Groundwork

Auto · County · California

Oil change and quick-lube shops in San Mateo County, CA

The oil change and quick-lube shops in San Mateo County, CA, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 71 out of 100: Upper middle

Ranked #54 of 479 scored counties
#9 of 31 scored counties in California

Listings
14
12 chain locations (86%)
Official establishments
15
Businesses with payroll, 2023
Household spending a year
$317.5M
On vehicle maintenance and repairs · $1,201 a household
Spending per listing
$22.7M
65% above the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
0.5
29% below the U.S.
Population, 2025
743,568
−2.5% since 2020

See the oil change and quick-lube shops around any address in San Mateo County

The site report maps the oil change and quick-lube shops 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 Mateo County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

Free10 actions over 3 days, no card

Survey 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 14 oil change and quick-lube shops in San Mateo County. Of those, 12 are chain locations, or 86%, against 73% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 0.5, 29% below the U.S. rate of 0.7.

At $1,201 per household (25% above the U.S. average), households in San Mateo County spend about $317.5M a year on vehicle maintenance and repairs. That is about $22.7M of household spending for each shop on map listings, 65% above the U.S. figure of $13.7M. That spending covers all vehicle maintenance and repairs, which oil change and quick-lube shops share with other businesses in the trade.

The official count of businesses with payroll classed as oil change and lubrication shops in San Mateo County was 15 in 2023. That is one for every 17,628 households, against one for every 14,222 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 1 SBA-backed loan worth $150K has gone to businesses classed as oil change and lubrication shops in San Mateo County.

Between 2020 and 2025, the population of San Mateo County declined 2.5%, against +3.1% for the U.S. For oil change and quick-lube shops, San Mateo County has a Groundwork market score of 71 (upper middle): #54 of 479 scored counties and #9 of 31 scored counties in California. That puts it in the top quarter of counties.

How San Mateo County compares

The same measures for California and the whole U.S. Spending per listing divides a year of household spending on all vehicle maintenance and repairs by the oil change and quick-lube shops counted, so it measures the demand for each competitor, not any business’s revenue. Households per establishment does the same with the official count.

Oil change and quick lube in San Mateo County, CA compared with California and the U.S.
MeasureSan Mateo CountyCaliforniaU.S.
Listings per 10k households0.50.60.7
Spending per listing$22.7M$20M$13.7M
Households per official establishment17,62816,68514,222
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023n/a+17.0%+12.1%
Population growth, 2020–2025−2.5%−0.4%+3.1%
Spending per household on vehicle maintenance and repairs$1,201$1,122$958
Median household income$158,855$99,122$80,734
Groundwork market score7161

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
17 → 15
Employees, 2023
109
Annual payroll, 2023
$4.4M
One-person businesses, 2023
Not publishedNot published for this business type
Map listings, September 2026
1412 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
23The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here

SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022

Loans
1
Amount
$150K

SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as oil change and lubrication shops in San Mateo 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 Mateo County

Population, 2025 estimate
743,568−2.5% since 2020
Households
264,419
Median age
41.8
Homes lived in by their owners
58%
Vehicles per household
1.9
Land area
449 sq. mi.
People per square mile
1,655
Median household income
$158,855+29.5% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$231,822
Median home value
$1,559,600
Jobs located here
425,111
Daytime population
795,447Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in San Mateo 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 oil change and quick-lube shops on map listings by name and distance.

Or open the report at the center of San Mateo County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

Free10 actions over 3 days, no card

Oil change and quick lube across California

Every California market ranked →

The highest-scoring counties in California for oil change and quick-lube shops, numbered among those based in California, with San Mateo County marked.

Top counties in California

Counties in California ranked for oil change and quick-lube shops by Groundwork market score
MarketScoreListingsPer 10k householdsSpending per listingPopulation growthU.S. rank
1Placer County, CA9190.6$21.2M+8.9%#1 of 479
2Merced County, CA7850.6$19.1M+5.1%#18 of 479
3San Joaquin County, CA78160.7$18.7M+5.5%#19 of 479
4Riverside County, CA76520.7$18.5M+5.0%#28 of 479
5Santa Barbara County, CA7550.3$34.4M−1.4%#31 of 479
6Santa Clara County, CA75280.4$28.4M−0.9%#32 of 479
7Monterey County, CA7260.5$26.8M−1.5%#45 of 479
8El Dorado County, CA7260.8$16.3M+0.6%#50 of 479
9San Mateo County, CA71140.5$22.7M−2.5%#54 of 479
10Sonoma County, CA71100.5$22.6M−0.4%#55 of 479

Other business types in San Mateo County

Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.

Questions

How many oil change and quick-lube shops are in San Mateo County, CA?

San Mateo County has 14 oil change and quick-lube shops on map listings as of September 2026. 12 of them (86%) are chain locations. The listings count oil change and quick-lube shops. Official counts show 15 businesses with payroll classed as oil change and lubrication shops in 2023.

How much do households in San Mateo County, CA spend on vehicle maintenance and repairs?

About $317.5M a year, or $1,201 per household. That is 25% above the U.S. average (an index of 125, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 14 oil change and quick-lube shops on map listings, it comes to $22.7M per shop. The spending figure covers all vehicle maintenance and repairs, not only oil change and quick-lube shops. It is estimated from the incomes of the 264,419 households in San Mateo County and national spending patterns by income.

How does San Mateo County, CA compare with the U.S. for oil change and quick-lube shops?

San Mateo County has 0.5 oil change and quick-lube shops per 10,000 households, 29% below the U.S. rate of 0.7. Spending per shop is $22.7M, 65% above the U.S. figure of $13.7M. At the national ratio of oil change and quick-lube shops to household spending, San Mateo County would have about 23, against 14 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 17,628 households, against one for every 14,222 across the U.S.

How fast is San Mateo County, CA growing?

Population estimates put San Mateo County at 743,568 people in 2025, down 2.5% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 264,419 households. The median household income in San Mateo County is $158,855 a year, 97% above the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 29.5% 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. San Mateo County scores 71 for oil change and quick-lube shops (upper middle), #54 of 479 scored counties.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

Run a Groundwork site report on an address in San Mateo County. It maps the oil change and quick-lube shops 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 oil change and quick-lube shops · All 56 business types in San Mateo County

Screening a site or an acquisition in San Mateo 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 Mateo 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.