Health care · County · California
Medical and dental practices in San Diego County, CA
The medical and dental practices in San Diego County, CA, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 33 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,983 of 2,394 scored counties
#45 of 55 scored counties in California
- Listings
- 12,001
- 823 chain locations (7%)
- Official establishments
- 6,077
- +6.4% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $1.8B
- On medical and dental services · $1,502 a household
- Spending per listing
- $147K
- 4% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 102.5
- 21% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 3,282,248
- −0.6% since 2020
See the medical and dental practices around any address in San Diego County
The site report maps the medical and dental practices 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 San Diego 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
The Groundwork market score for medical and dental practices in San Diego County is 33 (lower middle), #1,983 of 2,394 scored counties and #45 of 55 scored counties in California. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.
Map listings as of September 2026 show 12,001 medical and dental practices in San Diego County. Of those, 823 are chain locations, or 7%, against 11% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 102.5, 21% above the U.S. rate of 84.5.
At $1,502 per household (17% above the U.S. average), households in San Diego County spend about $1.8B a year on medical and dental services. That works out to $147K per practice, 4% below the U.S. figure of $152K.
Official counts show 6,077 businesses with payroll classed as offices of physicians, dentists, chiropractors, optometrists and therapists, and urgent care centers in San Diego County in 2023, up 6.4% from 2019. That is one for every 193 households, against one for every 270 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 111 SBA-backed loans worth $88.7M have gone to businesses classed as offices of physicians, dentists, chiropractors, optometrists and therapists, and urgent care centers in San Diego County. Population estimates put the population change in San Diego County from 2020 to 2025 at −0.6%, against +3.1% for the U.S.
How San Diego County compares
The same measures for California and the whole U.S. Spending per listing divides a year of household spending on all medical and dental services by the medical and dental practices 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 | San Diego County | California | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 102.5 | 88.3 | 84.5 |
| Spending per listing | $147K | $166K | $152K |
| Households per official establishment | 193 | 199 | 270 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +6.4% | +2.6% | +1.5% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −0.6% | −0.4% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on medical and dental services | $1,502 | $1,464 | $1,288 |
| Median household income | $106,268 | $99,122 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 33 | 43 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 5,712 → 6,077+6.4% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 42,003
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $3.7B
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 3,703Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 12,001823 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 11,536The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 111
- Amount
- $88.7M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as offices of physicians, dentists, chiropractors, optometrists and therapists, and urgent care centers in San Diego 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 San Diego County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 3,282,248−0.6% since 2020
- Households
- 1,171,278
- Median age
- 38.9
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 55%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 4,211 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 781
- Median household income
- $106,268+34.6% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $141,250
- Median home value
- $854,700
- Jobs located here
- 1,516,991
- Daytime population
- 3,269,716Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in San Diego 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 medical and dental practices on map listings by name and distance.
Or open the report at the center of San Diego County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.
Free10 actions over 3 days, no cardDoctors, dentists and clinics across California
Every California market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in California for medical and dental practices, numbered among those based in California, with San Diego County marked.
Top counties in California
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Yuba County, CA | 85 | 67 | 23.4 | $531K | +8.2% | #33 of 2,394 |
| 2San Benito County, CA | 80 | 86 | 41.8 | $372K | +8.6% | #104 of 2,394 |
| 3Calaveras County, CA | 73 | 66 | 35.8 | $367K | +2.8% | #252 of 2,394 |
| 4Trinity County, CA | 69 | 11 | 19.7 | $566K | −2.3% | #358 of 2,394 |
| 5Colusa County, CA | 69 | 23 | 30.6 | $407K | −0.1% | #363 of 2,394 |
| 6Madera County, CA | 69 | 194 | 42.8 | $296K | +7.4% | #378 of 2,394 |
| 7Mariposa County, CA | 64 | 16 | 21.3 | $569K | −1.2% | #557 of 2,394 |
| 8Yolo County, CA | 64 | 411 | 53.6 | $261K | +3.1% | #584 of 2,394 |
| 9San Joaquin County, CA | 63 | 1,341 | 54.7 | $253K | +5.5% | #621 of 2,394 |
| 10Lassen County, CA | 61 | 28 | 30.3 | $383K | −13.1% | #688 of 2,394 |
| 45San Diego County, CA | 33 | 12,001 | 102.5 | $147K | −0.6% | #1,983 of 2,394 |
Other business types in San Diego 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
- Doctors, dentists and clinics33
- Dentists and orthodontists28
- Primary care and pediatrics50
- Urgent care and walk-in clinics49
- Chiropractors48
- Physical therapy51
- Optometrists and eye care52
Child care
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many medical and dental practices are in San Diego County, CA?
There are 12,001 medical and dental practices on map listings in San Diego County as of September 2026. 823 of them (7%) are chain locations. The listings count every outpatient clinic and practice, and urgent care. Official counts show 6,077 businesses with payroll classed as offices of physicians, dentists, chiropractors, optometrists and therapists, and urgent care centers in 2023, up 6.4% from 2019. Another 3,703 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in San Diego County, CA spend on medical and dental services?
About $1.8B a year, or $1,502 per household. That is 17% above the U.S. average (an index of 117, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 12,001 medical and dental practices on map listings, it comes to $147K per practice. It is estimated from the incomes of the 1,171,278 households in San Diego County and national spending patterns by income.
How does San Diego County, CA compare with the U.S. for medical and dental practices?
San Diego County has 102.5 medical and dental practices per 10,000 households, 21% above the U.S. rate of 84.5. Spending per practice is $147K, 4% below the U.S. figure of $152K. At the national ratio of medical and dental practices to household spending, San Diego County would have about 11,536, against 12,001 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 193 households, against one for every 270 across the U.S. The official count rose 6.4% from 2019 to 2023, against +1.5% for the U.S.
How fast is San Diego County, CA growing?
Population estimates put San Diego County at 3,282,248 people in 2025, down 0.6% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 1,171,278 households. Median household income in San Diego County is $106,268, 32% above the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 34.6%, 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. San Diego County scores 33 for medical and dental practices (lower middle), #1,983 of 2,394 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in San Diego County. It maps the medical and dental practices 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 medical and dental practices · All 56 business types in San Diego County
Screening a site or an acquisition in San Diego 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 San Diego 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.