Real estate · County · California
Real estate businesses in San Diego County, CA
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for real estate businesses in San Diego County, CA, set against other counties and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 28 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #2,129 of 2,229 scored counties
#50 of 55 scored counties in California
- Listings
- 7,202
- 335 chain locations (5%)
- Official establishments
- 5,736
- +13.4% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $23.9B
- On rent and homeowner costs · $20,407 a household
- Housing spending per listing (U.S. = 100)
- 77
- 23% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 61.5
- 60% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 3,282,248
- −0.6% since 2020
See the real estate businesses around any address in San Diego County
The site report maps the real estate businesses 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
San Diego County scores 28 (lower middle) on the Groundwork market score for real estate businesses, ranking #2,129 of 2,229 scored counties and #50 of 55 scored counties in California. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.
Household spending on rent and homeowner costs in San Diego County comes to about $23.9B a year: $20,407 per household, 22% above the U.S. average. Housing spending per office is 23% below the U.S. figure. The spending figure is all rent and homeowner costs, a measure of housing demand, not money real estate businesses take in.
There are 7,202 real estate businesses on map listings in San Diego County as of September 2026. Chain locations make up 5% of them, against 6% across the U.S. That is 61.5 per 10,000 households, 60% above the U.S. rate of 38.5.
Official counts show 5,736 businesses with payroll classed as real estate agents, property managers, mortgage lenders and inspectors in San Diego County in 2023, up 13.4% from 2019. That is one for every 204 households, against one for every 414 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 76 SBA-backed loans worth $35M have gone to businesses classed as real estate agents, property managers, mortgage lenders and inspectors 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. Housing spending per listing divides all rent and homeowner costs by the listings counted: a measure of housing demand for each business, not money any of them take in, so it is shown against the U.S. (100) only. Households per establishment divides households by the official count.
| Measure | San Diego County | California | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 61.5 | 49.0 | 38.5 |
| Housing spending per listing (U.S. = 100) | 77 | 94 | 100 |
| Households per official establishment | 204 | 293 | 414 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +13.4% | +13.8% | +15.8% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −0.6% | −0.4% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on rent and homeowner costs | $20,407 | $19,977 | $16,661 |
| Median household income | $106,268 | $99,122 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 28 | 32 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 5,057 → 5,736+13.4% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 25,066
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $2B
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 18,702Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 7,202335 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 5,518The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 76
- Amount
- $35M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as real estate agents, property managers, mortgage lenders and inspectors 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 real estate businesses 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 cardReal estate across California
Every California market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in California for real estate businesses, numbered among those based in California, with San Diego County marked.
Top counties in California
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Housing spending per listing (U.S. = 100) | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Yuba County, CA | 85 | 32 | 11.2 | 359 | +8.2% | #7 of 2,229 |
| 2Inyo County, CA | 72 | 12 | 14.9 | 270 | −4.4% | #162 of 2,229 |
| 3Colusa County, CA | 67 | 10 | 13.3 | 301 | −0.1% | #292 of 2,229 |
| 4Merced County, CA | 64 | 210 | 24.4 | 157 | +5.1% | #424 of 2,229 |
| 5Trinity County, CA | 63 | 10 | 17.9 | 203 | −2.3% | #455 of 2,229 |
| 6Kings County, CA | 61 | 85 | 19.3 | 203 | +1.0% | #540 of 2,229 |
| 7Glenn County, CA | 59 | 17 | 17.3 | 219 | −2.6% | #610 of 2,229 |
| 8Tulare County, CA | 56 | 347 | 24.2 | 163 | +2.4% | #775 of 2,229 |
| 9Madera County, CA | 56 | 132 | 29.1 | 140 | +7.4% | #787 of 2,229 |
| 10San Joaquin County, CA | 54 | 868 | 35.4 | 124 | +5.5% | #882 of 2,229 |
| 50San Diego County, CA | 28 | 7,202 | 61.5 | 77 | −0.6% | #2,129 of 2,229 |
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
Child care
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many real estate businesses are in San Diego County, CA?
As of September 2026, map listings count 7,202 real estate businesses in San Diego County. 335 of them (5%) are chain locations. The listings count real estate agents and brokers, property managers, mortgage brokers and lenders, and home inspectors. Official counts show 5,736 businesses with payroll classed as real estate agents, property managers, mortgage lenders and inspectors in 2023, up 13.4% from 2019. Another 18,702 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in San Diego County, CA spend on rent and homeowner costs?
About $23.9B a year, or $20,407 per household. That is 22% above the U.S. average (an index of 122, where 100 is the U.S. average). For the 7,202 real estate businesses on map listings, housing spending per office is 23% below the U.S. figure. That figure is all rent and homeowner costs, used as a measure of housing demand; it is not money real estate businesses take in. 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 real estate businesses?
San Diego County has 61.5 real estate businesses per 10,000 households, 60% above the U.S. rate of 38.5. The index of housing spending per office is 77, where 100 is the U.S. At the U.S. ratio of real estate businesses to household spending, San Diego County would have about 5,518, against 7,202 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 204 households, against one for every 414 across the U.S. The official count rose 13.4% from 2019 to 2023, against +15.8% 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 28 for real estate businesses (lower middle), #2,129 of 2,229 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 real estate businesses 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 real estate businesses · 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.