NAICS 445310

Beer, Wine & Liquor Stores in Santa Ana, CA

The 6 ZIP codes assigned to Santa Ana contained 26 Liquor Stores establishments in 2023.

Establishments (2023)
26
6 ZIP codes
10 or more employees
n/a
Practical financing floor
Share of county
7%
Orange County
City population
315,586
2025 estimate

Figures cover the ZIP codes the U.S. Postal Service assigns to Santa Ana (92701, 92703, 92704, 92705, 92706, 92707). 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 Santa Ana'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
1-42284.6%

How this market compares

Santa Ana 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.

Typical0.32% of local businesses, against 0.37% statewide

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

Vs state share
-15%
Share of local businesses
Rank by count
#20
of 268 cities
Rank by share
#168
of 242 ranked
Since 2020
+18%
Change in establishments

This compares how much of Santa Ana’s business base is beer, wine & liquor stores, against the California figure. Base: 8,181 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

Santa Ana 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 establishmentsSanta AnaCaliforniaDifference
Under 5 employeesOwner-operated, often no management layer84.6%69.5%+15.1%
5 to 49 employeesThe range most individual buyers target0.0%5.5%-5.5%
10 or more employeesPractical floor for acquisition financing0.0%0.6%-0.6%

Nearest comparable markets

The closest places to Santa Ana that also have Liquor Stores 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
Orange24+12%
Tustin9-28%
Fountain Valley6-21%
Costa Mesa20-0%
Garden Grove20+45%

The wider Orange County market

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

County establishments (2023)
359
Orange County
County employees
1,440
Mid-March employment
County annual payroll
$43M
All establishments
Full Liquor Stores data for Orange County

What acquirers look at

The California ABC license is often the single most valuable asset, and transfer runs its own 60 to 90 day timeline independent of the deal.

Other industries in Santa Ana

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.