Clothing and laundry · County · California
Clothing and shoe stores in Santa Cruz County, CA
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for clothing and shoe stores in Santa Cruz County, CA, set against other counties and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 36 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,532 of 2,087 scored counties
#40 of 53 scored counties in California
- Listings
- 179
- 37 chain locations (21%)
- Official establishments
- 95
- −8.6% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $214.9M
- On clothing, shoes and related services · $2,217 a household
- Spending per listing
- $1.2M
- 6% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 18.5
- 14% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 258,852
- −4.7% since 2020
See the clothing and shoe stores around any address in Santa Cruz County
The site report maps the clothing and shoe stores 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 Cruz 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
Map listings as of September 2026 show 179 clothing and shoe stores in Santa Cruz County. Of those, 37 are chain locations, or 21%, against 44% across the U.S. That is 18.5 per 10,000 households, 14% above the U.S. rate of 16.2.
At $2,217 per household (8% above the U.S. average), households in Santa Cruz County spend about $214.9M a year on clothing, shoes and related services. That works out to $1.2M per store, 6% below the U.S. figure of $1.3M. That spending covers all clothing, shoes and related services, which clothing and shoe stores share with other businesses in the trade.
Official counts show 95 businesses with payroll classed as clothing and shoe stores in Santa Cruz County in 2023, down 8.6% from 2019. That is one for every 1,020 households, against one for every 1,273 across the U.S. Another 124 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts. Since fiscal 2022, 2 SBA-backed loans worth $343K have gone to businesses classed as clothing and shoe stores in Santa Cruz County.
Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Santa Cruz County declined 4.7%, against +3.1% for the U.S. Santa Cruz County scores 36 (lower middle) on the Groundwork market score for clothing and shoe stores, ranking #1,532 of 2,087 scored counties and #40 of 53 scored counties in California.
How Santa Cruz 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 and shoe stores 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 Cruz County | California | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 18.5 | 18.6 | 16.2 |
| Spending per listing | $1.2M | $1.1M | $1.3M |
| Households per official establishment | 1,020 | 1,121 | 1,273 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | −8.6% | −11.1% | −12.2% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −4.7% | −0.4% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on clothing, shoes and related services | $2,217 | $2,085 | $2,055 |
| Median household income | $111,093 | $99,122 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 36 | 29 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 104 → 95−8.6% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 1,103
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $26.3M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 124Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 17937 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 169The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 2
- Amount
- $343K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as clothing and shoe stores in Santa Cruz 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 Cruz County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 258,852−4.7% since 2020
- Households
- 96,898
- Median age
- 40.6
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 60%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.1
- Land area
- 445 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 595
- Median household income
- $111,093+35.1% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $156,435
- Median home value
- $1,027,500
- Jobs located here
- 95,587
- Daytime population
- 247,989Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Santa Cruz 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 and shoe stores on map listings by name and distance.
Or open the report at the center of Santa Cruz County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.
Free10 actions over 3 days, no cardClothing and shoe stores across California
Every California market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in California for clothing and shoe stores, numbered among those based in California, with Santa Cruz County marked.
Top counties in California
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1San Benito County, CA | 81 | 22 | 10.7 | $2.1M | +8.6% | #146 of 2,087 |
| 2Yuba County, CA | 79 | 8 | 2.8 | $6.2M | +8.2% | #165 of 2,087 |
| 3Yolo County, CA | 77 | 58 | 7.6 | $2.6M | +3.1% | #193 of 2,087 |
| 4El Dorado County, CA | 73 | 60 | 7.9 | $2.8M | +0.6% | #282 of 2,087 |
| 5Calaveras County, CA | 72 | 15 | 8.1 | $2.3M | +2.8% | #324 of 2,087 |
| 6Madera County, CA | 66 | 43 | 9.5 | $1.9M | +7.4% | #495 of 2,087 |
| 7San Joaquin County, CA | 66 | 272 | 11.1 | $1.8M | +5.5% | #499 of 2,087 |
| 8Amador County, CA | 66 | 19 | 11.8 | $1.6M | +3.2% | #509 of 2,087 |
| 9Contra Costa County, CA | 65 | 465 | 11.2 | $2.1M | +0.3% | #518 of 2,087 |
| 10Tehama County, CA | 63 | 14 | 5.6 | $2.9M | −1.7% | #562 of 2,087 |
| 40Santa Cruz County, CA | 36 | 179 | 18.5 | $1.2M | −4.7% | #1,532 of 2,087 |
Other business types in Santa Cruz 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 laundry32
- Clothing and shoe stores36
- Laundromats24
- Dry cleaners52
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many clothing and shoe stores are in Santa Cruz County, CA?
There are 179 clothing and shoe stores on map listings in Santa Cruz County as of September 2026. 37 of them (21%) are chain locations. The listings count clothing, shoe and accessory stores and boutiques. Official counts show 95 businesses with payroll classed as clothing and shoe stores in 2023, down 8.6% from 2019. Official counts list 124 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Santa Cruz County, CA spend on clothing, shoes and related services?
About $214.9M a year, or $2,217 per household. That is 8% above the U.S. average (an index of 108, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 179 clothing and shoe stores on map listings, it comes to $1.2M per store. The spending figure covers all clothing, shoes and related services, not only clothing and shoe stores. It is estimated from the incomes of the 96,898 households in Santa Cruz County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Santa Cruz County, CA compare with the U.S. for clothing and shoe stores?
Santa Cruz County has 18.5 clothing and shoe stores per 10,000 households, 14% above the U.S. rate of 16.2. Spending per store is $1.2M, 6% below the U.S. figure of $1.3M. At the national ratio of clothing and shoe stores to household spending, Santa Cruz County would have about 169, against 179 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,020 households, against one for every 1,273 across the U.S. The official count fell 8.6% from 2019 to 2023, against −12.2% for the U.S.
How fast is Santa Cruz County, CA growing?
Population estimates put Santa Cruz County at 258,852 people in 2025, down 4.7% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 96,898 households. The median household income in Santa Cruz County is $111,093 a year, 38% above the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 35.1% 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. Santa Cruz County scores 36 for clothing and shoe stores (lower middle), #1,532 of 2,087 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Santa Cruz County. It maps the clothing and shoe stores 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 and shoe stores · All 56 business types in Santa Cruz County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Santa Cruz 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 Cruz 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.