NAICS 561612

Security Guard & Patrol Services in Riverside, CA

The 5 ZIP codes assigned to Riverside contained 30 Security Services establishments in 2023, of which 7 employed 10 or more people.

Establishments (2023)
30
5 ZIP codes
10 or more employees
7
Practical financing floor
Share of county
22%
Riverside County
City population
323,057
2025 estimate

Figures cover the ZIP codes the U.S. Postal Service assigns to Riverside (92503, 92504, 92505, 92506, 92507). 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 Riverside'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
1-4310.0%
10-19310.0%
20-49413.3%

How this market compares

Riverside 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 served0.38% of local businesses, against 0.15% 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
+151%
Share of local businesses
Rank by count
#8
of 128 cities
Rank by share
#24
of 126 ranked
Since 2020
+25%
Change in establishments

This compares how much of Riverside’s business base is security guard & patrol services, against the California figure. Base: 7,958 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

Riverside tracks the California size distribution closely.

Share of establishmentsRiversideCaliforniaDifference
Under 5 employeesOwner-operated, often no management layer10.0%9.6%+0.4%
5 to 49 employeesThe range most individual buyers target23.3%12.6%+10.7%
10 or more employeesPractical floor for acquisition financing23.3%17.2%+6.2%

Nearest comparable markets

The closest places to Riverside that also have Security Services 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
Colton3+128%
Moreno Valley8+140%
Corona24+180%
Fontana11+104%
Ontario31+276%

The wider Riverside County market

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

County establishments (2023)
135
Riverside County
County employees
7,320
Mid-March employment
County annual payroll
$182M
All establishments
Full Security Services data for Riverside County

What acquirers look at

Contractual recurring revenue with low capital needs, offset by very high labor turnover. Licensing through the California Bureau of Security and Investigative Services must transfer.

Other industries in Riverside

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.