NAICS 541513, 541512
IT Managed Service Providers in Los Altos, CA
The 2 ZIP codes assigned to Los Altos contained 31 IT & MSP establishments in 2023.
- Establishments (2023)
- 31
- 2 ZIP codes
- 10 or more employees
- n/a
- Practical financing floor
- Share of county
- 3%
- Santa Clara County
- City population
- 30,965
- 2025 estimate
Figures cover the ZIP codes the U.S. Postal Service assigns to Los Altos (94022, 94024). 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 Los Altos' 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.
| Employees | Establishments | Share | Distribution |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1-4 | 25 | 80.6% | |
| 5-9 | 3 | 9.7% |
How this market compares
Los Altos 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.
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
- +219%
- Share of local businesses
- Rank by count
- #51
- of 243 cities
- Rank by share
- #14
- of 230 ranked
- Since 2020
- -21%
- Change in establishments
This compares how much of Los Altos’s business base is it managed service providers, against the California figure. Base: 1,363 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
Los Altos is more fragmented than California as a whole: a larger share of very small operators. Fragmented markets are where roll-ups are assembled, and where an owner nearing retirement has no obvious internal buyer.
| Share of establishments | Los Altos | California | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 5 employeesOwner-operated, often no management layer | 80.6% | 75.6% | +5.1% |
| 5 to 49 employeesThe range most individual buyers target | 9.7% | 7.5% | +2.1% |
| 10 or more employeesPractical floor for acquisition financing | 0.0% | 3.6% | -3.6% |
Nearest comparable markets
The closest places to Los Altos that also have IT & MSP 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.
| Market | Establishments | Vs state share |
|---|---|---|
| Mountain View | 56 | +164% |
| Palo Alto | 77 | +181% |
| Sunnyvale | 91 | +278% |
| Cupertino | 65 | +461% |
| Santa Clara | 148 | +353% |
The wider Santa Clara County market
Employment and payroll are reported at county level only, so the figures below describe the county Los Altos sits in.
- County establishments (2023)
- 946
- Santa Clara County
- County employees
- 27,436
- Mid-March employment
- County annual payroll
- $7.6B
- All establishments
What acquirers look at
Contracted monthly recurring revenue per seat is the model that trades well; break-fix and project revenue is not. Client concentration and tech debt drive most valuation adjustments.
Other industries in Los Altos
Nearby cities
Sources
- 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.
- U.S. Census Bureau, 2023 County Business Patterns. Establishment counts, employment and annual payroll by NAICS. Retrieved 2026-09-08.
- 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.