NAICS 541310

Architectural Services in Petaluma, CA

The 1 ZIP codes assigned to Petaluma contained 7 Architecture establishments in 2023.

Establishments (2023)
7
1 ZIP codes
10 or more employees
n/a
Practical financing floor
Share of county
11%
Sonoma County
City population
59,688
2025 estimate

Figures cover the ZIP codes the U.S. Postal Service assigns to Petaluma (94952). 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 Petaluma'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
1-4685.7%

How this market compares

Petaluma 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.

Typical0.29% of local businesses, against 0.32% statewide

About the same slice of the local business base as the industry holds statewide.

Vs state share
-9%
Share of local businesses
Rank by count
#86
of 160 cities
Rank by share
#101
of 157 ranked
Since 2020
+17%
Change in establishments

This compares how much of Petaluma’s business base is architectural services, against the California figure. Base: 2,420 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

Petaluma 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 establishmentsPetalumaCaliforniaDifference
Under 5 employeesOwner-operated, often no management layer85.7%60.1%+25.6%
5 to 49 employeesThe range most individual buyers target0.0%17.7%-17.7%
10 or more employeesPractical floor for acquisition financing0.0%9.2%-9.2%

Nearest comparable markets

The closest places to Petaluma that also have Architecture 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
Rohnert Park3+3%
Sonoma12+209%
Santa Rosa25+28%
Sebastopol8+155%
Napa12+22%

The wider Sonoma County market

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

County establishments (2023)
66
Sonoma County
County employees
291
Mid-March employment
County annual payroll
$29M
All establishments
Full Architecture data for Sonoma County

What acquirers look at

Reputation and principal relationships rarely survive an owner exit. Firms with public-sector master service agreements are the exception worth pursuing.

Other industries in Petaluma

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.