Saturation ranking
Where general automotive repair is most and least saturated in California
Every California market with sourced Auto Repair 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
- 9,799
- 2023 County Business Patterns
- State median density
- 2.6
- Per 10,000 residents, counties
- Counties ranked
- 52
- of 54 with data
- Cities ranked
- 265
- of 354 with data
Most saturated counties for auto repair
52 of 54 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 | Plumas County18,583 residents | 9 | 4.8 | +83% | Densely served |
| 2 | Mendocino County88,122 residents | 38 | 4.3 | +63% | Densely served |
| 3 | Nevada County101,911 residents | 39 | 3.8 | +44% | Above average |
| 4 | Siskiyou County42,013 residents | 16 | 3.8 | +44% | Above average |
| 5 | Shasta County181,648 residents | 68 | 3.7 | +41% | Above average |
| 6 | Sutter County98,787 residents | 36 | 3.6 | +38% | Above average |
| 7 | Marin County253,694 residents | 92 | 3.6 | +37% | Above average |
| 8 | Humboldt County131,647 residents | 45 | 3.4 | +29% | Above average |
| 9 | Amador County41,876 residents | 14 | 3.3 | +26% | Above average |
| 10 | Inyo County18,158 residents | 6 | 3.3 | +25% | Above average |
| 11 | Yolo County224,410 residents | 74 | 3.3 | +24% | Above average |
| 12 | Calaveras County46,605 residents | 15 | 3.2 | +22% | Above average |
| 13 | Butte County209,211 residents | 66 | 3.2 | +19% | Above average |
| 14 | San Mateo County743,568 residents | 232 | 3.1 | +18% | Above average |
| 15 | Sonoma County486,444 residents | 150 | 3.1 | +16% | Above average |
State median for this industry: 2.6 establishments per 10,000 residents. A high figure means more provision per resident, not more demand.
Least saturated counties for auto repair
The same 52 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 | Kings County154,327 residents | 24 | 1.6 | -41% | Thinly served |
| 2 | San Francisco County826,079 residents | 136 | 1.6 | -38% | Below average |
| 3 | Yuba County88,691 residents | 15 | 1.7 | -36% | Below average |
| 4 | Imperial County181,411 residents | 32 | 1.8 | -33% | Below average |
| 5 | Lassen County28,117 residents | 5 | 1.8 | -33% | Below average |
| 6 | Merced County297,260 residents | 53 | 1.8 | -33% | Below average |
| 7 | Madera County167,927 residents | 33 | 2.0 | -26% | Below average |
| 8 | Glenn County28,141 residents | 6 | 2.1 | -20% | Below average |
| 9 | Riverside County2,544,916 residents | 543 | 2.1 | -19% | Below average |
| 10 | San Benito County70,082 residents | 15 | 2.1 | -19% | Below average |
| 11 | Tehama County64,665 residents | 14 | 2.2 | -18% | Below average |
| 12 | Solano County455,376 residents | 103 | 2.3 | -15% | Typical |
| 13 | Contra Costa County1,170,070 residents | 265 | 2.3 | -15% | Typical |
| 14 | San Joaquin County823,815 residents | 187 | 2.3 | -14% | Typical |
| 15 | Del Norte County26,410 residents | 6 | 2.3 | -14% | Typical |
State median for this industry: 2.6 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 auto repair
265 of 354 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 | SeasideMonterey, 674 businesses in total | 24 | 3.56% | +292% | Densely served |
| 2 | San JacintoRiverside, 545 businesses in total | 18 | 3.30% | +263% | Densely served |
| 3 | LawndaleLos Angeles, 608 businesses in total | 20 | 3.29% | +262% | Densely served |
| 4 | BellflowerLos Angeles, 1,195 businesses in total | 34 | 2.85% | +213% | Densely served |
| 5 | HawthorneLos Angeles, 1,403 businesses in total | 39 | 2.78% | +206% | Densely served |
| 6 | West SacramentoYolo, 1,439 businesses in total | 40 | 2.78% | +206% | Densely served |
| 7 | LomitaLos Angeles, 563 businesses in total | 15 | 2.66% | +193% | Densely served |
| 8 | FontanaSan Bernardino, 3,587 businesses in total | 95 | 2.65% | +191% | Densely served |
| 9 | MontclairSan Bernardino, 1,011 businesses in total | 25 | 2.47% | +172% | Densely served |
| 10 | San BrunoSan Mateo, 994 businesses in total | 24 | 2.41% | +166% | Densely served |
| 11 | HesperiaSan Bernardino, 1,542 businesses in total | 37 | 2.40% | +164% | Densely served |
| 12 | BarstowSan Bernardino, 506 businesses in total | 12 | 2.37% | +161% | Densely served |
| 13 | Bell GardensLos Angeles, 1,012 businesses in total | 24 | 2.37% | +161% | Densely served |
| 14 | Jurupa Valley1,066 businesses in total | 25 | 2.35% | +158% | Densely served |
| 15 | CampbellSanta Clara, 2,034 businesses in total | 47 | 2.31% | +154% | Densely served |
| 16 | Cathedral CityRiverside, 914 businesses in total | 21 | 2.30% | +153% | Densely served |
| 17 | South GateLos Angeles, 1,109 businesses in total | 25 | 2.25% | +148% | Densely served |
| 18 | UkiahMendocino, 946 businesses in total | 21 | 2.22% | +144% | Densely served |
| 19 | BeaumontRiverside, 731 businesses in total | 16 | 2.19% | +141% | Densely served |
| 20 | Santa PaulaVentura, 523 businesses in total | 11 | 2.10% | +131% | Densely served |
| 21 | El CajonSan Diego, 4,089 businesses in total | 82 | 2.01% | +121% | Densely served |
| 22 | El CentroImperial, 1,100 businesses in total | 22 | 2.00% | +120% | Densely served |
| 23 | Daly CitySan Mateo, 1,538 businesses in total | 30 | 1.95% | +115% | Densely served |
| 24 | CeresStanislaus, 676 businesses in total | 13 | 1.92% | +112% | Densely served |
| 25 | La HabraOrange, 1,511 businesses in total | 29 | 1.92% | +111% | Densely served |
Statewide, 0.91% 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 auto repair
The bottom of the same ordering. These are the California cities carrying the least auto repair provision per resident among those that clear both floors.
| # | City | Establishments | Share of local | Vs state share | Reading |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Beverly HillsLos Angeles, 6,870 businesses in total | 6 | 0.09% | -90% | Thinly served |
| 2 | IrvineOrange, 14,947 businesses in total | 17 | 0.11% | -87% | Thinly served |
| 3 | CarlsbadSan Diego, 5,494 businesses in total | 8 | 0.15% | -84% | Thinly served |
| 4 | Newport BeachOrange, 6,234 businesses in total | 11 | 0.18% | -81% | Thinly served |
| 5 | TustinOrange, 3,361 businesses in total | 6 | 0.18% | -80% | Thinly served |
| 6 | Palo AltoSanta Clara, 3,843 businesses in total | 8 | 0.21% | -77% | Thinly served |
| 7 | Manhattan BeachLos Angeles, 2,055 businesses in total | 5 | 0.24% | -73% | Thinly served |
| 8 | West CovinaLos Angeles, 2,345 businesses in total | 6 | 0.26% | -72% | Thinly served |
| 9 | CupertinoSanta Clara, 1,627 businesses in total | 5 | 0.31% | -66% | Thinly served |
| 10 | Los GatosSanta Clara, 1,893 businesses in total | 6 | 0.32% | -65% | Thinly served |
| 11 | Chino HillsSan Bernardino, 1,876 businesses in total | 6 | 0.32% | -65% | Thinly served |
| 12 | Menlo ParkSan Mateo, 1,765 businesses in total | 6 | 0.34% | -63% | Thinly served |
| 13 | Santa MonicaLos Angeles, 7,320 businesses in total | 27 | 0.37% | -59% | Thinly served |
| 14 | San FranciscoSan Francisco, 33,575 businesses in total | 127 | 0.38% | -58% | Thinly served |
| 15 | BreaOrange, 2,531 businesses in total | 10 | 0.40% | -57% | Thinly served |
| 16 | EmeryvilleAlameda, 1,232 businesses in total | 5 | 0.41% | -55% | Thinly served |
| 17 | Los AngelesLos Angeles, 77,828 businesses in total | 326 | 0.42% | -54% | Thinly served |
| 18 | Rancho Santa MargaritaOrange, 1,156 businesses in total | 5 | 0.43% | -52% | Thinly served |
| 19 | Laguna NiguelOrange, 1,969 businesses in total | 9 | 0.46% | -50% | Thinly served |
| 20 | Laguna HillsOrange, 1,901 businesses in total | 9 | 0.47% | -48% | Thinly served |
| 21 | PleasantonAlameda, 3,345 businesses in total | 16 | 0.48% | -47% | Thinly served |
| 22 | Solana BeachSan Diego, 1,032 businesses in total | 5 | 0.48% | -47% | Thinly served |
| 23 | ArcadiaLos Angeles, 3,093 businesses in total | 15 | 0.48% | -47% | Thinly served |
| 24 | South PasadenaLos Angeles, 1,030 businesses in total | 5 | 0.49% | -47% | Thinly served |
| 25 | Citrus HeightsSacramento, 1,423 businesses in total | 7 | 0.49% | -46% | Thinly served |
Statewide, 0.91% 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 auto repair 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.