Funeral services · County · California
Funeral homes in Santa Barbara County, CA
How Santa Barbara County, CA compares with other counties and the U.S. for funeral homes: competitors, household spending, official counts and growth.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 77 out of 100: High
Ranked #99 of 1,472 scored counties
#9 of 37 scored counties in California
- Listings
- 15
- 2 chain locations (13%)
- Official establishments
- 10
- Businesses with payroll, 2023
- Household spending a year
- $24.9M
- On funerals · $166 a household
- Spending per listing
- $1.7M
- 2.4 times the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 1.0
- 52% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 442,065
- −1.4% since 2020
See the funeral homes around any address in Santa Barbara County
The site report maps the funeral homes 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 Barbara 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
Santa Barbara County scores 77 (high) on the Groundwork market score for funeral homes, ranking #99 of 1,472 scored counties and #9 of 37 scored counties in California. That puts it in the top 10% of counties for funeral homes.
Households in Santa Barbara County spend about $24.9M a year on funerals, or $166 per household, 16% above the U.S. average. That is about $1.7M of household spending for each home on map listings, 2.4 times the U.S. figure of $679K.
Santa Barbara County has 15 funeral homes on map listings as of September 2026. Of those, 2 are chain locations, or 13%, against 10% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 1.0, 52% below the U.S. rate of 2.1.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as funeral homes and funeral services in Santa Barbara County was 10 in 2023. That is one for every 14,961 households, against one for every 8,510 across the U.S. Population estimates put the population change in Santa Barbara County from 2020 to 2025 at −1.4%, against +3.1% for the U.S.
How Santa Barbara County compares
The same measures for California and the whole U.S. Spending per listing divides a year of household spending on all funerals by the funeral homes 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 Barbara County | California | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 1.0 | 1.1 | 2.1 |
| Spending per listing | $1.7M | $1.4M | $679K |
| Households per official establishment | 14,961 | 17,063 | 8,510 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +3.4% | −1.7% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −1.4% | −0.4% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on funerals | $166 | $151 | $143 |
| Median household income | $98,161 | $99,122 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 77 | 73 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 11 → 10
- Employees, 2023
- 61
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $3.2M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- Not publishedNot published for this business type
- Map listings, September 2026
- 152 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 37The 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 funeral homes and funeral services in Santa Barbara 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 Barbara County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 442,065−1.4% since 2020
- Households
- 149,608
- Median age
- 37.4
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 52%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.0
- Land area
- 2,734 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 162
- Median household income
- $98,161+31.5% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $140,895
- Median home value
- $790,700
- Jobs located here
- 193,212
- Daytime population
- 452,081Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Santa Barbara 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 funeral homes on map listings by name and distance.
Or open the report at the center of Santa Barbara County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.
Free10 actions over 3 days, no cardFuneral homes across California
Every California market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in California for funeral homes, numbered among those based in California, with Santa Barbara County marked.
Top counties in California
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Placer County, CA | 92 | 17 | 1.1 | $1.6M | +8.9% | #16 of 1,472 |
| 2Riverside County, CA | 87 | 97 | 1.3 | $1.3M | +5.0% | #34 of 1,472 |
| 3El Dorado County, CA | 85 | 8 | 1.1 | $1.7M | +0.6% | #38 of 1,472 |
| 4Marin County, CA | 81 | 7 | 0.7 | $2.8M | −2.9% | #54 of 1,472 |
| 5Madera County, CA | 81 | 6 | 1.3 | $1.2M | +7.4% | #59 of 1,472 |
| 6Sonoma County, CA | 79 | 21 | 1.1 | $1.5M | −0.4% | #75 of 1,472 |
| 7Contra Costa County, CA | 78 | 38 | 0.9 | $1.7M | +0.3% | #85 of 1,472 |
| 8Orange County, CA | 78 | 103 | 1.0 | $1.7M | −1.1% | #86 of 1,472 |
| 9Santa Barbara County, CA | 77 | 15 | 1.0 | $1.7M | −1.4% | #99 of 1,472 |
| 10San Luis Obispo County, CA | 77 | 12 | 1.1 | $1.5M | 0.0% | #100 of 1,472 |
Other business types in Santa Barbara 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
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
- Funeral homes77
Questions
How many funeral homes are in Santa Barbara County, CA?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 15 funeral homes in Santa Barbara County. 2 of them (13%) are chain locations. The listings count funeral homes, mortuaries and cremation services. Official counts show 10 businesses with payroll classed as funeral homes and funeral services in 2023.
How much do households in Santa Barbara County, CA spend on funerals?
About $24.9M a year, or $166 per household. That is 16% above the U.S. average (an index of 116, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 15 funeral homes on map listings, it comes to $1.7M per home. It is estimated from the incomes of the 149,608 households in Santa Barbara County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Santa Barbara County, CA compare with the U.S. for funeral homes?
Santa Barbara County has 1.0 funeral homes per 10,000 households, 52% below the U.S. rate of 2.1. Spending per home is $1.7M, 2.4 times the U.S. figure of $679K. At the U.S. ratio of funeral homes to household spending, Santa Barbara County would have about 37, against 15 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 14,961 households, against one for every 8,510 across the U.S.
How fast is Santa Barbara County, CA growing?
Population estimates put Santa Barbara County at 442,065 people in 2025, down 1.4% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 149,608 households. The median household income in Santa Barbara County is $98,161 a year, 22% above the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 31.5% 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. Santa Barbara County scores 77 for funeral homes (high), #99 of 1,472 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Santa Barbara County. It maps the funeral homes 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 funeral homes · All 56 business types in Santa Barbara County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Santa Barbara 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 Barbara 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.