Saturation ranking
Where beer, wine & liquor stores is most and least saturated in California
Every California market with sourced Liquor Stores 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
- 4,408
- 2023 County Business Patterns
- State median density
- 0.9
- Per 10,000 residents, counties
- Counties ranked
- 42
- of 45 with data
- Cities ranked
- 186
- of 268 with data
Most saturated counties for liquor stores
42 of 45 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 | Napa County132,949 residents | 49 | 3.7 | +293% | Densely served |
| 2 | San Luis Obispo County282,367 residents | 62 | 2.2 | +134% | Densely served |
| 3 | Santa Barbara County442,065 residents | 96 | 2.2 | +132% | Densely served |
| 4 | Ventura County830,851 residents | 131 | 1.6 | +68% | Densely served |
| 5 | Amador County41,876 residents | 6 | 1.4 | +53% | Densely served |
| 6 | San Francisco County826,079 residents | 114 | 1.4 | +47% | Above average |
| 7 | Los Angeles County9,694,934 residents | 1,328 | 1.4 | +46% | Above average |
| 8 | Sonoma County486,444 residents | 65 | 1.3 | +43% | Above average |
| 9 | San Diego County3,282,248 residents | 425 | 1.3 | +38% | Above average |
| 10 | Butte County209,211 residents | 27 | 1.3 | +38% | Above average |
| 11 | Santa Cruz County258,852 residents | 33 | 1.3 | +36% | Above average |
| 12 | Siskiyou County42,013 residents | 5 | 1.2 | +27% | Above average |
| 13 | San Bernardino County2,224,091 residents | 260 | 1.2 | +25% | Above average |
| 14 | Orange County3,149,507 residents | 359 | 1.1 | +22% | Above average |
| 15 | Alameda County1,636,630 residents | 186 | 1.1 | +21% | Above average |
State median for this industry: 0.9 establishments per 10,000 residents. A high figure means more provision per resident, not more demand.
Least saturated counties for liquor stores
The same 42 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 | 6 | 0.4 | -58% | Thinly served |
| 2 | Shasta County181,648 residents | 8 | 0.4 | -53% | Thinly served |
| 3 | Merced County297,260 residents | 14 | 0.5 | -50% | Thinly served |
| 4 | Nevada County101,911 residents | 5 | 0.5 | -48% | Thinly served |
| 5 | Placer County442,081 residents | 25 | 0.6 | -40% | Below average |
| 6 | Yolo County224,410 residents | 13 | 0.6 | -38% | Below average |
| 7 | Tulare County485,146 residents | 30 | 0.6 | -34% | Below average |
| 8 | Madera County167,927 residents | 11 | 0.7 | -30% | Below average |
| 9 | Yuba County88,691 residents | 6 | 0.7 | -28% | Below average |
| 10 | Mendocino County88,122 residents | 6 | 0.7 | -27% | Below average |
| 11 | Contra Costa County1,170,070 residents | 83 | 0.7 | -24% | Below average |
| 12 | San Mateo County743,568 residents | 55 | 0.7 | -21% | Below average |
| 13 | Kern County927,068 residents | 69 | 0.7 | -21% | Below average |
| 14 | Solano County455,376 residents | 34 | 0.7 | -20% | Below average |
| 15 | Imperial County181,411 residents | 14 | 0.8 | -18% | Below average |
State median for this industry: 0.9 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 liquor stores
186 of 268 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 | HealdsburgSonoma, 764 businesses in total | 16 | 2.09% | +463% | Densely served |
| 2 | BarstowSan Bernardino, 506 businesses in total | 8 | 1.58% | +325% | Densely served |
| 3 | Bell GardensLos Angeles, 1,012 businesses in total | 16 | 1.58% | +325% | Densely served |
| 4 | LompocSanta Barbara, 883 businesses in total | 12 | 1.36% | +265% | Densely served |
| 5 | AzusaLos Angeles, 974 businesses in total | 13 | 1.33% | +259% | Densely served |
| 6 | Apple ValleySan Bernardino, 1,125 businesses in total | 14 | 1.24% | +234% | Densely served |
| 7 | HighlandSan Bernardino, 581 businesses in total | 7 | 1.20% | +224% | Densely served |
| 8 | StantonOrange, 584 businesses in total | 7 | 1.20% | +222% | Densely served |
| 9 | CeresStanislaus, 676 businesses in total | 8 | 1.18% | +218% | Densely served |
| 10 | BellflowerLos Angeles, 1,195 businesses in total | 14 | 1.17% | +215% | Densely served |
| 11 | HemetRiverside, 1,514 businesses in total | 17 | 1.12% | +202% | Densely served |
| 12 | San BernardinoSan Bernardino, 3,569 businesses in total | 38 | 1.06% | +186% | Densely served |
| 13 | RialtoSan Bernardino, 1,231 businesses in total | 13 | 1.06% | +184% | Densely served |
| 14 | YucaipaSan Bernardino, 891 businesses in total | 9 | 1.01% | +171% | Densely served |
| 15 | NapaNapa, 3,089 businesses in total | 31 | 1.00% | +170% | Densely served |
| 16 | CapitolaSanta Cruz, 522 businesses in total | 5 | 0.96% | +157% | Densely served |
| 17 | PittsburgContra Costa, 1,059 businesses in total | 10 | 0.94% | +154% | Densely served |
| 18 | VictorvilleSan Bernardino, 1,929 businesses in total | 18 | 0.93% | +151% | Densely served |
| 19 | Simi ValleyVentura, 3,329 businesses in total | 31 | 0.93% | +150% | Densely served |
| 20 | OjaiVentura, 757 businesses in total | 7 | 0.92% | +148% | Densely served |
| 21 | ColtonSan Bernardino, 874 businesses in total | 8 | 0.92% | +146% | Densely served |
| 22 | Huntington ParkLos Angeles, 1,004 businesses in total | 9 | 0.90% | +141% | Densely served |
| 23 | DowneyLos Angeles, 2,532 businesses in total | 22 | 0.87% | +133% | Densely served |
| 24 | PomonaLos Angeles, 2,655 businesses in total | 23 | 0.87% | +133% | Densely served |
| 25 | VallejoSolano, 1,732 businesses in total | 15 | 0.87% | +133% | Densely served |
Statewide, 0.37% 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 liquor stores
The bottom of the same ordering. These are the California cities carrying the least liquor stores provision per resident among those that clear both floors.
| # | City | Establishments | Share of local | Vs state share | Reading |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San MateoSan Mateo, 4,307 businesses in total | 6 | 0.14% | -63% | Thinly served |
| 2 | BerkeleyAlameda, 4,279 businesses in total | 6 | 0.14% | -62% | Thinly served |
| 3 | Thousand OaksVentura, 3,759 businesses in total | 6 | 0.16% | -57% | Thinly served |
| 4 | Newport BeachOrange, 6,234 businesses in total | 10 | 0.16% | -57% | Thinly served |
| 5 | ConcordContra Costa, 3,539 businesses in total | 6 | 0.17% | -54% | Thinly served |
| 6 | Santa MonicaLos Angeles, 7,320 businesses in total | 13 | 0.18% | -52% | Thinly served |
| 7 | VisaliaTulare, 3,364 businesses in total | 6 | 0.18% | -52% | Thinly served |
| 8 | FremontAlameda, 5,575 businesses in total | 10 | 0.18% | -52% | Thinly served |
| 9 | TemeculaRiverside, 4,281 businesses in total | 8 | 0.19% | -50% | Thinly served |
| 10 | PasadenaLos Angeles, 7,697 businesses in total | 15 | 0.19% | -48% | Thinly served |
| 11 | Elk GroveSacramento, 3,042 businesses in total | 6 | 0.20% | -47% | Thinly served |
| 12 | RosevillePlacer, 5,038 businesses in total | 10 | 0.20% | -47% | Thinly served |
| 13 | RedlandsSan Bernardino, 2,509 businesses in total | 5 | 0.20% | -46% | Thinly served |
| 14 | Mission ViejoOrange, 2,993 businesses in total | 6 | 0.20% | -46% | Thinly served |
| 15 | ReddingShasta, 3,471 businesses in total | 7 | 0.20% | -46% | Thinly served |
| 16 | PleasantonAlameda, 3,345 businesses in total | 7 | 0.21% | -44% | Thinly served |
| 17 | MurrietaRiverside, 3,203 businesses in total | 7 | 0.22% | -41% | Thinly served |
| 18 | San RafaelMarin, 3,160 businesses in total | 7 | 0.22% | -41% | Thinly served |
| 19 | Lake ForestOrange, 2,230 businesses in total | 5 | 0.22% | -40% | Below average |
| 20 | BurlingameSan Mateo, 2,194 businesses in total | 5 | 0.23% | -39% | Below average |
| 21 | SunnyvaleSanta Clara, 3,376 businesses in total | 8 | 0.24% | -36% | Below average |
| 22 | GlendaleLos Angeles, 7,130 businesses in total | 17 | 0.24% | -36% | Below average |
| 23 | Santa RosaSonoma, 6,121 businesses in total | 15 | 0.25% | -34% | Below average |
| 24 | Laguna NiguelOrange, 1,969 businesses in total | 5 | 0.25% | -32% | Below average |
| 25 | Rancho CordovaSacramento, 2,357 businesses in total | 6 | 0.25% | -32% | Below average |
Statewide, 0.37% 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 liquor stores 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.