Saturation ranking
Where optometry practices is most and least saturated in California
Every California market with sourced Optometry 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
- 2,757
- 2023 County Business Patterns
- State median density
- 0.6
- Per 10,000 residents, counties
- Counties ranked
- 38
- of 41 with data
- Cities ranked
- 142
- of 228 with data
Most saturated counties for optometry
38 of 41 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 | 378 | 1.2 | +104% | Densely served |
| 2 | San Francisco County826,079 residents | 84 | 1.0 | +73% | Densely served |
| 3 | Santa Clara County1,914,391 residents | 183 | 1.0 | +63% | Densely served |
| 4 | Marin County253,694 residents | 24 | 0.9 | +61% | Densely served |
| 5 | Shasta County181,648 residents | 16 | 0.9 | +50% | Densely served |
| 6 | Ventura County830,851 residents | 68 | 0.8 | +39% | Above average |
| 7 | Placer County442,081 residents | 36 | 0.8 | +39% | Above average |
| 8 | Sutter County98,787 residents | 8 | 0.8 | +38% | Above average |
| 9 | El Dorado County192,323 residents | 15 | 0.8 | +33% | Above average |
| 10 | Alameda County1,636,630 residents | 122 | 0.7 | +27% | Above average |
| 11 | San Luis Obispo County282,367 residents | 21 | 0.7 | +27% | Above average |
| 12 | Santa Cruz County258,852 residents | 19 | 0.7 | +25% | Above average |
| 13 | Los Angeles County9,694,934 residents | 710 | 0.7 | +25% | Above average |
| 14 | San Diego County3,282,248 residents | 231 | 0.7 | +20% | Above average |
| 15 | Humboldt County131,647 residents | 9 | 0.7 | +16% | Above average |
State median for this industry: 0.6 establishments per 10,000 residents. A high figure means more provision per resident, not more demand.
Least saturated counties for optometry
The same 38 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 | Tulare County485,146 residents | 17 | 0.4 | -40% | Thinly served |
| 2 | San Joaquin County823,815 residents | 29 | 0.4 | -40% | Thinly served |
| 3 | Madera County167,927 residents | 6 | 0.4 | -39% | Below average |
| 4 | Fresno County1,035,456 residents | 39 | 0.4 | -36% | Below average |
| 5 | Imperial County181,411 residents | 7 | 0.4 | -34% | Below average |
| 6 | Merced County297,260 residents | 12 | 0.4 | -31% | Below average |
| 7 | Monterey County433,729 residents | 18 | 0.4 | -29% | Below average |
| 8 | Kern County927,068 residents | 40 | 0.4 | -26% | Below average |
| 9 | Sonoma County486,444 residents | 22 | 0.5 | -23% | Below average |
| 10 | Santa Barbara County442,065 residents | 20 | 0.5 | -23% | Below average |
| 11 | Yolo County224,410 residents | 11 | 0.5 | -16% | Below average |
| 12 | Nevada County101,911 residents | 5 | 0.5 | -16% | Below average |
| 13 | Solano County455,376 residents | 23 | 0.5 | -14% | Typical |
| 14 | Kings County154,327 residents | 8 | 0.5 | -12% | Typical |
| 15 | Stanislaus County557,719 residents | 29 | 0.5 | -11% | Typical |
State median for this industry: 0.6 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 optometry
142 of 228 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 | WestminsterOrange, 2,112 businesses in total | 22 | 1.04% | +398% | Densely served |
| 2 | HighlandSan Bernardino, 581 businesses in total | 5 | 0.86% | +312% | Densely served |
| 3 | West CovinaLos Angeles, 2,345 businesses in total | 19 | 0.81% | +287% | Densely served |
| 4 | MontclairSan Bernardino, 1,011 businesses in total | 7 | 0.69% | +231% | Densely served |
| 5 | Temple CityLos Angeles, 1,038 businesses in total | 7 | 0.67% | +222% | Densely served |
| 6 | Rancho MirageRiverside, 752 businesses in total | 5 | 0.66% | +218% | Densely served |
| 7 | CerritosLos Angeles, 1,970 businesses in total | 13 | 0.66% | +216% | Densely served |
| 8 | PortervilleTulare, 937 businesses in total | 6 | 0.64% | +206% | Densely served |
| 9 | Chino HillsSan Bernardino, 1,876 businesses in total | 12 | 0.64% | +206% | Densely served |
| 10 | Fountain ValleyOrange, 2,040 businesses in total | 13 | 0.64% | +205% | Densely served |
| 11 | Garden GroveOrange, 3,714 businesses in total | 23 | 0.62% | +196% | Densely served |
| 12 | CupertinoSanta Clara, 1,627 businesses in total | 10 | 0.61% | +194% | Densely served |
| 13 | PlacentiaOrange, 1,304 businesses in total | 8 | 0.61% | +193% | Densely served |
| 14 | MontebelloLos Angeles, 1,370 businesses in total | 8 | 0.58% | +179% | Densely served |
| 15 | SanteeSan Diego, 1,273 businesses in total | 7 | 0.55% | +163% | Densely served |
| 16 | ClaremontLos Angeles, 1,094 businesses in total | 6 | 0.55% | +162% | Densely served |
| 17 | CypressOrange, 1,278 businesses in total | 7 | 0.55% | +162% | Densely served |
| 18 | MilpitasSanta Clara, 2,220 businesses in total | 12 | 0.54% | +158% | Densely served |
| 19 | GlendoraLos Angeles, 1,497 businesses in total | 8 | 0.53% | +156% | Densely served |
| 20 | La HabraOrange, 1,511 businesses in total | 8 | 0.53% | +153% | Densely served |
| 21 | La QuintaRiverside, 951 businesses in total | 5 | 0.53% | +151% | Densely served |
| 22 | Union CityAlameda, 1,362 businesses in total | 7 | 0.51% | +146% | Densely served |
| 23 | Citrus HeightsSacramento, 1,423 businesses in total | 7 | 0.49% | +135% | Densely served |
| 24 | AuburnPlacer, 1,640 businesses in total | 8 | 0.49% | +133% | Densely served |
| 25 | MercedMerced, 1,653 businesses in total | 8 | 0.48% | +131% | Densely served |
Statewide, 0.21% 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 optometry
The bottom of the same ordering. These are the California cities carrying the least optometry provision per resident among those that clear both floors.
| # | City | Establishments | Share of local | Vs state share | Reading |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Los AngelesLos Angeles, 77,828 businesses in total | 61 | 0.08% | -63% | Thinly served |
| 2 | Newport BeachOrange, 6,234 businesses in total | 6 | 0.10% | -54% | Thinly served |
| 3 | Santa BarbaraSanta Barbara, 5,868 businesses in total | 6 | 0.10% | -51% | Thinly served |
| 4 | Santa RosaSonoma, 6,121 businesses in total | 7 | 0.11% | -45% | Thinly served |
| 5 | FresnoFresno, 13,153 businesses in total | 17 | 0.13% | -38% | Below average |
| 6 | OceansideSan Diego, 3,630 businesses in total | 5 | 0.14% | -34% | Below average |
| 7 | San RafaelMarin, 3,160 businesses in total | 5 | 0.16% | -24% | Below average |
| 8 | StocktonSan Joaquin, 6,022 businesses in total | 10 | 0.17% | -21% | Below average |
| 9 | GardenaLos Angeles, 3,007 businesses in total | 5 | 0.17% | -20% | Below average |
| 10 | BakersfieldKern, 10,791 businesses in total | 19 | 0.18% | -16% | Below average |
| 11 | San DiegoSan Diego, 42,106 businesses in total | 75 | 0.18% | -15% | Typical |
| 12 | Santa MariaSanta Barbara, 2,804 businesses in total | 5 | 0.18% | -15% | Typical |
| 13 | VisaliaTulare, 3,364 businesses in total | 6 | 0.18% | -15% | Typical |
| 14 | IrvineOrange, 14,947 businesses in total | 27 | 0.18% | -14% | Typical |
| 15 | SacramentoSacramento, 19,687 businesses in total | 36 | 0.18% | -13% | Typical |
| 16 | OaklandAlameda, 10,328 businesses in total | 19 | 0.18% | -12% | Typical |
| 17 | San RamonContra Costa, 2,659 businesses in total | 5 | 0.19% | -10% | Typical |
| 18 | San Luis ObispoSan Luis Obispo, 2,659 businesses in total | 5 | 0.19% | -10% | Typical |
| 19 | LivermoreAlameda, 2,640 businesses in total | 5 | 0.19% | -9% | Typical |
| 20 | OrangeOrange, 5,761 businesses in total | 11 | 0.19% | -9% | Typical |
| 21 | WhittierLos Angeles, 3,060 businesses in total | 6 | 0.20% | -6% | Typical |
| 22 | San BernardinoSan Bernardino, 3,569 businesses in total | 7 | 0.20% | -6% | Typical |
| 23 | GlendaleLos Angeles, 7,130 businesses in total | 14 | 0.20% | -6% | Typical |
| 24 | DowneyLos Angeles, 2,532 businesses in total | 5 | 0.20% | -6% | Typical |
| 25 | CarlsbadSan Diego, 5,494 businesses in total | 11 | 0.20% | -4% | Typical |
Statewide, 0.21% 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 optometry 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.