Funeral services · County · California
Funeral homes in Santa Cruz County, CA
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for funeral homes in Santa Cruz County, CA, set against other counties and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 71 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #210 of 1,472 scored counties
#23 of 37 scored counties in California
- Listings
- 12
- 2 chain locations (17%)
- Official establishments
- 6
- Businesses with payroll, 2023
- Household spending a year
- $15.5M
- On funerals · $160 a household
- Spending per listing
- $1.3M
- 90% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 1.2
- 43% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 258,852
- −4.7% since 2020
See the funeral homes around any address in Santa Cruz 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 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
Households in Santa Cruz County spend about $15.5M a year on funerals, or $160 per household, 12% above the U.S. average. That works out to $1.3M per home, 90% above the U.S. figure of $679K.
Santa Cruz County has 12 funeral homes on map listings as of September 2026. 2 of them (17%) are chain locations, against 10% across the U.S. That comes to 1.2 for every 10,000 households, 43% below the U.S. rate of 2.1.
Official counts show 6 businesses with payroll classed as funeral homes and funeral services in Santa Cruz County in 2023. That is one for every 16,150 households, against one for every 8,510 across the U.S.
Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Santa Cruz County declined 4.7%, against +3.1% for the U.S. The Groundwork market score for funeral homes in Santa Cruz County is 71 (upper middle), #210 of 1,472 scored counties and #23 of 37 scored counties in California. That puts it in the top quarter of counties.
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 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 Cruz County | California | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 1.2 | 1.1 | 2.1 |
| Spending per listing | $1.3M | $1.4M | $679K |
| Households per official establishment | 16,150 | 17,063 | 8,510 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +3.4% | −1.7% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −4.7% | −0.4% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on funerals | $160 | $151 | $143 |
| Median household income | $111,093 | $99,122 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 71 | 73 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 6 → 6
- Employees, 2023
- 39
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $1.7M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- Not publishedNot published for this business type
- Map listings, September 2026
- 122 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 23The 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 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 funeral homes 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 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 Cruz 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 |
| 23Santa Cruz County, CA | 71 | 12 | 1.2 | $1.3M | −4.7% | #210 of 1,472 |
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
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
- Funeral homes71
Questions
How many funeral homes are in Santa Cruz County, CA?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 12 funeral homes in Santa Cruz County. 2 of them (17%) are chain locations. The listings count funeral homes, mortuaries and cremation services. Official counts show 6 businesses with payroll classed as funeral homes and funeral services in 2023.
How much do households in Santa Cruz County, CA spend on funerals?
About $15.5M a year, or $160 per household. That is 12% above the U.S. average (an index of 112, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 12 funeral homes on map listings, it comes to $1.3M per home. 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 funeral homes?
Santa Cruz County has 1.2 funeral homes per 10,000 households, 43% below the U.S. rate of 2.1. Spending per home is $1.3M, 90% above the U.S. figure of $679K. At the U.S. ratio of funeral homes to household spending, Santa Cruz County would have about 23, against 12 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 16,150 households, against one for every 8,510 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 71 for funeral homes (upper middle), #210 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 Cruz 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 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.