons59
- Barbershops47
- Nail salons46
- Spas and skin care39
Fitness and classes
Health care
Child care
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many barbershops are in Santa Barbara County, CA?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 99 barbershops in Santa Barbara County. 12 of them (12%) are chain locations. The listings count barbershops. No official count is published for barber shops in Santa Barbara County: counts under 3 are left out. Official counts list 211 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Santa Barbara County, CA spend on personal care products and services?
About $170.9M a year, or $1,142 per household. That is 14% above the U.S. average (an index of 114, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 99 barbershops on map listings, it comes to $1.7M 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 149,608 households in Santa Barbara County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Santa Barbara County, CA compare with the U.S. for barbershops?
Santa Barbara County has 6.6 barbershops per 10,000 households, 25% above the U.S. rate of 5.3. Spending per shop is $1.7M, 8% below the U.S. figure of $1.9M. At the U.S. ratio of barbershops to household spending, Santa Barbara County would have about 91, against 99 on map listings.
How fast is Santa Barbara County, CA growing?
Population estimates put Santa Barbara County at 442,065 people in 2025, down 1.4% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 149,608 households. The median household income in Santa Barbara County is $98,161 a year, 22% above the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 31.5% 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. Santa Barbara County scores 47 for barbershops (lower middle), #783 of 1,356 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Santa Barbara 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 Santa Barbara County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Santa Barbara 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 Santa Barbara 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.