Health care · County · California
Medical and dental practices in San Luis Obispo County, CA
How San Luis Obispo County, CA compares with other counties and the U.S. for medical and dental practices: competitors, household spending, official counts and growth.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 34 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,932 of 2,394 scored counties
#44 of 55 scored counties in California
- Listings
- 1,030
- 79 chain locations (8%)
- Official establishments
- 628
- +5.7% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $156.6M
- On medical and dental services · $1,430 a household
- Spending per listing
- $152K
- In line with the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 94.1
- 11% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 282,367
- 0.0% since 2020
See the medical and dental practices around any address in San Luis Obispo 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 Luis Obispo 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 medical and dental practices, San Luis Obispo County has a Groundwork market score of 34 (lower middle): #1,932 of 2,394 scored counties and #44 of 55 scored counties in California. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.
As of September 2026, map listings count 1,030 medical and dental practices in San Luis Obispo County. Chain locations make up 8% of them, against 11% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 94.1, 11% above the U.S. rate of 84.5.
Household spending on medical and dental services in San Luis Obispo County comes to about $156.6M a year: $1,430 per household, 11% above the U.S. average. That works out to $152K per practice, in line with the U.S. figure of $152K.
Official counts show 628 businesses with payroll classed as offices of physicians, dentists, chiropractors, optometrists and therapists, and urgent care centers in San Luis Obispo County in 2023, up 5.7% from 2019. That is one for every 174 households, against one for every 270 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 14 SBA-backed loans worth $15.5M have gone to businesses classed as offices of physicians, dentists, chiropractors, optometrists and therapists, and urgent care centers in San Luis Obispo County. Population estimates put the population change in San Luis Obispo County from 2020 to 2025 at 0.0%, against +3.1% for the U.S.
How San Luis Obispo 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 Luis Obispo County | California | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 94.1 | 88.3 | 84.5 |
| Spending per listing | $152K | $166K | $152K |
| Households per official establishment | 174 | 199 | 270 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +5.7% | +2.6% | +1.5% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | 0.0% | −0.4% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on medical and dental services | $1,430 | $1,464 | $1,288 |
| Median household income | $97,446 | $99,122 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 34 | 43 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 594 → 628+5.7% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 3,793
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $301.9M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 313Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 1,03079 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 1,027The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 14
- Amount
- $15.5M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as offices of physicians, dentists, chiropractors, optometrists and therapists, and urgent care centers in San Luis Obispo 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 Luis Obispo County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 282,3670.0% since 2020
- Households
- 109,503
- Median age
- 42.3
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 62%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.1
- Land area
- 3,301 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 85
- Median household income
- $97,446+32.6% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $132,001
- Median home value
- $824,700
- Jobs located here
- 112,621
- Daytime population
- 276,085Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in San Luis Obispo 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 Luis Obispo 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 Luis Obispo 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 |
| 44San Luis Obispo County, CA | 34 | 1,030 | 94.1 | $152K | 0.0% | #1,932 of 2,394 |
Other business types in San Luis Obispo 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 clinics34
- Dentists and orthodontists31
- Primary care and pediatrics50
- Urgent care and walk-in clinics
- Chiropractors38
- Physical therapy53
- Optometrists and eye care42
Child care
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many medical and dental practices are in San Luis Obispo County, CA?
San Luis Obispo County has 1,030 medical and dental practices on map listings as of September 2026. 79 of them (8%) are chain locations. The listings count every outpatient clinic and practice, and urgent care. Official counts show 628 businesses with payroll classed as offices of physicians, dentists, chiropractors, optometrists and therapists, and urgent care centers in 2023, up 5.7% from 2019. Official counts list 313 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in San Luis Obispo County, CA spend on medical and dental services?
About $156.6M a year, or $1,430 per household. That is 11% above the U.S. average (an index of 111, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 1,030 medical and dental practices on map listings, it comes to $152K per practice. It is estimated from the incomes of the 109,503 households in San Luis Obispo County and national spending patterns by income.
How does San Luis Obispo County, CA compare with the U.S. for medical and dental practices?
San Luis Obispo County has 94.1 medical and dental practices per 10,000 households, 11% above the U.S. rate of 84.5. Spending per practice is $152K, in line with the U.S. figure of $152K. At the national ratio of medical and dental practices to household spending, San Luis Obispo County would have about 1,027, against 1,030 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 174 households, against one for every 270 across the U.S. The official count rose 5.7% from 2019 to 2023, against +1.5% for the U.S.
How fast is San Luis Obispo County, CA growing?
Population estimates put San Luis Obispo County at 282,367 people in 2025, unchanged since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 109,503 households. Median household income in San Luis Obispo County is $97,446, 21% above the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 32.6%, 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 Luis Obispo County scores 34 for medical and dental practices (lower middle), #1,932 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 Luis Obispo 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 Luis Obispo County
Screening a site or an acquisition in San Luis Obispo 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 Luis Obispo 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.