Saturation ranking
Where physician practices is most and least saturated in California
Every California market with sourced Medical Practice 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
- 29,615
- 2023 County Business Patterns
- State median density
- 5.4
- Per 10,000 residents, counties
- Counties ranked
- 53
- of 54 with data
- Cities ranked
- 288
- of 373 with data
Most saturated counties for medical practice
53 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 | Mono County12,505 residents | 17 | 13.6 | +152% | Densely served |
| 2 | Orange County3,149,507 residents | 3,946 | 12.5 | +132% | Densely served |
| 3 | San Luis Obispo County282,367 residents | 323 | 11.4 | +112% | Densely served |
| 4 | Ventura County830,851 residents | 903 | 10.9 | +101% | Densely served |
| 5 | Tuolumne County53,160 residents | 55 | 10.3 | +91% | Densely served |
| 6 | Los Angeles County9,694,934 residents | 9,829 | 10.1 | +88% | Densely served |
| 7 | Marin County253,694 residents | 255 | 10.1 | +86% | Densely served |
| 8 | Santa Barbara County442,065 residents | 395 | 8.9 | +65% | Densely served |
| 9 | San Diego County3,282,248 residents | 2,576 | 7.8 | +45% | Above average |
| 10 | Inyo County18,158 residents | 14 | 7.7 | +43% | Above average |
| 11 | Shasta County181,648 residents | 138 | 7.6 | +41% | Above average |
| 12 | San Francisco County826,079 residents | 621 | 7.5 | +39% | Above average |
| 13 | Sutter County98,787 residents | 70 | 7.1 | +31% | Above average |
| 14 | Santa Cruz County258,852 residents | 177 | 6.8 | +27% | Above average |
| 15 | Napa County132,949 residents | 89 | 6.7 | +24% | Above average |
State median for this industry: 5.4 establishments per 10,000 residents. A high figure means more provision per resident, not more demand.
Least saturated counties for medical practice
The same 53 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 | 13 | 1.5 | -73% | Thinly served |
| 2 | Lassen County28,117 residents | 5 | 1.8 | -67% | Thinly served |
| 3 | Tehama County64,665 residents | 13 | 2.0 | -63% | Thinly served |
| 4 | Glenn County28,141 residents | 6 | 2.1 | -61% | Thinly served |
| 5 | Lake County67,772 residents | 18 | 2.7 | -51% | Thinly served |
| 6 | Madera County167,927 residents | 45 | 2.7 | -50% | Thinly served |
| 7 | Colusa County21,836 residents | 6 | 2.7 | -49% | Thinly served |
| 8 | Solano County455,376 residents | 143 | 3.1 | -42% | Thinly served |
| 9 | Calaveras County46,605 residents | 15 | 3.2 | -40% | Thinly served |
| 10 | Yolo County224,410 residents | 75 | 3.3 | -38% | Below average |
| 11 | San Benito County70,082 residents | 25 | 3.6 | -34% | Below average |
| 12 | San Joaquin County823,815 residents | 318 | 3.9 | -29% | Below average |
| 13 | Sacramento County1,618,460 residents | 675 | 4.2 | -23% | Below average |
| 14 | Merced County297,260 residents | 125 | 4.2 | -22% | Below average |
| 15 | El Dorado County192,323 residents | 81 | 4.2 | -22% | Below average |
State median for this industry: 5.4 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 medical practice
288 of 373 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 | Rancho MirageRiverside, 752 businesses in total | 128 | 17.02% | +498% | Densely served |
| 2 | Los AlamitosOrange, 1,247 businesses in total | 116 | 9.30% | +227% | Densely served |
| 3 | Beverly HillsLos Angeles, 6,870 businesses in total | 628 | 9.14% | +221% | Densely served |
| 4 | Fountain ValleyOrange, 2,040 businesses in total | 182 | 8.92% | +213% | Densely served |
| 5 | Apple ValleySan Bernardino, 1,125 businesses in total | 97 | 8.62% | +203% | Densely served |
| 6 | Los GatosSanta Clara, 1,893 businesses in total | 160 | 8.45% | +197% | Densely served |
| 7 | Rancho Palos VerdesLos Angeles, 888 businesses in total | 65 | 7.32% | +157% | Densely served |
| 8 | Newport BeachOrange, 6,234 businesses in total | 447 | 7.17% | +152% | Densely served |
| 9 | MontereyMonterey, 1,833 businesses in total | 125 | 6.82% | +140% | Densely served |
| 10 | Laguna HillsOrange, 1,901 businesses in total | 129 | 6.79% | +138% | Densely served |
| 11 | ArcadiaLos Angeles, 3,093 businesses in total | 192 | 6.21% | +118% | Densely served |
| 12 | UplandSan Bernardino, 2,607 businesses in total | 160 | 6.14% | +116% | Densely served |
| 13 | Westlake VillageLos Angeles, 1,669 businesses in total | 102 | 6.11% | +115% | Densely served |
| 14 | LynwoodLos Angeles, 762 businesses in total | 46 | 6.04% | +112% | Densely served |
| 15 | RedlandsSan Bernardino, 2,509 businesses in total | 151 | 6.02% | +111% | Densely served |
| 16 | VisaliaTulare, 3,364 businesses in total | 201 | 5.98% | +110% | Densely served |
| 17 | Monterey ParkLos Angeles, 2,109 businesses in total | 124 | 5.88% | +107% | Densely served |
| 18 | EncinitasSan Diego, 2,778 businesses in total | 162 | 5.83% | +105% | Densely served |
| 19 | MercedMerced, 1,653 businesses in total | 96 | 5.81% | +104% | Densely served |
| 20 | San MarinoLos Angeles, 656 businesses in total | 38 | 5.79% | +103% | Densely served |
| 21 | SonoraTuolumne, 818 businesses in total | 47 | 5.75% | +102% | Densely served |
| 22 | PasadenaLos Angeles, 7,697 businesses in total | 440 | 5.72% | +101% | Densely served |
| 23 | CoronadoSan Diego, 710 businesses in total | 40 | 5.63% | +98% | Densely served |
| 24 | TorranceLos Angeles, 7,600 businesses in total | 423 | 5.57% | +96% | Densely served |
| 25 | Palm SpringsRiverside, 1,933 businesses in total | 107 | 5.54% | +94% | Densely served |
Statewide, 2.85% 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 medical practice
The bottom of the same ordering. These are the California cities carrying the least medical practice provision per resident among those that clear both floors.
| # | City | Establishments | Share of local | Vs state share | Reading |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Citrus HeightsSacramento, 1,423 businesses in total | 5 | 0.35% | -88% | Thinly served |
| 2 | Santa Fe SpringsLos Angeles, 2,171 businesses in total | 10 | 0.46% | -84% | Thinly served |
| 3 | La PuenteLos Angeles, 2,119 businesses in total | 10 | 0.47% | -83% | Thinly served |
| 4 | ComptonLos Angeles, 1,736 businesses in total | 11 | 0.63% | -78% | Thinly served |
| 5 | Rohnert ParkSonoma, 912 businesses in total | 6 | 0.66% | -77% | Thinly served |
| 6 | Rancho CordovaSacramento, 2,357 businesses in total | 16 | 0.68% | -76% | Thinly served |
| 7 | South San FranciscoSan Mateo, 2,283 businesses in total | 16 | 0.70% | -75% | Thinly served |
| 8 | NorcoRiverside, 840 businesses in total | 6 | 0.71% | -75% | Thinly served |
| 9 | Baldwin ParkLos Angeles, 1,638 businesses in total | 12 | 0.73% | -74% | Thinly served |
| 10 | WoodlandYolo, 1,353 businesses in total | 10 | 0.74% | -74% | Thinly served |
| 11 | HaywardAlameda, 4,289 businesses in total | 33 | 0.77% | -73% | Thinly served |
| 12 | HesperiaSan Bernardino, 1,542 businesses in total | 12 | 0.78% | -73% | Thinly served |
| 13 | BeniciaSolano, 890 businesses in total | 7 | 0.79% | -72% | Thinly served |
| 14 | Santa ClaraSanta Clara, 4,587 businesses in total | 37 | 0.81% | -72% | Thinly served |
| 15 | San CarlosSan Mateo, 1,357 businesses in total | 11 | 0.81% | -72% | Thinly served |
| 16 | NewarkAlameda, 1,224 businesses in total | 10 | 0.82% | -71% | Thinly served |
| 17 | San FernandoLos Angeles, 848 businesses in total | 7 | 0.83% | -71% | Thinly served |
| 18 | West SacramentoYolo, 1,439 businesses in total | 12 | 0.83% | -71% | Thinly served |
| 19 | StantonOrange, 584 businesses in total | 5 | 0.86% | -70% | Thinly served |
| 20 | OntarioSan Bernardino, 5,487 businesses in total | 47 | 0.86% | -70% | Thinly served |
| 21 | AtascaderoSan Luis Obispo, 918 businesses in total | 8 | 0.87% | -69% | Thinly served |
| 22 | MartinezContra Costa, 1,141 businesses in total | 10 | 0.88% | -69% | Thinly served |
| 23 | WindsorSonoma, 660 businesses in total | 6 | 0.91% | -68% | Thinly served |
| 24 | LivermoreAlameda, 2,640 businesses in total | 24 | 0.91% | -68% | Thinly served |
| 25 | South El MonteLos Angeles, 1,852 businesses in total | 17 | 0.92% | -68% | Thinly served |
Statewide, 2.85% 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 medical practice 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.