Groundwork

Health care · County · California

Optometrists and eye clinics in San Mateo County, CA

The optometrists and eye clinics in San Mateo County, CA, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 62 out of 100: Upper middle

Ranked #364 of 1,302 scored counties
#20 of 42 scored counties in California

Listings
121
9 chain locations (7%)
Official establishments
47
−9.6% since 2019
Household spending a year
$475M
On medical and dental services · $1,797 a household
Spending per listing
$3.9M
25% above the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
4.6
12% above the U.S.
Population, 2025
743,568
−2.5% since 2020

See the optometrists and eye clinics around any address in San Mateo County

The site report maps the optometrists and eye clinics 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 Mateo County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

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Survey 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 121 optometrists and eye clinics in San Mateo County. Chain locations make up 7% of them, against 20% across the U.S. That is 4.6 per 10,000 households, 12% above the U.S. rate of 4.1.

Households in San Mateo County spend about $475M a year on medical and dental services, or $1,797 per household, 39% above the U.S. average. That works out to $3.9M per practice, 25% above the U.S. figure of $3.1M. That spending covers all medical and dental services, which optometrists and eye clinics share with other businesses in the trade.

The official count of businesses with payroll classed as offices of optometrists in San Mateo County was 47 in 2023, down 9.6% from 2019. That is one for every 5,626 households, against one for every 5,742 across the U.S.

Population estimates show San Mateo County declined 2.5% from 2020 to 2025, against +3.1% for the U.S. The Groundwork market score for optometrists and eye clinics in San Mateo County is 62 (upper middle), #364 of 1,302 scored counties and #20 of 42 scored counties in California.

How San Mateo 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 optometrists and eye clinics counted, so it measures the demand for each competitor, not any business’s revenue. Households per establishment does the same with the official count.

Optometrists and eye care in San Mateo County, CA compared with California and the U.S.
MeasureSan Mateo CountyCaliforniaU.S.
Listings per 10k households4.64.54.1
Spending per listing$3.9M$3.3M$3.1M
Households per official establishment5,6264,9145,742
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023−9.6%−6.0%+0.2%
Population growth, 2020–2025−2.5%−0.4%+3.1%
Spending per household on medical and dental services$1,797$1,464$1,288
Median household income$158,855$99,122$80,734
Groundwork market score6246

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
52 → 47−9.6% over the period
Employees, 2023
286
Annual payroll, 2023
$11.6M
One-person businesses, 2023
Not publishedNot published for this business type
Map listings, September 2026
1219 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
0
Amount
$0

SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as offices of optometrists in San Mateo 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 Mateo County

Population, 2025 estimate
743,568−2.5% since 2020
Households
264,419
Median age
41.8
Homes lived in by their owners
58%
Vehicles per household
1.9
Land area
449 sq. mi.
People per square mile
1,655
Median household income
$158,855+29.5% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$231,822
Median home value
$1,559,600
Jobs located here
425,111
Daytime population
795,447Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in San Mateo 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 optometrists and eye clinics on map listings by name and distance.

Or open the report at the center of San Mateo County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

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Optometrists and eye care across California

Every California market ranked →

The highest-scoring counties in California for optometrists and eye clinics, numbered among those based in California, with San Mateo County marked.

Top counties in California

Counties in California ranked for optometrists and eye clinics by Groundwork market score
MarketScoreListingsPer 10k householdsSpending per listingPopulation growthU.S. rank
1San Benito County, CA9362.9$5.3M+8.6%#1 of 1,302
2San Joaquin County, CA87592.4$5.8M+5.5%#10 of 1,302
3Yolo County, CA80202.6$5.4M+3.1%#52 of 1,302
4Madera County, CA79132.9$4.4M+7.4%#68 of 1,302
5Nevada County, CA77102.3$6M−0.4%#88 of 1,302
6Sonoma County, CA77562.9$5.1M−0.4%#91 of 1,302
7Calaveras County, CA7652.7$4.8M+2.8%#111 of 1,302
8Solano County, CA75473.0$4.8M+0.6%#119 of 1,302
9Merced County, CA74222.6$4.6M+5.1%#132 of 1,302
10El Dorado County, CA71212.8$5.5M+0.6%#174 of 1,302
20San Mateo County, CA621214.6$3.9M−2.5%#364 of 1,302

Other business types in San Mateo County

Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.

Questions

How many optometrists and eye clinics are in San Mateo County, CA?

San Mateo County has 121 optometrists and eye clinics on map listings as of September 2026. 9 of them (7%) are chain locations. The listings count optometrists and eye clinics. Official counts show 47 businesses with payroll classed as offices of optometrists in 2023, down 9.6% from 2019.

How much do households in San Mateo County, CA spend on medical and dental services?

About $475M a year, or $1,797 per household. That is 39% above the U.S. average (an index of 139, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 121 optometrists and eye clinics on map listings, it comes to $3.9M per practice. The spending figure covers all medical and dental services, not only optometrists and eye clinics. It is estimated from the incomes of the 264,419 households in San Mateo County and national spending patterns by income.

How does San Mateo County, CA compare with the U.S. for optometrists and eye clinics?

San Mateo County has 4.6 optometrists and eye clinics per 10,000 households, 12% above the U.S. rate of 4.1. Spending per practice is $3.9M, 25% above the U.S. figure of $3.1M. At the national ratio of optometrists and eye clinics to household spending, San Mateo County would have about 152, against 121 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 5,626 households, against one for every 5,742 across the U.S. The official count fell 9.6% from 2019 to 2023, against +0.2% for the U.S.

How fast is San Mateo County, CA growing?

Population estimates put San Mateo County at 743,568 people in 2025, down 2.5% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 264,419 households. The median household income in San Mateo County is $158,855 a year, 97% above the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 29.5% 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. San Mateo County scores 62 for optometrists and eye clinics (upper middle), #364 of 1,302 scored counties.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

Run a Groundwork site report on an address in San Mateo County. It maps the optometrists and eye clinics 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 optometrists and eye clinics · All 56 business types in San Mateo County

Screening a site or an acquisition in San Mateo 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 Mateo 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.