Clothing and laundry · County · California
Dry cleaners in San Diego County, CA
How San Diego County, CA compares with other counties and the U.S. for dry cleaners: competitors, household spending, official counts and growth.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 35 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #395 of 507 scored counties
#23 of 29 scored counties 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 San Diego County
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 San Diego 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 dry cleaners, San Diego County has a Groundwork market score of 35 (lower middle): #395 of 507 scored counties and #23 of 29 scored counties in California. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.
Households in San Diego County spend about $2.5B a year on clothing, shoes and related services, or $2,138 per household, 4% above the U.S. average. Spread across 191 dry cleaners, that is $13.1M per shop, 16% below the U.S. figure of $15.7M. The spending figure covers all clothing, shoes and related services, not only dry cleaners.
There are 191 dry cleaners on map listings in San Diego County as of September 2026. Chain locations make up 10% of them, against 23% across the U.S. That comes to 1.6 for every 10,000 households, 23% above the U.S. rate of 1.3.
Official counts show 177 businesses with payroll classed as dry cleaning and laundry services in San Diego County 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 San Diego County. Between 2020 and 2025, the population of San Diego County declined 0.6%, against +3.1% for the U.S.
How San Diego 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 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 County | 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 | 35 | 24 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 214 → 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 San Diego 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 San Diego County
- 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 San Diego 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 dry cleaners on map listings by name and distance.
Or open the report at the center of San Diego County. 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 counties in California for dry cleaners, numbered among those based in California, with San Diego County marked.
Top counties in California
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1San Joaquin County, CA | 71 | 19 | 0.8 | $25.1M | +5.5% | #55 of 507 |
| 2Yolo County, CA | 65 | 5 | 0.7 | $30.5M | +3.1% | #99 of 507 |
| 3Fresno County, CA | 62 | 19 | 0.6 | $30.1M | +2.6% | #134 of 507 |
| 4Tulare County, CA | 60 | 10 | 0.7 | $24.3M | +2.4% | #159 of 507 |
| 5El Dorado County, CA | 60 | 7 | 0.9 | $23.7M | +0.6% | #160 of 507 |
| 6Placer County, CA | 60 | 20 | 1.3 | $17.7M | +8.9% | #168 of 507 |
| 7San Luis Obispo County, CA | 56 | 11 | 1.0 | $20.1M | 0.0% | #205 of 507 |
| 8Sonoma County, CA | 55 | 19 | 1.0 | $21.4M | −0.4% | #213 of 507 |
| 9Butte County, CA | 53 | 5 | 0.6 | $28.8M | −0.5% | #228 of 507 |
| 10Santa Cruz County, CA | 52 | 10 | 1.0 | $21.5M | −4.7% | #238 of 507 |
| 23San Diego County, CA | 35 | 191 | 1.6 | $13.1M | −0.6% | #395 of 507 |
Other business types in San Diego 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 laundry36
- Clothing and shoe stores41
- Laundromats43
- Dry cleaners35
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many dry cleaners are in San Diego County, CA?
As of September 2026, map listings count 191 dry cleaners in San Diego County. 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 San Diego County, CA 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. That spending covers all clothing, shoes and related services, which dry cleaners share with other businesses in the trade. It is estimated from the incomes of the 1,171,278 households in San Diego County and national spending patterns by income.
How does San Diego County, CA compare with the U.S. for dry cleaners?
San Diego County 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 U.S. ratio of dry cleaners to household spending, San Diego County 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 San Diego County, CA growing?
Population estimates put San Diego County 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. Median household income in San Diego County is $106,268, 32% above the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 34.6%, 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. San Diego County scores 35 for dry cleaners (lower middle), #395 of 507 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in San Diego County. 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 San Diego County
Screening a site or an acquisition in San Diego 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 San Diego 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.