NAICS 238220
HVAC, Plumbing & Mechanical Contractors in San Diego, CA
The 28 ZIP codes assigned to San Diego contained 289 HVAC & Plumbing establishments in 2023, of which 33 employed 10 or more people.
- Establishments (2023)
- 289
- 28 ZIP codes
- 10 or more employees
- 33
- Practical financing floor
- Share of county
- 27%
- San Diego County
- City population
- 1,406,106
- 2025 estimate
Figures cover the ZIP codes the U.S. Postal Service assigns to San Diego (92101, 92102, 92103, 92104, 92105, 92106, 92107, 92108, 92109, 92110, 92111, 92113, and more). 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 San Diego'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.
| Employees | Establishments | Share | Distribution |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1-4 | 162 | 56.1% | |
| 5-9 | 28 | 9.7% | |
| 10-19 | 9 | 3.1% | |
| 20-49 | 11 | 3.8% | |
| 50-99 | 7 | 2.4% | |
| 100-249 | 6 | 2.1% |
How this market compares
San Diego 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.
A smaller slice of the local business base than the statewide share. Often an underserved market, though it can also mean the work is done by firms based in a neighbouring town.
- Vs state share
- -37%
- Share of local businesses
- Rank by count
- #2
- of 358 cities
- Rank by share
- #233
- of 289 ranked
- Since 2020
- +11%
- Change in establishments
This compares how much of San Diego’s business base is hvac, plumbing & mechanical contractors, against the California figure. Base: 42,106 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
San Diego tracks the California size distribution closely.
| Share of establishments | San Diego | California | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 5 employeesOwner-operated, often no management layer | 56.1% | 57.6% | -1.6% |
| 5 to 49 employeesThe range most individual buyers target | 16.6% | 21.9% | -5.3% |
| 10 or more employeesPractical floor for acquisition financing | 11.4% | 10.1% | +1.4% |
Nearest comparable markets
The closest places to San Diego that also have HVAC & Plumbing 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 |
|---|---|---|
| La Mesa | 27 | +9% |
| Lemon Grove | 14 | +140% |
| Santee | 43 | +210% |
| El Cajon | 125 | +181% |
| National City | 14 | -7% |
The wider San Diego County market
Employment and payroll are reported at county level only, so the figures below describe the county San Diego sits in.
- County establishments (2023)
- 1,072
- San Diego County
- County employees
- 12,748
- Mid-March employment
- County annual payroll
- $1.0B
- All establishments
What acquirers look at
Recurring maintenance contracts, emergency pricing power and licensed-technician scarcity make the mechanical trades the most consolidated category in small business. Owner age skews high and private equity has been rolling them up since 2019. Plumbing is frequently acquired as a bolt-on to an existing HVAC platform to share dispatch and trucks.
Other industries in San Diego
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.