Groceries and convenience · County · California
Grocery and convenience stores in Santa Cruz County, CA
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for grocery and convenience stores in Santa Cruz County, CA, set against other counties and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 50 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #1,194 of 2,402 scored counties
#28 of 55 scored counties in California
- Listings
- 194
- 69 chain locations (36%)
- Official establishments
- 88
- +3.5% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $657.5M
- On groceries · $6,785 a household
- Spending per listing
- $3.4M
- In line with the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 20.0
- 7% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 258,852
- −4.7% since 2020
See the grocery and convenience stores around any address in Santa Cruz County
The site report maps the grocery and convenience stores 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
At $6,785 per household (7% above the U.S. average), households in Santa Cruz County spend about $657.5M a year on groceries. That is about $3.4M of household spending for each store on map listings, in line with the U.S. figure of $3.4M.
Santa Cruz County has 194 grocery and convenience stores on map listings as of September 2026. Of those, 69 are chain locations, or 36%, against 42% across the U.S. That comes to 20.0 for every 10,000 households, 7% above the U.S. rate of 18.7.
Official counts show 88 businesses with payroll classed as grocery and convenience stores in Santa Cruz County in 2023, up 3.5% from 2019. That is one for every 1,101 households, against one for every 1,293 across the U.S. Another 40 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts. Since fiscal 2022, 1 SBA-backed loan worth $350K has gone to businesses classed as grocery and convenience stores in Santa Cruz County.
Population estimates put the population change in Santa Cruz County from 2020 to 2025 at −4.7%, against +3.1% for the U.S. For grocery and convenience stores, Santa Cruz County has a Groundwork market score of 50 (upper middle): #1,194 of 2,402 scored counties and #28 of 55 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 groceries by the grocery and convenience stores 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 | 20.0 | 18.1 | 18.7 |
| Spending per listing | $3.4M | $3.6M | $3.4M |
| Households per official establishment | 1,101 | 1,214 | 1,293 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +3.5% | +5.3% | +7.2% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −4.7% | −0.4% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on groceries | $6,785 | $6,548 | $6,319 |
| Median household income | $111,093 | $99,122 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 50 | 49 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 85 → 88+3.5% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 3,240
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $121.6M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 40Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 19469 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 194The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 1
- Amount
- $350K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as grocery and convenience stores 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 grocery and convenience stores 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 cardGrocery and convenience stores across California
Every California market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in California for grocery and convenience stores, 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 | 85 | 220 | 13.9 | $4.9M | +8.9% | #99 of 2,402 |
| 2San Benito County, CA | 80 | 38 | 18.5 | $3.7M | +8.6% | #188 of 2,402 |
| 3El Dorado County, CA | 74 | 107 | 14.0 | $4.8M | +0.6% | #311 of 2,402 |
| 4Riverside County, CA | 73 | 1,248 | 16.1 | $4M | +5.0% | #354 of 2,402 |
| 5Contra Costa County, CA | 71 | 552 | 13.3 | $5.3M | +0.3% | #402 of 2,402 |
| 6Santa Clara County, CA | 70 | 924 | 14.0 | $5.4M | −0.9% | #427 of 2,402 |
| 7Orange County, CA | 66 | 1,680 | 15.5 | $4.4M | −1.1% | #550 of 2,402 |
| 8Solano County, CA | 66 | 255 | 16.2 | $4M | +0.6% | #555 of 2,402 |
| 9Amador County, CA | 66 | 28 | 17.4 | $3.5M | +3.2% | #560 of 2,402 |
| 10San Diego County, CA | 65 | 1,804 | 15.4 | $4.3M | −0.6% | #581 of 2,402 |
| 28Santa Cruz County, CA | 50 | 194 | 20.0 | $3.4M | −4.7% | #1,194 of 2,402 |
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
- Grocery and convenience stores50
- Grocery stores41
- Convenience stores70
Auto
Beauty and personal care
Fitness and classes
Health care
Child care
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many grocery and convenience stores are in Santa Cruz County, CA?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 194 grocery and convenience stores in Santa Cruz County. 69 of them (36%) are chain locations. The listings count grocery, convenience and specialty food stores. Official counts show 88 businesses with payroll classed as grocery and convenience stores in 2023, up 3.5% from 2019. Official counts list 40 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Santa Cruz County, CA spend on groceries?
About $657.5M a year, or $6,785 per household. That is 7% above the U.S. average (an index of 107, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 194 grocery and convenience stores on map listings, it comes to $3.4M per store. 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 grocery and convenience stores?
Santa Cruz County has 20.0 grocery and convenience stores per 10,000 households, 7% above the U.S. rate of 18.7. Spending per store is $3.4M, in line with the U.S. figure of $3.4M. The count on map listings matches the U.S. ratio of grocery and convenience stores to household spending. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,101 households, against one for every 1,293 across the U.S. The official count rose 3.5% from 2019 to 2023, against +7.2% for 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 50 for grocery and convenience stores (upper middle), #1,194 of 2,402 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 grocery and convenience stores 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 grocery and convenience stores · 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.