Beauty and personal care · County · California
Hair salons in Santa Barbara County, CA
The hair salons in Santa Barbara County, CA, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 59 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #726 of 2,339 scored counties
#27 of 55 scored counties in California
- Listings
- 317
- 56 chain locations (18%)
- Official establishments
- 83
- +36.1% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $170.9M
- On personal care products and services · $1,142 a household
- Spending per listing
- $539K
- 25% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 21.2
- 9% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 442,065
- −1.4% since 2020
See the hair salons around any address in Santa Barbara County
The site report maps the hair salons 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
As of September 2026, map listings count 317 hair salons in Santa Barbara County. Of those, 56 are chain locations, or 18%, against 14% across the U.S. That is 21.2 per 10,000 households, 9% below the U.S. rate of 23.4.
At $1,142 per household (14% above the U.S. average), households in Santa Barbara County spend about $170.9M a year on personal care products and services. Spread across 317 hair salons, that is $539K per salon, 25% above the U.S. figure of $430K. That spending covers all personal care products and services, which hair salons share with other businesses in the trade.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as beauty salons in Santa Barbara County was 83 in 2023, up 36.1% from 2019. That is one for every 1,803 households, against one for every 1,535 across the U.S. Official counts list 868 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 2 SBA-backed loans worth $574K have gone to businesses classed as beauty salons in Santa Barbara County.
Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Santa Barbara County declined 1.4%, against +3.1% for the U.S. The Groundwork market score for hair salons in Santa Barbara County is 59 (upper middle), #726 of 2,339 scored counties and #27 of 55 scored counties in California.
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 personal care products and services by the hair salons 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 | 21.2 | 24.0 | 23.4 |
| Spending per listing | $539K | $479K | $430K |
| Households per official establishment | 1,803 | 1,551 | 1,535 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +36.1% | +8.3% | +6.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −1.4% | −0.4% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on personal care products and services | $1,142 | $1,149 | $1,005 |
| Median household income | $98,161 | $99,122 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 59 | 54 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 61 → 83+36.1% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 282
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $8.8M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 868Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 31756 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 397The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 2
- Amount
- $574K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as beauty salons 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 hair salons 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 cardHair salons across California
Every California market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in California for hair salons, 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Yuba County, CA | 90 | 21 | 7.3 | $1.3M | +8.2% | #9 of 2,339 |
| 2Madera County, CA | 89 | 65 | 14.3 | $687K | +7.4% | #17 of 2,339 |
| 3Calaveras County, CA | 82 | 27 | 14.6 | $703K | +2.8% | #62 of 2,339 |
| 4Yolo County, CA | 80 | 122 | 15.9 | $688K | +3.1% | #77 of 2,339 |
| 5Kern County, CA | 77 | 444 | 15.6 | $609K | +2.3% | #121 of 2,339 |
| 6Merced County, CA | 77 | 142 | 16.5 | $553K | +5.1% | #125 of 2,339 |
| 7Tulare County, CA | 75 | 235 | 16.4 | $580K | +2.4% | #158 of 2,339 |
| 8San Joaquin County, CA | 75 | 484 | 19.7 | $551K | +5.5% | #161 of 2,339 |
| 9El Dorado County, CA | 72 | 126 | 16.5 | $727K | +0.6% | #229 of 2,339 |
| 10Kings County, CA | 72 | 74 | 16.8 | $560K | +1.0% | #242 of 2,339 |
| 27Santa Barbara County, CA | 59 | 317 | 21.2 | $539K | −1.4% | #726 of 2,339 |
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
- Salons, barbers and spas43
- Hair salons59
- Barbershops47
- Nail salons46
- Spas and skin care39
Fitness and classes
Health care
Child care
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many hair salons are in Santa Barbara County, CA?
Santa Barbara County has 317 hair salons on map listings as of September 2026. 56 of them (18%) are chain locations. The listings count hair and beauty salons. Official counts show 83 businesses with payroll classed as beauty salons in 2023, up 36.1% from 2019. Official counts also show 868 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Santa Barbara County, CA spend on personal care products and services?
About $170.9M a year, or $1,142 per household. That is 14% above the U.S. average (an index of 114, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 317 hair salons on map listings, it comes to $539K per salon. The spending figure covers all personal care products and services, not only hair salons. 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 hair salons?
Santa Barbara County has 21.2 hair salons per 10,000 households, 9% below the U.S. rate of 23.4. Spending per salon is $539K, 25% above the U.S. figure of $430K. At the national ratio of hair salons to household spending, Santa Barbara County would have about 397, against 317 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,803 households, against one for every 1,535 across the U.S. The official count rose 36.1% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.0% for 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 59 for hair salons (upper middle), #726 of 2,339 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 hair salons 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 hair salons · 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.