Groundwork

Beauty and personal care · County · California

Spas and skin care studios in Santa Barbara County, CA

How Santa Barbara County, CA compares with other counties and the U.S. for spas and skin care studios: competitors, household spending, official counts and growth.

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 39 out of 100: Lower middle

Ranked #1,285 of 1,769 scored counties
#41 of 51 scored counties in California

Listings
198
19 chain locations (10%)
Official establishments
43
+16.2% since 2019
Household spending a year
$170.9M
On personal care products and services · $1,142 a household
Spending per listing
$863K
In line with the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
13.2
15% above the U.S.
Population, 2025
442,065
−1.4% since 2020

See the spas and skin care studios around any address in Santa Barbara County

The site report maps the spas and skin care studios 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 Santa Barbara 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

Households in Santa Barbara County spend about $170.9M a year on personal care products and services, or $1,142 per household, 14% above the U.S. average. That is about $863K of household spending for each studio on map listings, in line with the U.S. figure of $876K. The spending figure covers all personal care products and services, not only spas and skin care studios.

Santa Barbara County has 198 spas and skin care studios on map listings as of September 2026. Chain locations make up 10% of them, against 10% across the U.S. That is 13.2 per 10,000 households, 15% above the U.S. rate of 11.5.

The official count of businesses with payroll classed as other personal care services in Santa Barbara County was 43 in 2023, up 16.2% from 2019. That is one for every 3,479 households, against one for every 4,055 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 1 SBA-backed loan worth $50K has gone to businesses classed as other personal care services in Santa Barbara County.

Population estimates show Santa Barbara County declined 1.4% from 2020 to 2025, against +3.1% for the U.S. Santa Barbara County scores 39 (lower middle) on the Groundwork market score for spas and skin care studios, ranking #1,285 of 1,769 scored counties and #41 of 51 scored counties in California.

How Santa Barbara County compares

The same measures for California and the whole U.S. Spending per listing divides a year of household spending on all personal care products and services by the spas and skin care studios counted, so it measures the demand for each competitor, not any business’s revenue. Households per establishment does the same with the official count.

Spas and skin care in Santa Barbara County, CA compared with California and the U.S.
MeasureSanta Barbara CountyCaliforniaU.S.
Listings per 10k households13.213.711.5
Spending per listing$863K$839K$876K
Households per official establishment3,4793,4904,055
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023+16.2%+37.6%+29.8%
Population growth, 2020–2025−1.4%−0.4%+3.1%
Spending per household on personal care products and services$1,142$1,149$1,005
Median household income$98,161$99,122$80,734
Groundwork market score3937

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
37 → 43+16.2% over the period
Employees, 2023
152
Annual payroll, 2023
$3.9M
One-person businesses, 2023
Not publishedNot published for this business type
Map listings, September 2026
19819 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
195The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here

SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022

Loans
1
Amount
$50K

SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as other personal care services in Santa Barbara 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 Santa Barbara County

Population, 2025 estimate
442,065−1.4% since 2020
Households
149,608
Median age
37.4
Homes lived in by their owners
52%
Vehicles per household
2.0
Land area
2,734 sq. mi.
People per square mile
162
Median household income
$98,161+31.5% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$140,895
Median home value
$790,700
Jobs located here
193,212
Daytime population
452,081Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in Santa Barbara 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 spas and skin care studios on map listings by name and distance.

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

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Spas and skin care across California

Every California market ranked →

The highest-scoring counties in California for spas and skin care studios, numbered among those based in California, with Santa Barbara County marked.

Top counties in California

Counties in California ranked for spas and skin care studios by Groundwork market score
MarketScoreListingsPer 10k householdsSpending per listingPopulation growthU.S. rank
1Madera County, CA86275.9$1.7M+7.4%#30 of 1,769
2San Benito County, CA84188.8$1.4M+8.6%#41 of 1,769
3Merced County, CA83374.3$2.1M+5.1%#42 of 1,769
4Yolo County, CA76526.8$1.6M+3.1%#109 of 1,769
5Tulare County, CA74916.4$1.5M+2.4%#143 of 1,769
6San Joaquin County, CA742168.8$1.2M+5.5%#148 of 1,769
7Imperial County, CA70234.6$1.9M+1.1%#210 of 1,769
8Kern County, CA702177.6$1.2M+2.3%#231 of 1,769
9El Dorado County, CA67739.6$1.3M+0.6%#308 of 1,769
10Amador County, CA67148.7$1.2M+3.2%#310 of 1,769
41Santa Barbara County, CA3919813.2$863K−1.4%#1,285 of 1,769

Other business types in Santa Barbara County

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

Questions

How many spas and skin care studios are in Santa Barbara County, CA?

Map listings as of September 2026 show 198 spas and skin care studios in Santa Barbara County. 19 of them (10%) are chain locations. The listings count spas, skin care, waxing, lash and tanning studios. Official counts show 43 businesses with payroll classed as other personal care services in 2023, up 16.2% from 2019.

How much do households in Santa Barbara County, CA spend on personal care products and services?

About $170.9M a year, or $1,142 per household. That is 14% above the U.S. average (an index of 114, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 198 spas and skin care studios on map listings, it comes to $863K per studio. That spending covers all personal care products and services, which spas and skin care studios share with other businesses in the trade. It is estimated from the incomes of the 149,608 households in Santa Barbara County and national spending patterns by income.

How does Santa Barbara County, CA compare with the U.S. for spas and skin care studios?

Santa Barbara County has 13.2 spas and skin care studios per 10,000 households, 15% above the U.S. rate of 11.5. Spending per studio is $863K, in line with the U.S. figure of $876K. At the U.S. ratio of spas and skin care studios to household spending, Santa Barbara County would have about 195, against 198 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 3,479 households, against one for every 4,055 across the U.S. The official count rose 16.2% from 2019 to 2023, against +29.8% for the U.S.

How fast is Santa Barbara County, CA growing?

Population estimates put Santa Barbara County at 442,065 people in 2025, down 1.4% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 149,608 households. The median household income in Santa Barbara County is $98,161 a year, 22% above the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 31.5% 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. Santa Barbara County scores 39 for spas and skin care studios (lower middle), #1,285 of 1,769 scored counties.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Santa Barbara County. It maps the spas and skin care studios 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 spas and skin care studios · All 56 business types in Santa Barbara County

Screening a site or an acquisition in Santa Barbara 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 Santa Barbara 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.