Clothing and laundry · County · California
Clothing, shoe and laundry businesses in Santa Barbara County, CA
How Santa Barbara County, CA compares with other counties and the U.S. for clothing, shoe and laundry businesses: competitors, household spending, official counts and growth.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 28 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,895 of 2,210 scored counties
#48 of 55 scored counties in California
- Listings
- 460
- 137 chain locations (30%)
- Official establishments
- 221
- −6.7% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $310.1M
- On clothing, shoes and related services · $2,073 a household
- Spending per listing
- $674K
- 23% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 30.7
- 32% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 442,065
- −1.4% since 2020
See the clothing, shoe and laundry businesses around any address in Santa Barbara County
The site report maps the clothing, shoe and laundry businesses 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
For clothing, shoe and laundry businesses, Santa Barbara County has a Groundwork market score of 28 (lower middle): #1,895 of 2,210 scored counties and #48 of 55 scored counties in California. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.
Households in Santa Barbara County spend about $310.1M a year on clothing, shoes and related services, or $2,073 per household, in line with the U.S. average. That is about $674K of household spending for each business on map listings, 23% below the U.S. figure of $880K.
There are 460 clothing, shoe and laundry businesses on map listings in Santa Barbara County as of September 2026. 137 of them (30%) are chain locations, against 37% across the U.S. That is 30.7 per 10,000 households, 32% above the U.S. rate of 23.3.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as clothing and shoe stores, laundromats and dry cleaners in Santa Barbara County was 221 in 2023, down 6.7% from 2019. That is one for every 677 households, against one for every 1,008 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 6 SBA-backed loans worth $5.1M have gone to businesses classed as clothing and shoe stores, laundromats and dry cleaners in Santa Barbara County. Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Santa Barbara County declined 1.4%, against +3.1% for the U.S.
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 clothing, shoes and related services by the clothing, shoe and laundry businesses 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 | 30.7 | 28.0 | 23.3 |
| Spending per listing | $674K | $746K | $880K |
| Households per official establishment | 677 | 884 | 1,008 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | −6.7% | −11.0% | −12.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −1.4% | −0.4% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on clothing, shoes and related services | $2,073 | $2,085 | $2,055 |
| Median household income | $98,161 | $99,122 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 28 | 25 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 237 → 221−6.7% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 2,395
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $57.8M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 215Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 460137 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 352The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 6
- Amount
- $5.1M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as clothing and shoe stores, laundromats and dry cleaners 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 clothing, shoe and laundry businesses 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 cardClothing, shoes and laundry across California
Every California market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in California for clothing, shoe and laundry businesses, 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Yuba County, CA | 80 | 14 | 4.9 | $3.5M | +8.2% | #126 of 2,210 |
| 2San Benito County, CA | 75 | 34 | 16.5 | $1.3M | +8.6% | #249 of 2,210 |
| 3Yolo County, CA | 71 | 94 | 12.3 | $1.6M | +3.1% | #345 of 2,210 |
| 4Calaveras County, CA | 70 | 24 | 13.0 | $1.4M | +2.8% | #386 of 2,210 |
| 5El Dorado County, CA | 68 | 100 | 13.1 | $1.7M | +0.6% | #428 of 2,210 |
| 6Amador County, CA | 67 | 26 | 16.2 | $1.1M | +3.2% | #468 of 2,210 |
| 7Colusa County, CA | 63 | 5 | 6.7 | $2.6M | −0.1% | #577 of 2,210 |
| 8San Joaquin County, CA | 62 | 408 | 16.6 | $1.2M | +5.5% | #636 of 2,210 |
| 9Madera County, CA | 61 | 66 | 14.5 | $1.2M | +7.4% | #678 of 2,210 |
| 10Contra Costa County, CA | 60 | 731 | 17.6 | $1.3M | +0.3% | #711 of 2,210 |
| 48Santa Barbara County, CA | 28 | 460 | 30.7 | $674K | −1.4% | #1,895 of 2,210 |
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
Fitness and classes
Health care
Child care
Clothing and laundry
- Clothing, shoes and laundry28
- Clothing and shoe stores31
- Laundromats31
- Dry cleaners41
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many clothing, shoe and laundry businesses are in Santa Barbara County, CA?
As of September 2026, map listings count 460 clothing, shoe and laundry businesses in Santa Barbara County. 137 of them (30%) are chain locations. The listings count clothing, shoe and jewelry stores, laundromats and dry cleaners. Official counts show 221 businesses with payroll classed as clothing and shoe stores, laundromats and dry cleaners in 2023, down 6.7% from 2019. Official counts list 215 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Santa Barbara County, CA spend on clothing, shoes and related services?
About $310.1M a year, or $2,073 per household. That is in line with the U.S. average (an index of 101, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 460 clothing, shoe and laundry businesses on map listings, it comes to $674K per business. 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 clothing, shoe and laundry businesses?
Santa Barbara County has 30.7 clothing, shoe and laundry businesses per 10,000 households, 32% above the U.S. rate of 23.3. Spending per business is $674K, 23% below the U.S. figure of $880K. At the U.S. ratio of clothing, shoe and laundry businesses to household spending, Santa Barbara County would have about 352, against 460 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 677 households, against one for every 1,008 across the U.S. The official count fell 6.7% from 2019 to 2023, against −12.0% for the U.S.
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 28 for clothing, shoe and laundry businesses (lower middle), #1,895 of 2,210 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 clothing, shoe and laundry businesses 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 clothing, shoe and laundry businesses · 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.