NAICS 541330
Engineering Services in San Luis Obispo, CA
The 2 ZIP codes assigned to San Luis Obispo contained 59 Engineering establishments in 2023, of which 26 employed 10 or more people.
- Establishments (2023)
- 59
- 2 ZIP codes
- 10 or more employees
- 26
- Practical financing floor
- Share of county
- 48%
- San Luis Obispo County
- City population
- 50,636
- 2025 estimate
Figures cover the ZIP codes the U.S. Postal Service assigns to San Luis Obispo (93401, 93405). 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 Luis Obispo'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 | 25 | 42.4% | |
| 5-9 | 7 | 11.9% | |
| 10-19 | 18 | 30.5% | |
| 20-49 | 5 | 8.5% | |
| 100-249 | 3 | 5.1% |
How this market compares
San Luis Obispo 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
- +173%
- Share of local businesses
- Rank by count
- #25
- of 294 cities
- Rank by share
- #4
- of 262 ranked
- Since 2020
- -6%
- Change in establishments
This compares how much of San Luis Obispo’s business base is engineering services, against the California figure. Base: 2,659 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 Luis Obispo is more consolidated than California as a whole: fewer micro-operators and a larger share of businesses with real headcount. Fewer targets, but the ones that exist are more likely to be financeable.
| Share of establishments | San Luis Obispo | California | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 5 employeesOwner-operated, often no management layer | 42.4% | 52.8% | -10.4% |
| 5 to 49 employeesThe range most individual buyers target | 50.8% | 23.9% | +27.0% |
| 10 or more employeesPractical floor for acquisition financing | 44.1% | 16.5% | +27.6% |
Nearest comparable markets
The closest places to San Luis Obispo that also have Engineering 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Grover Beach | 4 | n/a |
| Arroyo Grande | 7 | -4% |
| Morro Bay | 7 | n/a |
| Atascadero | 12 | +61% |
| Santa Maria | 18 | -21% |
The wider San Luis Obispo County market
Employment and payroll are reported at county level only, so the figures below describe the county San Luis Obispo sits in.
- County establishments (2023)
- 122
- San Luis Obispo County
- County employees
- 1,214
- Mid-March employment
- County annual payroll
- $108M
- All establishments
What acquirers look at
Value sits in licensed professional engineers and public-agency prequalification, both of which are people-dependent. Retention packages are mandatory.
Other industries in San Luis Obispo
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.