Groundwork

Food and drink · County · California

Pizza places in San Mateo County, CA

The pizza places 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 59 out of 100: Upper middle

Ranked #668 of 2,090 scored counties
#17 of 53 scored counties in California

Listings
190
112 chain locations (59%)
Official establishments
633
All limited-service restaurants · +4.8% since 2019
Household spending a year
$1.5B
On food away from home · $5,708 a household
Spending per listing
$7.9M
56% above the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
7.2
10% below the U.S.
Population, 2025
743,568
−2.5% since 2020

See the pizza places around any address in San Mateo County

The site report maps the pizza places 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.

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Survey estimates 2020–2024 · population estimates 2025 · official business counts 2023 · map listings September 2026 · Data credits · How we measure

What this means

Map listings as of September 2026 show 190 pizza places in San Mateo County. Of those, 112 are chain locations, or 59%, against 58% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 7.2, 10% below the U.S. rate of 8.0.

Household spending on food away from home in San Mateo County comes to about $1.5B a year: $5,708 per household, 40% above the U.S. average. Spread across 190 pizza places, that is $7.9M per pizza place, 56% above the U.S. figure of $5.1M. That spending covers all food away from home, which pizza places share with other businesses in the trade.

In 2023, official counts showed 633 businesses with payroll in San Mateo County classed as limited-service restaurants, up 4.8% from 2019. That is one for every 418 households, against one for every 478 across the U.S. The official count takes in all limited-service restaurants, not only pizza places: fast food and sandwich shops are counted too. Official counts also show 102 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 26 SBA-backed loans worth $15M have gone to businesses classed as limited-service restaurants in San Mateo County.

Population estimates put the population change in San Mateo County from 2020 to 2025 at −2.5%, against +3.1% for the U.S. The Groundwork market score for pizza places in San Mateo County is 59 (upper middle), #668 of 2,090 scored counties and #17 of 53 scored counties in California.

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 food away from home by the pizza places counted, so it measures the demand for each competitor, not any business’s revenue. Households per establishment does the same with the official count.

Pizza in San Mateo County, CA compared with California and the U.S.
MeasureSan Mateo CountyCaliforniaU.S.
Listings per 10k households7.26.98.0
Spending per listing$7.9M$6.6M$5.1M
Households per official establishment (all limited-service restaurants)418392478
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023+4.8%+6.5%+6.1%
Population growth, 2020–2025−2.5%−0.4%+3.1%
Spending per household on food away from home$5,708$4,559$4,070
Median household income$158,855$99,122$80,734
Groundwork market score5955

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
604 → 633All limited-service restaurants · +4.8% over the period
Employees, 2023
9,987
Annual payroll, 2023
$310M
One-person businesses, 2023
102All limited-service restaurants with no payroll
Map listings, September 2026
190112 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
297The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here

SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022

Loans
26
Amount
$15M

SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as limited-service restaurants 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. These official figures cover all limited-service restaurants, not only pizza places.

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 pizza places 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.

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Pizza across California

Every California market ranked →

The highest-scoring counties in California for pizza places, numbered among those based in California, with San Mateo County marked.

Top counties in California

Counties in California ranked for pizza places by Groundwork market score
MarketScoreListingsPer 10k householdsSpending per listingPopulation growthU.S. rank
1Yuba County, CA84155.2$7.2M+8.2%#46 of 2,090
2San Benito County, CA82146.8$7.2M+8.6%#56 of 2,090
3Nevada County, CA74266.1$7.1M−0.4%#186 of 2,090
4Amador County, CA70148.7$4.7M+3.2%#320 of 2,090
5Contra Costa County, CA692666.4$8.1M+0.3%#327 of 2,090
6San Joaquin County, CA691596.5$6.6M+5.5%#334 of 2,090
7Napa County, CA68326.4$7.6M−3.3%#358 of 2,090
8Marin County, CA67626.0$9.2M−2.9%#384 of 2,090
9Riverside County, CA674766.1$7M+5.0%#387 of 2,090
10Solano County, CA661046.6$6.8M+0.6%#434 of 2,090
17San Mateo County, CA591907.2$7.9M−2.5%#668 of 2,090

Other business types in San Mateo County

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

Questions

How many pizza places are in San Mateo County, CA?

There are 190 pizza places on map listings in San Mateo County as of September 2026. 112 of them (59%) are chain locations. The listings count pizza restaurants. Official counts show 633 businesses with payroll classed as limited-service restaurants in 2023, up 4.8% from 2019. That count covers all limited-service restaurants (fast food and sandwich shops included), not only pizza places. Another 102 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.

How much do households in San Mateo County, CA spend on food away from home?

About $1.5B a year, or $5,708 per household. That is 40% above the U.S. average (an index of 140, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 190 pizza places on map listings, it comes to $7.9M per pizza place. The spending figure covers all food away from home, not only pizza places. 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 pizza places?

San Mateo County has 7.2 pizza places per 10,000 households, 10% below the U.S. rate of 8.0. Spending per pizza place is $7.9M, 56% above the U.S. figure of $5.1M. At the national ratio of pizza places to household spending, San Mateo County would have about 297, against 190 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 418 households, against one for every 478 across the U.S. The official count rose 4.8% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.1% for 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 59 for pizza places (upper middle), #668 of 2,090 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 pizza places 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 pizza places · 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.