Health care · Metro area · California
Medical and dental practices in the Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA metro area
The medical and dental practices in the Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA metro area, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other metro areas.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 32 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #335 of 387 scored metro areas
#24 of 25 scored metro areas based in California
- Listings
- 1,105
- 60 chain locations (5%)
- Official establishments
- 436
- −2.0% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $149.8M
- On medical and dental services · $1,546 a household
- Spending per listing
- $136K
- 11% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 114.0
- 35% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 258,852
- −4.7% since 2020
See the medical and dental practices around any address in the Santa Cruz-Watsonville metro area
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 the Santa Cruz-Watsonville metro area. 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 Santa Cruz-Watsonville metro area scores 32 (lower middle) on the Groundwork market score for medical and dental practices, ranking #335 of 387 scored metro areas and #24 of 25 scored metro areas based in California. That puts it in the bottom quarter of metro areas.
As of September 2026, map listings count 1,105 medical and dental practices in the Santa Cruz-Watsonville metro area. Of those, 60 are chain locations, or 5%, against 11% across the U.S. That comes to 114.0 for every 10,000 households, 35% above the U.S. rate of 84.5.
Households in the Santa Cruz-Watsonville metro area spend about $149.8M a year on medical and dental services, or $1,546 per household, 20% above the U.S. average. That is about $136K of household spending for each practice on map listings, 11% below the U.S. figure of $152K.
In 2023, official counts showed 436 businesses with payroll in the Santa Cruz-Watsonville metro area classed as offices of physicians, dentists, chiropractors, optometrists and therapists, and urgent care centers, down 2.0% from 2019. That is one for every 222 households, against one for every 270 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 12 SBA-backed loans worth $9.3M have gone to businesses classed as offices of physicians, dentists, chiropractors, optometrists and therapists, and urgent care centers in the Santa Cruz-Watsonville metro area. Between 2020 and 2025, the population of the Santa Cruz-Watsonville metro area declined 4.7%, against +3.1% for the U.S.
How the Santa Cruz-Watsonville metro area 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 | Santa Cruz-Watsonville metro area | California | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 114.0 | 88.3 | 84.5 |
| Spending per listing | $136K | $166K | $152K |
| Households per official establishment | 222 | 199 | 270 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | −2.0% | +2.6% | +1.5% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −4.7% | −0.4% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on medical and dental services | $1,546 | $1,464 | $1,288 |
| Median household income | $111,093 | $99,122 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 32 | 43 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 436−2.0% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 3,869
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $377.5M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 228Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 1,10560 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 983The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 12
- Amount
- $9.3M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as offices of physicians, dentists, chiropractors, optometrists and therapists, and urgent care centers in the Santa Cruz-Watsonville metro area, 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 the Santa Cruz-Watsonville metro area
- 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 the Santa Cruz-Watsonville metro area?
These figures cover the whole metro area. 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 the Santa Cruz-Watsonville metro area. 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 metro areas in California for medical and dental practices, numbered among those based in California, with the Santa Cruz-Watsonville metro area marked.
Top metro areas in California
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Stockton-Lodi, CA | 78 | 1,341 | 54.7 | $253K | +5.5% | #20 of 387 |
| 2Vallejo, CA | 76 | 841 | 53.4 | $271K | +0.6% | #28 of 387 |
| 3Yuba City, CA | 74 | 369 | 59.6 | $214K | +3.3% | #34 of 387 |
| 4Merced, CA | 73 | 383 | 44.5 | $264K | +5.1% | #37 of 387 |
| 5Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA | 68 | 6,153 | 69.8 | $205K | +3.2% | #63 of 387 |
| 6El Centro, CA | 63 | 266 | 53.6 | $208K | +1.1% | #90 of 387 |
| 7Bakersfield-Delano, CA | 62 | 1,798 | 63.1 | $194K | +2.3% | #100 of 387 |
| 8Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA | 60 | 10,360 | 71.4 | $191K | +3.5% | #110 of 387 |
| 9Visalia, CA | 59 | 781 | 54.5 | $224K | +2.4% | #115 of 387 |
| 10Santa Rosa-Petaluma, CA | 59 | 1,496 | 78.3 | $191K | −0.4% | #116 of 387 |
| 24Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA | 32 | 1,105 | 114.0 | $136K | −4.7% | #335 of 387 |
Other business types in the Santa Cruz-Watsonville metro area
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 clinics32
- Dentists and orthodontists34
- Primary care and pediatrics51
- Urgent care and walk-in clinics66
- Chiropractors27
- Physical therapy46
- Optometrists and eye care55
Child care
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many medical and dental practices are in the Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA metro area?
The Santa Cruz-Watsonville metro area has 1,105 medical and dental practices on map listings as of September 2026. 60 of them (5%) are chain locations. The listings count every outpatient clinic and practice, and urgent care. Official counts show 436 businesses with payroll classed as offices of physicians, dentists, chiropractors, optometrists and therapists, and urgent care centers in 2023, down 2.0% from 2019. Official counts also show 228 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in the Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA metro area spend on medical and dental services?
About $149.8M a year, or $1,546 per household. That is 20% above the U.S. average (an index of 120, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 1,105 medical and dental practices on map listings, it comes to $136K per practice. It is estimated from the incomes of the 96,898 households in the Santa Cruz-Watsonville metro area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA metro area compare with the U.S. for medical and dental practices?
The Santa Cruz-Watsonville metro area has 114.0 medical and dental practices per 10,000 households, 35% above the U.S. rate of 84.5. Spending per practice is $136K, 11% below the U.S. figure of $152K. At the national ratio of medical and dental practices to household spending, the Santa Cruz-Watsonville metro area would have about 983, against 1,105 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 222 households, against one for every 270 across the U.S. The official count fell 2.0% from 2019 to 2023, against +1.5% for the U.S.
How fast is the Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA metro area growing?
Population estimates put the Santa Cruz-Watsonville metro area at 258,852 people in 2025, down 4.7% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 96,898 households. Median household income in the Santa Cruz-Watsonville metro area is $111,093, 38% above the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 35.1%, 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. The Santa Cruz-Watsonville metro area scores 32 for medical and dental practices (lower middle), #335 of 387 scored metro areas.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in the Santa Cruz-Watsonville metro area. 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 the Santa Cruz-Watsonville metro area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Santa Cruz-Watsonville metro area?
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 the Santa Cruz-Watsonville metro area. 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.