Saturation ranking
Where independent pharmacies is most and least saturated in California
Every California market with sourced Pharmacy 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
- 4,247
- 2023 County Business Patterns
- State median density
- 0.9
- Per 10,000 residents, counties
- Counties ranked
- 42
- of 50 with data
- Cities ranked
- 188
- of 293 with data
Most saturated counties for pharmacy
42 of 50 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 | Humboldt County131,647 residents | 21 | 1.6 | +69% | Densely served |
| 2 | Orange County3,149,507 residents | 466 | 1.5 | +57% | Densely served |
| 3 | Los Angeles County9,694,934 residents | 1,417 | 1.5 | +55% | Densely served |
| 4 | Sutter County98,787 residents | 13 | 1.3 | +39% | Above average |
| 5 | Mendocino County88,122 residents | 11 | 1.2 | +32% | Above average |
| 6 | Ventura County830,851 residents | 100 | 1.2 | +27% | Above average |
| 7 | Santa Cruz County258,852 residents | 30 | 1.2 | +23% | Above average |
| 8 | Marin County253,694 residents | 29 | 1.1 | +21% | Above average |
| 9 | San Francisco County826,079 residents | 94 | 1.1 | +21% | Above average |
| 10 | Tuolumne County53,160 residents | 6 | 1.1 | +20% | Above average |
| 11 | Butte County209,211 residents | 23 | 1.1 | +16% | Above average |
| 12 | San Luis Obispo County282,367 residents | 31 | 1.1 | +16% | Above average |
| 13 | Kings County154,327 residents | 16 | 1.0 | +10% | Typical |
| 14 | Kern County927,068 residents | 95 | 1.0 | +9% | Typical |
| 15 | Imperial County181,411 residents | 18 | 1.0 | +5% | Typical |
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 pharmacy
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 | Solano County455,376 residents | 24 | 0.5 | -44% | Thinly served |
| 2 | San Joaquin County823,815 residents | 54 | 0.7 | -31% | Below average |
| 3 | Napa County132,949 residents | 9 | 0.7 | -28% | Below average |
| 4 | Alameda County1,636,630 residents | 116 | 0.7 | -25% | Below average |
| 5 | Yolo County224,410 residents | 16 | 0.7 | -24% | Below average |
| 6 | Santa Barbara County442,065 residents | 32 | 0.7 | -23% | Below average |
| 7 | San Mateo County743,568 residents | 54 | 0.7 | -23% | Below average |
| 8 | Contra Costa County1,170,070 residents | 89 | 0.8 | -19% | Below average |
| 9 | Placer County442,081 residents | 34 | 0.8 | -19% | Below average |
| 10 | Tehama County64,665 residents | 5 | 0.8 | -18% | Below average |
| 11 | Merced County297,260 residents | 23 | 0.8 | -18% | Below average |
| 12 | Sonoma County486,444 residents | 38 | 0.8 | -17% | Below average |
| 13 | Santa Clara County1,914,391 residents | 151 | 0.8 | -16% | Below average |
| 14 | Yuba County88,691 residents | 7 | 0.8 | -16% | Below average |
| 15 | Sacramento County1,618,460 residents | 134 | 0.8 | -12% | Typical |
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 pharmacy
188 of 293 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 | 36 | 1.70% | +383% | Densely served |
| 2 | San JacintoRiverside, 545 businesses in total | 8 | 1.47% | +316% | Densely served |
| 3 | Huntington ParkLos Angeles, 1,004 businesses in total | 14 | 1.39% | +295% | Densely served |
| 4 | HemetRiverside, 1,514 businesses in total | 19 | 1.25% | +255% | Densely served |
| 5 | Garden GroveOrange, 3,714 businesses in total | 45 | 1.21% | +243% | Densely served |
| 6 | BarstowSan Bernardino, 506 businesses in total | 6 | 1.19% | +236% | Densely served |
| 7 | Fountain ValleyOrange, 2,040 businesses in total | 23 | 1.13% | +219% | Densely served |
| 8 | Apple ValleySan Bernardino, 1,125 businesses in total | 12 | 1.07% | +202% | Densely served |
| 9 | ArtesiaLos Angeles, 703 businesses in total | 7 | 1.00% | +182% | Densely served |
| 10 | Bell GardensLos Angeles, 1,012 businesses in total | 10 | 0.99% | +180% | Densely served |
| 11 | DelanoKern, 510 businesses in total | 5 | 0.98% | +178% | Densely served |
| 12 | GlendaleLos Angeles, 7,130 businesses in total | 65 | 0.91% | +158% | Densely served |
| 13 | RialtoSan Bernardino, 1,231 businesses in total | 11 | 0.89% | +153% | Densely served |
| 14 | AlhambraLos Angeles, 2,384 businesses in total | 21 | 0.88% | +149% | Densely served |
| 15 | MontebelloLos Angeles, 1,370 businesses in total | 12 | 0.88% | +148% | Densely served |
| 16 | StantonOrange, 584 businesses in total | 5 | 0.86% | +142% | Densely served |
| 17 | OakdaleStanislaus, 702 businesses in total | 6 | 0.85% | +142% | Densely served |
| 18 | PortervilleTulare, 937 businesses in total | 8 | 0.85% | +142% | Densely served |
| 19 | Buena ParkOrange, 2,195 businesses in total | 18 | 0.82% | +132% | Densely served |
| 20 | La MiradaLos Angeles, 1,112 businesses in total | 9 | 0.81% | +129% | Densely served |
| 21 | HesperiaSan Bernardino, 1,542 businesses in total | 12 | 0.78% | +120% | Densely served |
| 22 | Pico RiveraLos Angeles, 918 businesses in total | 7 | 0.76% | +116% | Densely served |
| 23 | Monterey ParkLos Angeles, 2,109 businesses in total | 16 | 0.76% | +115% | Densely served |
| 24 | San BernardinoSan Bernardino, 3,569 businesses in total | 27 | 0.76% | +114% | Densely served |
| 25 | BellflowerLos Angeles, 1,195 businesses in total | 9 | 0.75% | +113% | Densely served |
Statewide, 0.35% 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 pharmacy
The bottom of the same ordering. These are the California cities carrying the least pharmacy provision per resident among those that clear both floors.
| # | City | Establishments | Share of local | Vs state share | Reading |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | BerkeleyAlameda, 4,279 businesses in total | 6 | 0.14% | -60% | Thinly served |
| 2 | SunnyvaleSanta Clara, 3,376 businesses in total | 5 | 0.15% | -58% | Thinly served |
| 3 | NapaNapa, 3,089 businesses in total | 5 | 0.16% | -54% | Thinly served |
| 4 | San MateoSan Mateo, 4,307 businesses in total | 7 | 0.16% | -54% | Thinly served |
| 5 | Costa MesaOrange, 5,397 businesses in total | 9 | 0.17% | -53% | Thinly served |
| 6 | ConcordContra Costa, 3,539 businesses in total | 6 | 0.17% | -52% | Thinly served |
| 7 | Santa ClaraSanta Clara, 4,587 businesses in total | 8 | 0.17% | -51% | Thinly served |
| 8 | PleasantonAlameda, 3,345 businesses in total | 6 | 0.18% | -49% | Thinly served |
| 9 | West HollywoodLos Angeles, 2,749 businesses in total | 5 | 0.18% | -49% | Thinly served |
| 10 | CarlsbadSan Diego, 5,494 businesses in total | 10 | 0.18% | -48% | Thinly served |
| 11 | San Luis ObispoSan Luis Obispo, 2,659 businesses in total | 5 | 0.19% | -47% | Thinly served |
| 12 | Santa RosaSonoma, 6,121 businesses in total | 12 | 0.20% | -44% | Thinly served |
| 13 | OntarioSan Bernardino, 5,487 businesses in total | 11 | 0.20% | -43% | Thinly served |
| 14 | IrvineOrange, 14,947 businesses in total | 30 | 0.20% | -43% | Thinly served |
| 15 | Palo AltoSanta Clara, 3,843 businesses in total | 8 | 0.21% | -41% | Thinly served |
| 16 | Redwood CitySan Mateo, 3,279 businesses in total | 7 | 0.21% | -40% | Below average |
| 17 | San DiegoSan Diego, 42,106 businesses in total | 92 | 0.22% | -38% | Below average |
| 18 | OaklandAlameda, 10,328 businesses in total | 23 | 0.22% | -37% | Below average |
| 19 | Walnut CreekContra Costa, 4,012 businesses in total | 9 | 0.22% | -36% | Below average |
| 20 | BurlingameSan Mateo, 2,194 businesses in total | 5 | 0.23% | -35% | Below average |
| 21 | FremontAlameda, 5,575 businesses in total | 13 | 0.23% | -34% | Below average |
| 22 | Mountain ViewSanta Clara, 2,974 businesses in total | 7 | 0.24% | -33% | Below average |
| 23 | San FranciscoSan Francisco, 33,575 businesses in total | 80 | 0.24% | -33% | Below average |
| 24 | Newport BeachOrange, 6,234 businesses in total | 15 | 0.24% | -32% | Below average |
| 25 | San RafaelMarin, 3,160 businesses in total | 8 | 0.25% | -28% | Below average |
Statewide, 0.35% 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 pharmacy 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.