Groundwork

Clothing and laundry · Metro area · California

Clothing, shoe and laundry businesses in the Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA metro area

The clothing, shoe and laundry businesses in the Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA metro area, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other metro areas.

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 25 out of 100: Lower middle

Ranked #344 of 387 scored metro areas
#22 of 25 scored metro areas based 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 the Santa Maria-Santa Barbara metro area

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 the Santa Maria-Santa Barbara metro area. 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

The Santa Maria-Santa Barbara metro area scores 25 (lower middle) on the Groundwork market score for clothing, shoe and laundry businesses, ranking #344 of 387 scored metro areas and #22 of 25 scored metro areas based in California. That puts it in the bottom quarter of metro areas.

At $2,073 per household (in line with the U.S. average), households in the Santa Maria-Santa Barbara metro area spend about $310.1M a year on clothing, shoes and related services. 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 the Santa Maria-Santa Barbara metro area as of September 2026. Of those, 137 are chain locations, or 30%, against 37% across the U.S. That comes to 30.7 for every 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 the Santa Maria-Santa Barbara metro area 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 the Santa Maria-Santa Barbara metro area. Between 2020 and 2025, the population of the Santa Maria-Santa Barbara metro area declined 1.4%, against +3.1% for the U.S.

How the Santa Maria-Santa Barbara metro area 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.

Clothing, shoes and laundry in Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA metro area compared with California and the U.S.
MeasureSanta Maria-Santa Barbara metro areaCaliforniaU.S.
Listings per 10k households30.728.023.3
Spending per listing$674K$746K$880K
Households per official establishment6778841,008
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 score2525

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
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 the Santa Maria-Santa Barbara metro area, 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 the Santa Maria-Santa Barbara metro area

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 the Santa Maria-Santa Barbara metro area?

These figures cover the whole metro area. 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 the Santa Maria-Santa Barbara metro area. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

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Clothing, shoes and laundry across California

Every California market ranked →

The highest-scoring metro areas in California for clothing, shoe and laundry businesses, numbered among those based in California, with the Santa Maria-Santa Barbara metro area marked.

Top metro areas in California

Metro areas in California ranked for clothing, shoe and laundry businesses by Groundwork market score
MarketScoreListingsPer 10k householdsSpending per listingPopulation growthU.S. rank
1Yuba City, CA757512.1$1.5M+3.3%#32 of 387
2Stockton-Lodi, CA7540816.6$1.2M+5.5%#35 of 387
3Merced, CA7110812.6$1.3M+5.1%#51 of 387
4Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA701,53317.4$1.2M+3.2%#57 of 387
5San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA561,59523.5$1.1M−0.6%#156 of 387
6Fresno, CA5170118.9$930K+3.2%#201 of 387
7Bakersfield-Delano, CA5050817.8$955K+2.3%#203 of 387
8Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA483,10621.4$893K+3.5%#221 of 387
9Vallejo, CA4732820.8$982K+0.6%#223 of 387
10Hanford-Corcoran, CA478018.2$919K+1.0%#225 of 387
22Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA2546030.7$674K−1.4%#344 of 387

Other business types in the Santa Maria-Santa Barbara metro area

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

Questions

How many clothing, shoe and laundry businesses are in the Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA metro area?

As of September 2026, map listings count 460 clothing, shoe and laundry businesses in the Santa Maria-Santa Barbara metro area. 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. Another 215 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.

How much do households in the Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA metro area 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 the Santa Maria-Santa Barbara metro area and national spending patterns by income.

How does the Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA metro area compare with the U.S. for clothing, shoe and laundry businesses?

The Santa Maria-Santa Barbara metro area 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, the Santa Maria-Santa Barbara metro area 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 the Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA metro area growing?

Population estimates put the Santa Maria-Santa Barbara metro area 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 the Santa Maria-Santa Barbara metro area 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. The Santa Maria-Santa Barbara metro area scores 25 for clothing, shoe and laundry businesses (lower middle), #344 of 387 scored metro areas.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

Run a Groundwork site report on an address in the Santa Maria-Santa Barbara metro area. 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 the Santa Maria-Santa Barbara metro area

Screening a site or an acquisition in the Santa Maria-Santa Barbara metro area?

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 the Santa Maria-Santa Barbara metro area. 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.