Saturation ranking
Where architectural services is most and least saturated in California
Every California market with sourced Architecture data, ranked on how much provision it already has. Counties are measured per 10,000 residents. Cities are measured as a share of the businesses in the same ZIP codes, because a city’s establishment counts cover its ZIP codes rather than its city limits and cannot be divided by its municipal population. Neither measure says anything about revenue or profitability, and a crowded market is not automatically a bad one: it is also where the most businesses come up for sale.
- Statewide establishments
- 3,723
- 2023 County Business Patterns
- State median density
- 0.8
- Per 10,000 residents, counties
- Counties ranked
- 33
- of 33 with data
- Cities ranked
- 115
- of 160 with data
Most saturated counties for architecture
33 of 33 counties with sourced data qualify for this ranking. Markets with fewer than 5 establishments are excluded at both levels, because a single opening or closing would move them enough to dominate the list. Counties under 2,000 residents are also excluded, where a per-capita figure is arithmetically true and analytically useless.
| # | County | Establishments | Per 10k | Vs state median | Reading |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Francisco County826,079 residents | 383 | 4.6 | +494% | Densely served |
| 2 | Marin County253,694 residents | 82 | 3.2 | +314% | Densely served |
| 3 | Nevada County101,911 residents | 23 | 2.3 | +189% | Densely served |
| 4 | Santa Barbara County442,065 residents | 79 | 1.8 | +129% | Densely served |
| 5 | San Luis Obispo County282,367 residents | 41 | 1.5 | +86% | Densely served |
| 6 | Orange County3,149,507 residents | 441 | 1.4 | +80% | Densely served |
| 7 | Sonoma County486,444 residents | 66 | 1.4 | +74% | Densely served |
| 8 | Alameda County1,636,630 residents | 217 | 1.3 | +70% | Densely served |
| 9 | Santa Cruz County258,852 residents | 34 | 1.3 | +68% | Densely served |
| 10 | Napa County132,949 residents | 17 | 1.3 | +64% | Densely served |
| 11 | Los Angeles County9,694,934 residents | 1,231 | 1.3 | +63% | Densely served |
| 12 | San Diego County3,282,248 residents | 332 | 1.0 | +30% | Above average |
| 13 | Ventura County830,851 residents | 72 | 0.9 | +11% | Typical |
| 14 | Placer County442,081 residents | 37 | 0.8 | +7% | Typical |
| 15 | Santa Clara County1,914,391 residents | 157 | 0.8 | +5% | Typical |
State median for this industry: 0.8 establishments per 10,000 residents. A high figure means more provision per resident, not more demand.
Least saturated counties for architecture
The same 33 counties, read from the bottom of the ordering upward. Thin provision is worth checking against the neighbouring counties before treating it as an opening.
| # | County | Establishments | Per 10k | Vs state median | Reading |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Joaquin County823,815 residents | 11 | 0.1 | -83% | Thinly served |
| 2 | Solano County455,376 residents | 8 | 0.2 | -77% | Thinly served |
| 3 | Kern County927,068 residents | 18 | 0.2 | -75% | Thinly served |
| 4 | San Bernardino County2,224,091 residents | 49 | 0.2 | -72% | Thinly served |
| 5 | Stanislaus County557,719 residents | 13 | 0.2 | -70% | Thinly served |
| 6 | Tulare County485,146 residents | 12 | 0.2 | -68% | Thinly served |
| 7 | Fresno County1,035,456 residents | 28 | 0.3 | -65% | Thinly served |
| 8 | Riverside County2,544,916 residents | 70 | 0.3 | -65% | Thinly served |
| 9 | Shasta County181,648 residents | 5 | 0.3 | -65% | Thinly served |
| 10 | Yolo County224,410 residents | 7 | 0.3 | -60% | Thinly served |
| 11 | Butte County209,211 residents | 7 | 0.3 | -57% | Thinly served |
| 12 | Humboldt County131,647 residents | 5 | 0.4 | -51% | Thinly served |
| 13 | Sacramento County1,618,460 residents | 87 | 0.5 | -31% | Below average |
| 14 | Mendocino County88,122 residents | 5 | 0.6 | -27% | Below average |
| 15 | Contra Costa County1,170,070 residents | 67 | 0.6 | -27% | Below average |
State median for this industry: 0.8 establishments per 10,000 residents. A low figure can mean a genuine gap, or a market served from the next county over.
Most saturated cities for architecture
115 of 160 cities with sourced data qualify for this ranking. Markets with fewer than 5 establishments are excluded at both levels, because a single opening or closing would move them enough to dominate the list. Cities with fewer than 500 businesses in total are also excluded, because on a base that small the industry’s share moves on rounding.
| # | City | Establishments | Share of local | Vs state share | Reading |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Laguna BeachOrange, 1,515 businesses in total | 27 | 1.78% | +460% | Densely served |
| 2 | EmeryvilleAlameda, 1,232 businesses in total | 21 | 1.70% | +435% | Densely served |
| 3 | SausalitoMarin, 718 businesses in total | 11 | 1.53% | +381% | Densely served |
| 4 | BerkeleyAlameda, 4,279 businesses in total | 65 | 1.52% | +377% | Densely served |
| 5 | South PasadenaLos Angeles, 1,030 businesses in total | 15 | 1.46% | +357% | Densely served |
| 6 | Culver CityLos Angeles, 2,919 businesses in total | 42 | 1.44% | +352% | Densely served |
| 7 | Mill ValleyMarin, 1,277 businesses in total | 17 | 1.33% | +318% | Densely served |
| 8 | OrindaContra Costa, 576 businesses in total | 7 | 1.22% | +282% | Densely served |
| 9 | Santa BarbaraSanta Barbara, 5,868 businesses in total | 71 | 1.21% | +280% | Densely served |
| 10 | AlbanyAlameda, 505 businesses in total | 6 | 1.19% | +273% | Densely served |
| 11 | San AnselmoMarin, 525 businesses in total | 6 | 1.14% | +259% | Densely served |
| 12 | TruckeeNevada, 1,148 businesses in total | 13 | 1.13% | +256% | Densely served |
| 13 | San FranciscoSan Francisco, 33,575 businesses in total | 380 | 1.13% | +255% | Densely served |
| 14 | Santa MonicaLos Angeles, 7,320 businesses in total | 80 | 1.09% | +243% | Densely served |
| 15 | MalibuLos Angeles, 1,013 businesses in total | 11 | 1.09% | +241% | Densely served |
| 16 | SonomaSonoma, 1,218 businesses in total | 12 | 0.99% | +209% | Densely served |
| 17 | Del MarSan Diego, 840 businesses in total | 8 | 0.95% | +199% | Densely served |
| 18 | WindsorSonoma, 660 businesses in total | 6 | 0.91% | +186% | Densely served |
| 19 | San Luis ObispoSan Luis Obispo, 2,659 businesses in total | 23 | 0.86% | +172% | Densely served |
| 20 | San RafaelMarin, 3,160 businesses in total | 27 | 0.85% | +168% | Densely served |
| 21 | SebastopolSonoma, 987 businesses in total | 8 | 0.81% | +155% | Densely served |
| 22 | Solana BeachSan Diego, 1,032 businesses in total | 8 | 0.78% | +143% | Densely served |
| 23 | OaklandAlameda, 10,328 businesses in total | 80 | 0.77% | +143% | Densely served |
| 24 | PasadenaLos Angeles, 7,697 businesses in total | 57 | 0.74% | +133% | Densely served |
| 25 | Newport BeachOrange, 6,234 businesses in total | 46 | 0.74% | +132% | Densely served |
Statewide, 0.32% of California businesses are in this industry. A higher local share means the industry takes up more of the local business base than it does statewide.
City figures are aggregated over the ZIP codes the Postal Service assigns to each place, which do not follow municipal boundaries. That is why the comparison here is a share of the businesses in those same ZIP codes rather than a figure per resident: both sides then cover the same ground, so a city that loses establishments to a separately named ZIP loses its denominator with them.
Most underserved cities for architecture
The bottom of the same ordering. These are the California cities carrying the least architecture provision per resident among those that clear both floors.
| # | City | Establishments | Share of local | Vs state share | Reading |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | BakersfieldKern, 10,791 businesses in total | 13 | 0.12% | -62% | Thinly served |
| 2 | AnaheimOrange, 9,049 businesses in total | 11 | 0.12% | -62% | Thinly served |
| 3 | Chula VistaSan Diego, 4,885 businesses in total | 6 | 0.12% | -61% | Thinly served |
| 4 | FullertonOrange, 4,049 businesses in total | 5 | 0.12% | -61% | Thinly served |
| 5 | FresnoFresno, 13,153 businesses in total | 19 | 0.14% | -55% | Thinly served |
| 6 | Simi ValleyVentura, 3,329 businesses in total | 5 | 0.15% | -53% | Thinly served |
| 7 | BurbankLos Angeles, 5,899 businesses in total | 9 | 0.15% | -52% | Thinly served |
| 8 | MurrietaRiverside, 3,203 businesses in total | 5 | 0.16% | -51% | Thinly served |
| 9 | TorranceLos Angeles, 7,600 businesses in total | 12 | 0.16% | -50% | Thinly served |
| 10 | GardenaLos Angeles, 3,007 businesses in total | 5 | 0.17% | -48% | Thinly served |
| 11 | ModestoStanislaus, 5,412 businesses in total | 9 | 0.17% | -48% | Thinly served |
| 12 | SalinasMonterey, 3,451 businesses in total | 6 | 0.17% | -45% | Thinly served |
| 13 | Redondo BeachLos Angeles, 2,814 businesses in total | 5 | 0.18% | -44% | Thinly served |
| 14 | SunnyvaleSanta Clara, 3,376 businesses in total | 6 | 0.18% | -44% | Thinly served |
| 15 | VisaliaTulare, 3,364 businesses in total | 6 | 0.18% | -44% | Thinly served |
| 16 | Redwood CitySan Mateo, 3,279 businesses in total | 6 | 0.18% | -43% | Thinly served |
| 17 | EscondidoSan Diego, 4,331 businesses in total | 8 | 0.18% | -42% | Thinly served |
| 18 | TemeculaRiverside, 4,281 businesses in total | 8 | 0.19% | -41% | Thinly served |
| 19 | Beverly HillsLos Angeles, 6,870 businesses in total | 13 | 0.19% | -41% | Thinly served |
| 20 | ChicoButte, 3,159 businesses in total | 6 | 0.19% | -40% | Thinly served |
| 21 | Huntington BeachOrange, 6,263 businesses in total | 12 | 0.19% | -40% | Below average |
| 22 | RedlandsSan Bernardino, 2,509 businesses in total | 5 | 0.20% | -37% | Below average |
| 23 | San MateoSan Mateo, 4,307 businesses in total | 10 | 0.23% | -27% | Below average |
| 24 | Mission ViejoOrange, 2,993 businesses in total | 7 | 0.23% | -27% | Below average |
| 25 | SacramentoSacramento, 19,687 businesses in total | 50 | 0.25% | -20% | Below average |
Statewide, 0.32% of California businesses are in this industry. A lower local share can mean a genuine gap, or a market served from the next town over.
How to read these rankings
- Both measures are supply measures. They say nothing about how much each business earns, how large it is, or how much demand comes from outside the market.
- The two levels are not directly comparable to each other. A county figure is establishments per resident; a city figure is this industry’s share of the local business base against the statewide share. Compare counties to counties and cities to cities.
- A thinly served market can be a genuine gap or a market already served from a neighbouring town. The individual market pages list the nearest comparable places for exactly this check.
- A densely served market means competition, but it is also where the largest pool of existing businesses sits, and therefore where the most owners reach retirement each year.
- Counties are the more stable measure. City figures rest on ZIP code geography, which the Postal Service redraws as it pleases, so a city can gain or lose a ZIP between years.
Full architecture data for California/All industry rankings/Methodology
Sources
- 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.
- U.S. Census Bureau, 2023 ZIP Code Business Patterns. Establishment counts by ZIP code and NAICS, aggregated over the ZIP codes assigned to each city, including the all-industry totals used as the local business base. Retrieved 2026-09-10.