Clothing and laundry · County · California
Laundromats in Santa Barbara County, CA
How Santa Barbara County, CA compares with other counties and the U.S. for laundromats: competitors, household spending, official counts and growth.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 31 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #607 of 785 scored counties
#30 of 42 scored counties in California
- Listings
- 38
- 7 chain locations (18%)
- Official establishments
- 16
- Businesses with payroll, 2023
- Household spending a year
- $310.1M
- On clothing, shoes and related services · $2,073 a household
- Spending per listing
- $8.2M
- 35% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 2.5
- 56% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 442,065
- −1.4% since 2020
See the laundromats around any address in Santa Barbara County
The site report maps the laundromats 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
For laundromats, Santa Barbara County has a Groundwork market score of 31 (lower middle): #607 of 785 scored counties and #30 of 42 scored counties in California. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.
Map listings as of September 2026 show 38 laundromats in Santa Barbara County. Chain locations make up 18% of them, against 19% across the U.S. That comes to 2.5 for every 10,000 households, 56% above the U.S. rate of 1.6.
Households in Santa Barbara County spend about $310.1M a year on clothing, shoes and related services, or $2,073 per household, in line with the U.S. average. That works out to $8.2M per laundromat, 35% below the U.S. figure of $12.5M. That spending covers all clothing, shoes and related services, which laundromats share with other businesses in the trade.
In 2023, official counts showed 16 businesses with payroll in Santa Barbara County classed as coin-operated laundries. That is one for every 9,351 households, against one for every 11,865 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 2 SBA-backed loans worth $8.1M have gone to businesses classed as coin-operated laundries in Santa Barbara County. 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 clothing, shoes and related services by the laundromats 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 | 2.5 | 2.1 | 1.6 |
| Spending per listing | $8.2M | $10.1M | $12.5M |
| Households per official establishment | 9,351 | 10,970 | 11,865 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +6.1% | +3.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −1.4% | −0.4% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on clothing, shoes and related services | $2,073 | $2,085 | $2,055 |
| Median household income | $98,161 | $99,122 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 31 | 25 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 15 → 16
- Employees, 2023
- 66
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $1.7M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- Not publishedNot published for this business type
- Map listings, September 2026
- 387 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 25The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 2
- Amount
- $8.1M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as coin-operated laundries 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 laundromats 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 cardLaundromats across California
Every California market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in California for laundromats, 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 | 93 | 13 | 0.8 | $27.2M | +8.9% | #7 of 785 |
| 2Riverside County, CA | 73 | 85 | 1.1 | $17.9M | +5.0% | #127 of 785 |
| 3Contra Costa County, CA | 68 | 57 | 1.4 | $17.2M | +0.3% | #179 of 785 |
| 4San Joaquin County, CA | 63 | 33 | 1.3 | $14.5M | +5.5% | #230 of 785 |
| 5Marin County, CA | 59 | 14 | 1.4 | $18.9M | −2.9% | #268 of 785 |
| 6Sonoma County, CA | 58 | 32 | 1.7 | $12.7M | −0.4% | #296 of 785 |
| 7Santa Clara County, CA | 55 | 124 | 1.9 | $14.2M | −0.9% | #322 of 785 |
| 8San Bernardino County, CA | 55 | 102 | 1.5 | $12.3M | +1.9% | #324 of 785 |
| 9El Dorado County, CA | 53 | 15 | 2.0 | $11.1M | +0.6% | #343 of 785 |
| 10Sacramento County, CA | 52 | 92 | 1.6 | $12.1M | +2.0% | #357 of 785 |
| 30Santa Barbara County, CA | 31 | 38 | 2.5 | $8.2M | −1.4% | #607 of 785 |
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
- Clothing, shoes and laundry28
- Clothing and shoe stores31
- Laundromats31
- Dry cleaners41
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many laundromats are in Santa Barbara County, CA?
There are 38 laundromats on map listings in Santa Barbara County as of September 2026. 7 of them (18%) are chain locations. The listings count laundromats. Official counts show 16 businesses with payroll classed as coin-operated laundries in 2023.
How much do households in Santa Barbara County, CA spend on clothing, shoes and related services?
About $310.1M a year, or $2,073 per household. That is in line with the U.S. average (an index of 101, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 38 laundromats on map listings, it comes to $8.2M per laundromat. The spending figure covers all clothing, shoes and related services, not only laundromats. 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 laundromats?
Santa Barbara County has 2.5 laundromats per 10,000 households, 56% above the U.S. rate of 1.6. Spending per laundromat is $8.2M, 35% below the U.S. figure of $12.5M. At the national ratio of laundromats to household spending, Santa Barbara County would have about 25, against 38 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 9,351 households, against one for every 11,865 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 31 for laundromats (lower middle), #607 of 785 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 laundromats 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 laundromats · 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.