Clothing and laundry · Metro area · California
Dry cleaners in the San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA metro area
The dry cleaners in the San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA metro area, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other metro areas.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 30 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #234 of 272 scored metro areas
#18 of 20 scored metro areas based in California
- Listings
- 191
- 19 chain locations (10%)
- Official establishments
- 177
- −17.3% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $2.5B
- On clothing, shoes and related services · $2,138 a household
- Spending per listing
- $13.1M
- 16% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 1.6
- 23% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 3,282,248
- −0.6% since 2020
See the dry cleaners around any address in the San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad metro area
The site report maps the dry cleaners 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 San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad metro area. 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
The San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad metro area scores 30 (lower middle) on the Groundwork market score for dry cleaners, ranking #234 of 272 scored metro areas and #18 of 20 scored metro areas based in California. That puts it in the bottom quarter of metro areas.
As of September 2026, map listings count 191 dry cleaners in the San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad metro area. 19 of them (10%) are chain locations, against 23% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 1.6, 23% above the U.S. rate of 1.3.
At $2,138 per household (4% above the U.S. average), households in the San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad metro area spend about $2.5B a year on clothing, shoes and related services. That is about $13.1M of household spending for each shop on map listings, 16% below the U.S. figure of $15.7M. That spending covers all clothing, shoes and related services, which dry cleaners share with other businesses in the trade.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as dry cleaning and laundry services in the San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad metro area was 177 in 2023, down 17.3% from 2019. That is one for every 6,617 households, against one for every 8,177 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 4 SBA-backed loans worth $1.1M have gone to businesses classed as dry cleaning and laundry services in the San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad metro area. Between 2020 and 2025, the population of the San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad metro area declined 0.6%, against +3.1% for the U.S.
How the San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad 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 dry cleaners 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 | San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad metro area | California | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 1.6 | 1.6 | 1.3 |
| Spending per listing | $13.1M | $12.8M | $15.7M |
| Households per official establishment | 6,617 | 6,730 | 8,177 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | −17.3% | −18.4% | −18.7% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −0.6% | −0.4% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on clothing, shoes and related services | $2,138 | $2,085 | $2,055 |
| Median household income | $106,268 | $99,122 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 30 | 24 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 177−17.3% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 1,156
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $38.7M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- Not publishedNot published for this business type
- Map listings, September 2026
- 19119 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 160The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 4
- Amount
- $1.1M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as dry cleaning and laundry services in the San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad 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 San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad metro area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 3,282,248−0.6% since 2020
- Households
- 1,171,278
- Median age
- 38.9
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 55%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 4,211 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 781
- Median household income
- $106,268+34.6% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $141,250
- Median home value
- $854,700
- Jobs located here
- 1,516,991
- Daytime population
- 3,269,716Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad 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 dry cleaners on map listings by name and distance.
Or open the report at the center of the San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad metro area. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.
Free10 actions over 3 days, no cardDry cleaners across California
Every California market ranked →The highest-scoring metro areas in California for dry cleaners, numbered among those based in California, with the San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad metro area marked.
Top metro areas in California
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Stockton-Lodi, CA | 70 | 19 | 0.8 | $25.1M | +5.5% | #30 of 272 |
| 2Fresno, CA | 60 | 23 | 0.6 | $28.4M | +3.2% | #85 of 272 |
| 3Visalia, CA | 55 | 10 | 0.7 | $24.3M | +2.4% | #114 of 272 |
| 4San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles, CA | 52 | 11 | 1.0 | $20.1M | 0.0% | #138 of 272 |
| 5Santa Rosa-Petaluma, CA | 51 | 19 | 1.0 | $21.4M | −0.4% | #144 of 272 |
| 6Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA | 51 | 93 | 1.1 | $19.2M | +3.2% | #145 of 272 |
| 7Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA | 49 | 10 | 1.0 | $21.5M | −4.7% | #155 of 272 |
| 8Chico, CA | 48 | 5 | 0.6 | $28.8M | −0.5% | #157 of 272 |
| 9Vallejo, CA | 47 | 15 | 1.0 | $21.5M | +0.6% | #160 of 272 |
| 10Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA | 45 | 172 | 1.2 | $16.1M | +3.5% | #166 of 272 |
| 18San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA | 30 | 191 | 1.6 | $13.1M | −0.6% | #234 of 272 |
Other business types in the San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad metro area
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 laundry34
- Clothing and shoe stores40
- Laundromats35
- Dry cleaners30
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many dry cleaners are in the San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA metro area?
The San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad metro area has 191 dry cleaners on map listings as of September 2026. 19 of them (10%) are chain locations. The listings count dry cleaners. Official counts show 177 businesses with payroll classed as dry cleaning and laundry services in 2023, down 17.3% from 2019.
How much do households in the San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA metro area spend on clothing, shoes and related services?
About $2.5B a year, or $2,138 per household. That is 4% above the U.S. average (an index of 104, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 191 dry cleaners on map listings, it comes to $13.1M per shop. The spending figure covers all clothing, shoes and related services, not only dry cleaners. It is estimated from the incomes of the 1,171,278 households in the San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad metro area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA metro area compare with the U.S. for dry cleaners?
The San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad metro area has 1.6 dry cleaners per 10,000 households, 23% above the U.S. rate of 1.3. Spending per shop is $13.1M, 16% below the U.S. figure of $15.7M. At the national ratio of dry cleaners to household spending, the San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad metro area would have about 160, against 191 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 6,617 households, against one for every 8,177 across the U.S. The official count fell 17.3% from 2019 to 2023, against −18.7% for the U.S.
How fast is the San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA metro area growing?
Population estimates put the San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad metro area at 3,282,248 people in 2025, down 0.6% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 1,171,278 households. The median household income in the San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad metro area is $106,268 a year, 32% above the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 34.6% 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 San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad metro area scores 30 for dry cleaners (lower middle), #234 of 272 scored metro areas.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in the San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad metro area. It maps the dry cleaners 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 dry cleaners · All 56 business types in the San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad metro area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad 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 San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad 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.