Groceries and convenience · County · California
Convenience stores in Santa Barbara County, CA
The convenience stores in Santa Barbara County, CA, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 67 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #513 of 2,261 scored counties
#24 of 54 scored counties in California
- Listings
- 95
- 57 chain locations (60%)
- Official establishments
- 39
- +5.4% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $976.3M
- On groceries · $6,526 a household
- Spending per listing
- $10.3M
- 30% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 6.3
- 21% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 442,065
- −1.4% since 2020
See the convenience stores around any address in Santa Barbara County
The site report maps the convenience 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 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 $6,526 per household (3% above the U.S. average), households in Santa Barbara County spend about $976.3M a year on groceries. That is about $10.3M of household spending for each store on map listings, 30% above the U.S. figure of $7.9M. The spending figure covers all groceries, not only convenience stores.
Santa Barbara County has 95 convenience stores on map listings as of September 2026. Chain locations make up 60% of them, against 60% across the U.S. That is 6.3 per 10,000 households, 21% below the U.S. rate of 8.0.
In 2023, official counts showed 39 businesses with payroll in Santa Barbara County classed as convenience stores, up 5.4% from 2019. That is one for every 3,836 households, against one for every 3,493 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 2 SBA-backed loans worth $700K have gone to businesses classed as convenience stores in Santa Barbara County.
Population estimates show Santa Barbara County declined 1.4% from 2020 to 2025, against +3.1% for the U.S. The Groundwork market score for convenience stores in Santa Barbara County is 67 (upper middle), #513 of 2,261 scored counties and #24 of 54 scored counties in California. That puts it in the top quarter of counties.
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 groceries by the convenience 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 Barbara County | California | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 6.3 | 6.7 | 8.0 |
| Spending per listing | $10.3M | $9.8M | $7.9M |
| Households per official establishment | 3,836 | 4,353 | 3,493 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +5.4% | +8.6% | +22.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −1.4% | −0.4% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on groceries | $6,526 | $6,548 | $6,319 |
| Median household income | $98,161 | $99,122 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 67 | 58 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 37 → 39+5.4% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 247
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $7M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- Not publishedNot published for this business type
- Map listings, September 2026
- 9557 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 124The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 2
- Amount
- $700K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as convenience stores 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 convenience stores 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 cardConvenience stores across California
Every California market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in California for convenience stores, 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 | 95 | 9 | 4.4 | $15.7M | +8.6% | #8 of 2,261 |
| 2Placer County, CA | 89 | 102 | 6.5 | $10.6M | +8.9% | #45 of 2,261 |
| 3Amador County, CA | 81 | 9 | 5.6 | $11M | +3.2% | #141 of 2,261 |
| 4Contra Costa County, CA | 80 | 210 | 5.1 | $14M | +0.3% | #160 of 2,261 |
| 5Riverside County, CA | 80 | 574 | 7.4 | $8.6M | +5.0% | #173 of 2,261 |
| 6Santa Clara County, CA | 79 | 304 | 4.6 | $16.4M | −0.9% | #181 of 2,261 |
| 7El Dorado County, CA | 79 | 46 | 6.0 | $11.2M | +0.6% | #188 of 2,261 |
| 8San Mateo County, CA | 78 | 100 | 3.8 | $19.8M | −2.5% | #209 of 2,261 |
| 9San Joaquin County, CA | 78 | 207 | 8.4 | $7.5M | +5.5% | #235 of 2,261 |
| 10San Luis Obispo County, CA | 77 | 60 | 5.5 | $11.8M | 0.0% | #243 of 2,261 |
| 24Santa Barbara County, CA | 67 | 95 | 6.3 | $10.3M | −1.4% | #513 of 2,261 |
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
- Grocery and convenience stores48
- Grocery stores40
- Convenience stores67
Auto
Beauty and personal care
Fitness and classes
Health care
Child care
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many convenience stores are in Santa Barbara County, CA?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 95 convenience stores in Santa Barbara County. 57 of them (60%) are chain locations. The listings count convenience stores without fuel. Official counts show 39 businesses with payroll classed as convenience stores in 2023, up 5.4% from 2019.
How much do households in Santa Barbara County, CA spend on groceries?
About $976.3M a year, or $6,526 per household. That is 3% above the U.S. average (an index of 103, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 95 convenience stores on map listings, it comes to $10.3M per store. That spending covers all groceries, which convenience stores 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 convenience stores?
Santa Barbara County has 6.3 convenience stores per 10,000 households, 21% below the U.S. rate of 8.0. Spending per store is $10.3M, 30% above the U.S. figure of $7.9M. At the U.S. ratio of convenience stores to household spending, Santa Barbara County would have about 124, against 95 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 3,836 households, against one for every 3,493 across the U.S. The official count rose 5.4% from 2019 to 2023, against +22.0% 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 67 for convenience stores (upper middle), #513 of 2,261 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 convenience 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 convenience stores · 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.