Clothing and laundry · County · California
Dry cleaners in Santa Cruz County, CA
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for dry cleaners in Santa Cruz County, CA, set against other counties and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 52 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #238 of 507 scored counties
#10 of 29 scored counties in California
- Listings
- 10
- 1 chain location (10%)
- Official establishments
- 12
- Businesses with payroll, 2023
- Household spending a year
- $214.9M
- On clothing, shoes and related services · $2,217 a household
- Spending per listing
- $21.5M
- 37% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 1.0
- 23% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 258,852
- −4.7% since 2020
See the dry cleaners around any address in Santa Cruz 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 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
As of September 2026, map listings count 10 dry cleaners in Santa Cruz County. One of them (10%) is a chain location, against 23% across the U.S. That comes to 1.0 for every 10,000 households, 23% below the U.S. rate of 1.3.
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. Spread across 10 dry cleaners, that is $21.5M per shop, 37% above 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.
In 2023, official counts showed 12 businesses with payroll in Santa Cruz County classed as dry cleaning and laundry services. That is one for every 8,075 households, against one for every 8,177 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 1 SBA-backed loan worth $128K has gone to businesses classed as dry cleaning and laundry services in Santa Cruz County.
Population estimates show Santa Cruz County declined 4.7% from 2020 to 2025, against +3.1% for the U.S. For dry cleaners, Santa Cruz County has a Groundwork market score of 52 (upper middle): #238 of 507 scored counties and #10 of 29 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 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 | Santa Cruz County | California | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 1.0 | 1.6 | 1.3 |
| Spending per listing | $21.5M | $12.8M | $15.7M |
| Households per official establishment | 8,075 | 6,730 | 8,177 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | −18.4% | −18.7% |
| 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 | 52 | 24 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 9 → 12
- Employees, 2023
- 58
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $1.5M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- Not publishedNot published for this business type
- Map listings, September 2026
- 101 chain location
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 14The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 1
- Amount
- $128K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as dry cleaning and laundry services 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 dry cleaners 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 cardDry cleaners across California
Every California market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in California for dry cleaners, 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 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 |
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 dry cleaners are in Santa Cruz County, CA?
Santa Cruz County has 10 dry cleaners on map listings as of September 2026. One of them (10%) is a chain location. The listings count dry cleaners. Official counts show 12 businesses with payroll classed as dry cleaning and laundry services in 2023.
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 10 dry cleaners on map listings, it comes to $21.5M per shop. The spending figure covers all clothing, shoes and related services, not only dry cleaners. 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 dry cleaners?
Santa Cruz County has 1.0 dry cleaners per 10,000 households, 23% below the U.S. rate of 1.3. Spending per shop is $21.5M, 37% above the U.S. figure of $15.7M. At the national ratio of dry cleaners to household spending, Santa Cruz County would have about 14, against 10 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 8,075 households, against one for every 8,177 across 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 52 for dry cleaners (upper middle), #238 of 507 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 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 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.