NAICS 541940

Veterinary Clinics in El Cerrito, CA

The 1 ZIP codes assigned to El Cerrito contained 5 Veterinary establishments in 2023, of which 3 employed 10 or more people.

Establishments (2023)
5
1 ZIP codes
10 or more employees
3
Practical financing floor
Share of county
4%
Contra Costa County
City population
26,121
2025 estimate

Figures cover the ZIP codes the U.S. Postal Service assigns to El Cerrito (94530). ZIP areas are not municipal boundaries: they can extend beyond city limits and are shared between neighbouring places. This is a count of establishments in El Cerrito's ZIP codes, not a count of businesses inside its city limits.

Establishments by size

Employee-count distribution. For most buyers the businesses worth pursuing sit in the 5 to 49 range: large enough to have a manager and real systems, small enough to be owner-operated.

EmployeesEstablishmentsShareDistribution
10-19360.0%

How this market compares

El Cerrito against every other city in California on the same measure. City figures cover the ZIP codes assigned to the place rather than its municipal boundary, so they are compared as a share of the businesses in those same ZIP codes rather than per resident. Cities with fewer than 500 businesses in total are left unranked.

Densely served0.84% of local businesses, against 0.27% statewide

This industry takes up a far larger slice of the local business base than it does statewide. A crowded market: expect established competitors and price pressure, but also a deeper pool of businesses to buy.

Vs state share
+210%
Share of local businesses
Rank by count
#150
of 256 cities
Rank by share
#14
of 231 ranked
Since 2020
0%
Change in establishments

This compares how much of El Cerrito’s business base is veterinary clinics, against the California figure. Base: 594 establishments across all industries in the same ZIP codes, 2023. It does not measure revenue, profitability or whether a market is worth entering.

Business size mix

El Cerrito is more consolidated than California as a whole: fewer micro-operators and a larger share of businesses with real headcount. Fewer targets, but the ones that exist are more likely to be financeable.

Share of establishmentsEl CerritoCaliforniaDifference
Under 5 employeesOwner-operated, often no management layer0.0%14.2%-14.2%
5 to 49 employeesThe range most individual buyers target60.0%24.7%+35.3%
10 or more employeesPractical floor for acquisition financing60.0%19.9%+40.1%

Nearest comparable markets

The closest places to El Cerrito that also have Veterinary establishments on record. Useful for spotting a gap next door, or realising the market you are looking at is already served from the town over.

MarketEstablishmentsVs state share
Berkeley7-40%
Pinole3n/a
Hercules5n/a
Lafayette4+38%
Moraga3n/a

The wider Contra Costa County market

Employment and payroll are reported at county level only, so the figures below describe the county El Cerrito sits in.

County establishments (2023)
114
Contra Costa County
County employees
1,811
Mid-March employment
County annual payroll
$125M
All establishments
Full Veterinary data for Contra Costa County

What acquirers look at

Consolidator demand has pushed multiples well above the rest of small-business healthcare. Independent single-doctor clinics remain the last un-rolled segment.

Other industries in El Cerrito

Nearby cities

Sources

  1. U.S. Census Bureau, 2023 ZIP Code Business Patterns. Establishment counts and size distribution by ZIP code and NAICS, aggregated over the ZIP codes assigned to each city. Retrieved 2026-09-08.
  2. U.S. Census Bureau, 2023 County Business Patterns. Establishment counts, employment and annual payroll by NAICS. Retrieved 2026-09-08.
  3. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (2026Q1). Quarterly establishment counts and employment for employers covered by unemployment insurance. Retrieved 2026-09-08.