Saturation ranking
Where dental practices is most and least saturated in California
Every California market with sourced Dental 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
- 22,757
- 2023 County Business Patterns
- State median density
- 4.0
- Per 10,000 residents, counties
- Counties ranked
- 52
- of 54 with data
- Cities ranked
- 295
- of 368 with data
Most saturated counties for dental
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 | Orange County3,149,507 residents | 2,876 | 9.1 | +130% | Densely served |
| 2 | Santa Clara County1,914,391 residents | 1,548 | 8.1 | +104% | Densely served |
| 3 | San Francisco County826,079 residents | 624 | 7.6 | +90% | Densely served |
| 4 | Marin County253,694 residents | 177 | 7.0 | +76% | Densely served |
| 5 | San Mateo County743,568 residents | 515 | 6.9 | +74% | Densely served |
| 6 | Placer County442,081 residents | 297 | 6.7 | +69% | Densely served |
| 7 | Los Angeles County9,694,934 residents | 6,420 | 6.6 | +67% | Densely served |
| 8 | Contra Costa County1,170,070 residents | 732 | 6.3 | +58% | Densely served |
| 9 | Napa County132,949 residents | 81 | 6.1 | +53% | Densely served |
| 10 | Alameda County1,636,630 residents | 981 | 6.0 | +51% | Densely served |
| 11 | San Diego County3,282,248 residents | 1,927 | 5.9 | +48% | Above average |
| 12 | Ventura County830,851 residents | 486 | 5.8 | +47% | Above average |
| 13 | Tuolumne County53,160 residents | 31 | 5.8 | +47% | Above average |
| 14 | Sonoma County486,444 residents | 282 | 5.8 | +46% | Above average |
| 15 | San Luis Obispo County282,367 residents | 154 | 5.5 | +37% | Above average |
State median for this industry: 4.0 establishments per 10,000 residents. A high figure means more provision per resident, not more demand.
Least saturated counties for dental
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 | Yuba County88,691 residents | 5 | 0.6 | -86% | Thinly served |
| 2 | Imperial County181,411 residents | 28 | 1.5 | -61% | Thinly served |
| 3 | Lake County67,772 residents | 11 | 1.6 | -59% | Thinly served |
| 4 | Amador County41,876 residents | 9 | 2.1 | -46% | Thinly served |
| 5 | Kings County154,327 residents | 37 | 2.4 | -40% | Below average |
| 6 | Kern County927,068 residents | 229 | 2.5 | -38% | Below average |
| 7 | Lassen County28,117 residents | 7 | 2.5 | -37% | Below average |
| 8 | San Benito County70,082 residents | 18 | 2.6 | -35% | Below average |
| 9 | Madera County167,927 residents | 44 | 2.6 | -34% | Below average |
| 10 | Tehama County64,665 residents | 17 | 2.6 | -34% | Below average |
| 11 | Colusa County21,836 residents | 6 | 2.7 | -31% | Below average |
| 12 | Inyo County18,158 residents | 5 | 2.8 | -31% | Below average |
| 13 | Merced County297,260 residents | 82 | 2.8 | -31% | Below average |
| 14 | Glenn County28,141 residents | 8 | 2.8 | -28% | Below average |
| 15 | Tulare County485,146 residents | 152 | 3.1 | -21% | Below average |
State median for this industry: 4.0 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 dental
295 of 368 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 | CupertinoSanta Clara, 1,627 businesses in total | 100 | 6.15% | +181% | Densely served |
| 2 | Huntington ParkLos Angeles, 1,004 businesses in total | 58 | 5.78% | +164% | Densely served |
| 3 | SunnyvaleSanta Clara, 3,376 businesses in total | 184 | 5.45% | +149% | Densely served |
| 4 | RedlandsSan Bernardino, 2,509 businesses in total | 123 | 4.90% | +124% | Densely served |
| 5 | Daly CitySan Mateo, 1,538 businesses in total | 75 | 4.88% | +123% | Densely served |
| 6 | SaratogaSanta Clara, 807 businesses in total | 39 | 4.83% | +121% | Densely served |
| 7 | MilpitasSanta Clara, 2,220 businesses in total | 107 | 4.82% | +120% | Densely served |
| 8 | TustinOrange, 3,361 businesses in total | 152 | 4.52% | +107% | Densely served |
| 9 | Pleasant HillContra Costa, 1,135 businesses in total | 47 | 4.14% | +89% | Densely served |
| 10 | San RamonContra Costa, 2,659 businesses in total | 110 | 4.14% | +89% | Densely served |
| 11 | WestminsterOrange, 2,112 businesses in total | 86 | 4.07% | +86% | Densely served |
| 12 | San FernandoLos Angeles, 848 businesses in total | 34 | 4.01% | +83% | Densely served |
| 13 | Union CityAlameda, 1,362 businesses in total | 54 | 3.96% | +81% | Densely served |
| 14 | PowaySan Diego, 1,702 businesses in total | 67 | 3.94% | +80% | Densely served |
| 15 | MillbraeSan Mateo, 539 businesses in total | 21 | 3.90% | +78% | Densely served |
| 16 | ArtesiaLos Angeles, 703 businesses in total | 27 | 3.84% | +76% | Densely served |
| 17 | Aliso ViejoOrange, 1,444 businesses in total | 55 | 3.81% | +74% | Densely served |
| 18 | El CerritoContra Costa, 594 businesses in total | 22 | 3.70% | +69% | Densely served |
| 19 | SonoraTuolumne, 818 businesses in total | 30 | 3.67% | +68% | Densely served |
| 20 | Elk GroveSacramento, 3,042 businesses in total | 111 | 3.65% | +67% | Densely served |
| 21 | San GabrielLos Angeles, 2,119 businesses in total | 76 | 3.59% | +64% | Densely served |
| 22 | West CovinaLos Angeles, 2,345 businesses in total | 84 | 3.58% | +64% | Densely served |
| 23 | Fountain ValleyOrange, 2,040 businesses in total | 73 | 3.58% | +64% | Densely served |
| 24 | AlbanyAlameda, 505 businesses in total | 18 | 3.56% | +63% | Densely served |
| 25 | DublinAlameda, 1,615 businesses in total | 57 | 3.53% | +61% | Densely served |
Statewide, 2.19% 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 dental
The bottom of the same ordering. These are the California cities carrying the least dental provision per resident among those that clear both floors.
| # | City | Establishments | Share of local | Vs state share | Reading |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | El SegundoLos Angeles, 2,288 businesses in total | 13 | 0.57% | -74% | Thinly served |
| 2 | EmeryvilleAlameda, 1,232 businesses in total | 8 | 0.65% | -70% | Thinly served |
| 3 | MalibuLos Angeles, 1,013 businesses in total | 7 | 0.69% | -68% | Thinly served |
| 4 | CeresStanislaus, 676 businesses in total | 5 | 0.74% | -66% | Thinly served |
| 5 | ComptonLos Angeles, 1,736 businesses in total | 13 | 0.75% | -66% | Thinly served |
| 6 | SausalitoMarin, 718 businesses in total | 6 | 0.84% | -62% | Thinly served |
| 7 | OjaiVentura, 757 businesses in total | 7 | 0.92% | -58% | Thinly served |
| 8 | Jurupa Valley1,066 businesses in total | 10 | 0.94% | -57% | Thinly served |
| 9 | Hermosa BeachLos Angeles, 1,128 businesses in total | 11 | 0.98% | -55% | Thinly served |
| 10 | BurlingameSan Mateo, 2,194 businesses in total | 22 | 1.00% | -54% | Thinly served |
| 11 | TruckeeNevada, 1,148 businesses in total | 12 | 1.05% | -52% | Thinly served |
| 12 | DuarteLos Angeles, 573 businesses in total | 6 | 1.05% | -52% | Thinly served |
| 13 | ParamountLos Angeles, 1,146 businesses in total | 13 | 1.13% | -48% | Thinly served |
| 14 | SeasideMonterey, 674 businesses in total | 8 | 1.19% | -46% | Thinly served |
| 15 | Fort BraggMendocino, 503 businesses in total | 6 | 1.19% | -45% | Thinly served |
| 16 | Rancho CordovaSacramento, 2,357 businesses in total | 29 | 1.23% | -44% | Thinly served |
| 17 | OntarioSan Bernardino, 5,487 businesses in total | 68 | 1.24% | -43% | Thinly served |
| 18 | Palm SpringsRiverside, 1,933 businesses in total | 24 | 1.24% | -43% | Thinly served |
| 19 | Laguna BeachOrange, 1,515 businesses in total | 19 | 1.25% | -43% | Thinly served |
| 20 | PerrisRiverside, 1,263 businesses in total | 16 | 1.27% | -42% | Thinly served |
| 21 | ArcataHumboldt, 622 businesses in total | 8 | 1.29% | -41% | Thinly served |
| 22 | South Lake TahoeEl Dorado, 1,082 businesses in total | 14 | 1.29% | -41% | Thinly served |
| 23 | Santa ClaritaLos Angeles, 1,301 businesses in total | 17 | 1.31% | -40% | Thinly served |
| 24 | Lemon GroveSan Diego, 535 businesses in total | 7 | 1.31% | -40% | Thinly served |
| 25 | HealdsburgSonoma, 764 businesses in total | 10 | 1.31% | -40% | Thinly served |
Statewide, 2.19% 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 dental 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.