Health care · County · California
Dentists and orthodontists in Santa Cruz County, CA
How Santa Cruz County, CA compares with other counties and the U.S. for dentists and orthodontists: competitors, household spending, official counts and growth.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 31 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,608 of 1,886 scored counties
#36 of 51 scored counties in California
- Listings
- 153
- 9 chain locations (6%)
- Official establishments
- 134
- −3.6% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $149.8M
- On medical and dental services · $1,546 a household
- Spending per listing
- $979K
- In line with the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 15.8
- 21% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 258,852
- −4.7% since 2020
See the dentists and orthodontists around any address in Santa Cruz County
The site report maps the dentists and orthodontists 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
For dentists and orthodontists, Santa Cruz County has a Groundwork market score of 31 (lower middle): #1,608 of 1,886 scored counties and #36 of 51 scored counties in California. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.
Map listings as of September 2026 show 153 dentists and orthodontists in Santa Cruz County. Chain locations make up 6% of them, against 12% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 15.8, 21% above the U.S. rate of 13.1.
At $1,546 per household (20% above the U.S. average), households in Santa Cruz County spend about $149.8M a year on medical and dental services. Spread across 153 dentists and orthodontists, that is $979K per practice, in line with the U.S. figure of $984K. That spending covers all medical and dental services, which dentists and orthodontists share with other businesses in the trade.
Official counts show 134 businesses with payroll classed as offices of dentists in Santa Cruz County in 2023, down 3.6% from 2019. That is one for every 723 households, against one for every 952 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 12 SBA-backed loans worth $9.3M have gone to businesses classed as offices of dentists in Santa Cruz County. Population estimates show Santa Cruz County declined 4.7% from 2020 to 2025, against +3.1% for the U.S.
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 medical and dental services by the dentists and orthodontists 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 | 15.8 | 17.9 | 13.1 |
| Spending per listing | $979K | $817K | $984K |
| Households per official establishment | 723 | 595 | 952 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | −3.6% | +1.8% | −0.5% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −4.7% | −0.4% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on medical and dental services | $1,546 | $1,464 | $1,288 |
| Median household income | $111,093 | $99,122 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 31 | 22 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 139 → 134−3.6% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 1,024
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $65.2M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- Not publishedNot published for this business type
- Map listings, September 2026
- 1539 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 152The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 12
- Amount
- $9.3M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as offices of dentists 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 dentists and orthodontists 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 cardDentists and orthodontists across California
Every California market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in California for dentists and orthodontists, 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Yuba County, CA | 89 | 7 | 2.4 | $5.1M | +8.2% | #9 of 1,886 |
| 2Amador County, CA | 72 | 13 | 8.1 | $1.6M | +3.2% | #220 of 1,886 |
| 3San Benito County, CA | 67 | 24 | 11.7 | $1.3M | +8.6% | #361 of 1,886 |
| 4Imperial County, CA | 63 | 31 | 6.2 | $1.8M | +1.1% | #456 of 1,886 |
| 5Calaveras County, CA | 62 | 16 | 8.7 | $1.5M | +2.8% | #504 of 1,886 |
| 6Lake County, CA | 60 | 22 | 8.2 | $1.4M | −0.6% | #566 of 1,886 |
| 7Inyo County, CA | 56 | 6 | 7.5 | $1.7M | −4.4% | #698 of 1,886 |
| 8Yolo County, CA | 51 | 92 | 12.0 | $1.2M | +3.1% | #900 of 1,886 |
| 9Lassen County, CA | 50 | 6 | 6.5 | $1.8M | −13.1% | #920 of 1,886 |
| 10Colusa County, CA | 50 | 7 | 9.3 | $1.3M | −0.1% | #929 of 1,886 |
| 36Santa Cruz County, CA | 31 | 153 | 15.8 | $979K | −4.7% | #1,608 of 1,886 |
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
- Doctors, dentists and clinics28
- Dentists and orthodontists31
- Primary care and pediatrics50
- Urgent care and walk-in clinics66
- Chiropractors33
- Physical therapy47
- Optometrists and eye care58
Child care
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many dentists and orthodontists are in Santa Cruz County, CA?
There are 153 dentists and orthodontists on map listings in Santa Cruz County as of September 2026. 9 of them (6%) are chain locations. The listings count dental practices, orthodontists included. Official counts show 134 businesses with payroll classed as offices of dentists in 2023, down 3.6% from 2019.
How much do households in Santa Cruz County, CA spend on medical and dental services?
About $149.8M a year, or $1,546 per household. That is 20% above the U.S. average (an index of 120, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 153 dentists and orthodontists on map listings, it comes to $979K per practice. The spending figure covers all medical and dental services, not only dentists and orthodontists. 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 dentists and orthodontists?
Santa Cruz County has 15.8 dentists and orthodontists per 10,000 households, 21% above the U.S. rate of 13.1. Spending per practice is $979K, in line with the U.S. figure of $984K. At the national ratio of dentists and orthodontists to household spending, Santa Cruz County would have about 152, against 153 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 723 households, against one for every 952 across the U.S. The official count fell 3.6% from 2019 to 2023, against −0.5% 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 31 for dentists and orthodontists (lower middle), #1,608 of 1,886 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 dentists and orthodontists 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 dentists and orthodontists · 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.