NAICS 488410

Towing & Roadside Assistance in Modesto, CA

The 1 ZIP codes assigned to Modesto contained 5 Towing establishments in 2023.

Establishments (2023)
5
1 ZIP codes
10 or more employees
n/a
Practical financing floor
Share of county
22%
Stanislaus County
City population
219,652
2025 estimate

Figures cover the ZIP codes the U.S. Postal Service assigns to Modesto (95351). 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 Modesto'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
1-45100.0%

How this market compares

Modesto 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.

Above average0.09% of local businesses, against 0.07% statewide

A larger slice of the local business base than the statewide share. Usually a sign of genuine local demand rather than oversupply.

Vs state share
+33%
Share of local businesses
Rank by count
#45
of 113 cities
Rank by share
#96
of 107 ranked
Since 2021
+67%
Change in establishments

This compares how much of Modesto’s business base is towing & roadside assistance, against the California figure. Base: 5,412 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

Modesto 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 establishmentsModestoCaliforniaDifference
Under 5 employeesOwner-operated, often no management layer100.0%31.0%+69.0%
5 to 49 employeesThe range most individual buyers target0.0%5.8%-5.8%
10 or more employeesPractical floor for acquisition financing0.0%1.8%-1.8%

Nearest comparable markets

The closest places to Modesto that also have Towing 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
Ceres5+968%
Turlock3+141%
Tracy5+193%
Stockton12+188%
Los Banos4+894%

The wider Stanislaus County market

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

County establishments (2023)
23
Stanislaus County
County employees
107
Mid-March employment
County annual payroll
$4.5M
All establishments
Full Towing data for Stanislaus County

What acquirers look at

Municipal rotation contracts and impound-lot real estate are the durable value. Highly fragmented with almost no institutional buyer competition.

Other industries in Modesto

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.