NAICS 238220
HVAC, Plumbing & Mechanical Contractors in San Rafael, CA
The 2 ZIP codes assigned to San Rafael contained 40 HVAC & Plumbing establishments in 2023, of which 10 employed 10 or more people.
- Establishments (2023)
- 40
- 2 ZIP codes
- 10 or more employees
- 10
- Practical financing floor
- Share of county
- 40%
- Marin County
- City population
- 59,410
- 2025 estimate
Figures cover the ZIP codes the U.S. Postal Service assigns to San Rafael (94901, 94903). 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 Rafael'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 | 16 | 40.0% | |
| 5-9 | 8 | 20.0% | |
| 10-19 | 6 | 15.0% | |
| 20-49 | 4 | 10.0% |
How this market compares
San Rafael 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 larger slice of the local business base than the statewide share. Usually a sign of genuine local demand rather than oversupply.
- Vs state share
- +16%
- Share of local businesses
- Rank by count
- #62
- of 358 cities
- Rank by share
- #130
- of 289 ranked
- Since 2020
- +11%
- Change in establishments
This compares how much of San Rafael’s business base is hvac, plumbing & mechanical contractors, against the California figure. Base: 3,160 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 Rafael 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 Rafael | California | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 5 employeesOwner-operated, often no management layer | 40.0% | 57.6% | -17.6% |
| 5 to 49 employeesThe range most individual buyers target | 45.0% | 21.9% | +23.1% |
| 10 or more employeesPractical floor for acquisition financing | 25.0% | 10.1% | +14.9% |
Nearest comparable markets
The closest places to San Rafael 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 |
|---|---|---|
| San Anselmo | 3 | -48% |
| Fairfax | 4 | n/a |
| Mill Valley | 3 | -78% |
| Novato | 33 | +60% |
| Richmond | 17 | +1% |
The wider Marin County market
Employment and payroll are reported at county level only, so the figures below describe the county San Rafael sits in.
- County establishments (2023)
- 100
- Marin County
- County employees
- 943
- Mid-March employment
- County annual payroll
- $88M
- 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 Rafael
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.