Groundwork

Beauty and personal care · County · California

Spas and skin care studios in Santa Cruz County, CA

The spas and skin care studios in Santa Cruz County, CA, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 41 out of 100: Lower middle

Ranked #1,217 of 1,769 scored counties
#36 of 51 scored counties in California

Listings
133
4 chain locations (3%)
Official establishments
24
+14.3% since 2019
Household spending a year
$117.8M
On personal care products and services · $1,215 a household
Spending per listing
$885K
In line with the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
13.7
19% above the U.S.
Population, 2025
258,852
−4.7% since 2020

See the spas and skin care studios around any address in Santa Cruz 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 Cruz 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 Cruz County spend about $117.8M a year on personal care products and services, or $1,215 per household, 21% above the U.S. average. That works out to $885K per studio, 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 Cruz County has 133 spas and skin care studios on map listings as of September 2026. 4 of them (3%) are chain locations, against 10% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 13.7, 19% above the U.S. rate of 11.5.

Official counts show 24 businesses with payroll classed as other personal care services in Santa Cruz County in 2023, up 14.3% from 2019. That is one for every 4,037 households, against one for every 4,055 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 1 SBA-backed loan worth $292K has gone to businesses classed as other personal care services in Santa Cruz County.

Population estimates show Santa Cruz County declined 4.7% from 2020 to 2025, against +3.1% for the U.S. Santa Cruz County scores 41 (lower middle) on the Groundwork market score for spas and skin care studios, ranking #1,217 of 1,769 scored counties and #36 of 51 scored counties in California.

How Santa Cruz 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 Cruz County, CA compared with California and the U.S.
MeasureSanta Cruz CountyCaliforniaU.S.
Listings per 10k households13.713.711.5
Spending per listing$885K$839K$876K
Households per official establishment4,0373,4904,055
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023+14.3%+37.6%+29.8%
Population growth, 2020–2025−4.7%−0.4%+3.1%
Spending per household on personal care products and services$1,215$1,149$1,005
Median household income$111,093$99,122$80,734
Groundwork market score4137

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
21 → 24+14.3% over the period
Employees, 2023
203
Annual payroll, 2023
$5.5M
One-person businesses, 2023
Not publishedNot published for this business type
Map listings, September 2026
1334 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
134The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here

SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022

Loans
1
Amount
$292K

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

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 Santa Cruz 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 Cruz 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 Cruz 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
36Santa Cruz County, CA4113313.7$885K−4.7%#1,217 of 1,769

Other business types in Santa Cruz 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 Cruz County, CA?

Map listings as of September 2026 show 133 spas and skin care studios in Santa Cruz County. 4 of them (3%) are chain locations. The listings count spas, skin care, waxing, lash and tanning studios. Official counts show 24 businesses with payroll classed as other personal care services in 2023, up 14.3% from 2019.

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

About $117.8M a year, or $1,215 per household. That is 21% above the U.S. average (an index of 121, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 133 spas and skin care studios on map listings, it comes to $885K 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 96,898 households in Santa Cruz County and national spending patterns by income.

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

Santa Cruz County has 13.7 spas and skin care studios per 10,000 households, 19% above the U.S. rate of 11.5. Spending per studio is $885K, in line with the U.S. figure of $876K. At the U.S. ratio of spas and skin care studios to household spending, Santa Cruz County would have about 134, against 133 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 4,037 households, against one for every 4,055 across the U.S. The official count rose 14.3% from 2019 to 2023, against +29.8% for the U.S.

How fast is Santa Cruz County, CA growing?

Population estimates put Santa Cruz County at 258,852 people in 2025, down 4.7% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 96,898 households. The median household income in Santa Cruz County is $111,093 a year, 38% above the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 35.1% 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 Cruz County scores 41 for spas and skin care studios (lower middle), #1,217 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 Cruz 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 Cruz County

Screening a site or an acquisition in Santa Cruz 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 Cruz 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.