Saturation ranking
Where self-storage facilities is most and least saturated in California
Every California market with sourced Self Storage 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
- 2,247
- 2023 County Business Patterns
- State median density
- 0.6
- Per 10,000 residents, counties
- Counties ranked
- 41
- of 46 with data
- Cities ranked
- 115
- of 196 with data
Most saturated counties for self storage
41 of 46 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 | Siskiyou County42,013 residents | 7 | 1.7 | +169% | Densely served |
| 2 | Calaveras County46,605 residents | 7 | 1.5 | +143% | Densely served |
| 3 | Mendocino County88,122 residents | 9 | 1.0 | +65% | Densely served |
| 4 | Humboldt County131,647 residents | 13 | 1.0 | +60% | Densely served |
| 5 | Butte County209,211 residents | 20 | 1.0 | +55% | Densely served |
| 6 | Tuolumne County53,160 residents | 5 | 0.9 | +52% | Densely served |
| 7 | Placer County442,081 residents | 39 | 0.9 | +43% | Above average |
| 8 | Shasta County181,648 residents | 16 | 0.9 | +42% | Above average |
| 9 | Santa Cruz County258,852 residents | 22 | 0.8 | +37% | Above average |
| 10 | Marin County253,694 residents | 20 | 0.8 | +27% | Above average |
| 11 | Nevada County101,911 residents | 8 | 0.8 | +27% | Above average |
| 12 | San Luis Obispo County282,367 residents | 22 | 0.8 | +26% | Above average |
| 13 | Solano County455,376 residents | 35 | 0.8 | +24% | Above average |
| 14 | Napa County132,949 residents | 10 | 0.8 | +22% | Above average |
| 15 | Sonoma County486,444 residents | 35 | 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 self storage
The same 41 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 | San Francisco County826,079 residents | 25 | 0.3 | -51% | Thinly served |
| 2 | Kings County154,327 residents | 5 | 0.3 | -48% | Thinly served |
| 3 | Madera County167,927 residents | 6 | 0.4 | -42% | Thinly served |
| 4 | Monterey County433,729 residents | 21 | 0.5 | -22% | Below average |
| 5 | Kern County927,068 residents | 45 | 0.5 | -22% | Below average |
| 6 | Fresno County1,035,456 residents | 51 | 0.5 | -20% | Below average |
| 7 | Tulare County485,146 residents | 24 | 0.5 | -20% | Below average |
| 8 | San Joaquin County823,815 residents | 41 | 0.5 | -20% | Below average |
| 9 | Santa Clara County1,914,391 residents | 96 | 0.5 | -19% | Below average |
| 10 | Merced County297,260 residents | 15 | 0.5 | -18% | Below average |
| 11 | Los Angeles County9,694,934 residents | 492 | 0.5 | -18% | Below average |
| 12 | Contra Costa County1,170,070 residents | 63 | 0.5 | -13% | Typical |
| 13 | San Bernardino County2,224,091 residents | 121 | 0.5 | -12% | Typical |
| 14 | Alameda County1,636,630 residents | 90 | 0.5 | -11% | Typical |
| 15 | Orange County3,149,507 residents | 185 | 0.6 | -5% | 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 self storage
115 of 196 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 | Los BanosMerced, 581 businesses in total | 6 | 1.03% | +599% | Densely served |
| 2 | BeaumontRiverside, 731 businesses in total | 6 | 0.82% | +455% | Densely served |
| 3 | Pico RiveraLos Angeles, 918 businesses in total | 7 | 0.76% | +416% | Densely served |
| 4 | Jurupa Valley1,066 businesses in total | 8 | 0.75% | +408% | Densely served |
| 5 | CeresStanislaus, 676 businesses in total | 5 | 0.74% | +400% | Densely served |
| 6 | NorcoRiverside, 840 businesses in total | 6 | 0.71% | +383% | Densely served |
| 7 | VallejoSolano, 1,732 businesses in total | 12 | 0.69% | +369% | Densely served |
| 8 | San PabloContra Costa, 807 businesses in total | 5 | 0.62% | +319% | Densely served |
| 9 | LompocSanta Barbara, 883 businesses in total | 5 | 0.57% | +283% | Densely served |
| 10 | PortervilleTulare, 937 businesses in total | 5 | 0.53% | +261% | Densely served |
| 11 | UkiahMendocino, 946 businesses in total | 5 | 0.53% | +258% | Densely served |
| 12 | MartinezContra Costa, 1,141 businesses in total | 6 | 0.53% | +256% | Densely served |
| 13 | HesperiaSan Bernardino, 1,542 businesses in total | 8 | 0.52% | +251% | Densely served |
| 14 | PalmdaleLos Angeles, 2,335 businesses in total | 12 | 0.51% | +248% | Densely served |
| 15 | SonomaSonoma, 1,218 businesses in total | 6 | 0.49% | +233% | Densely served |
| 16 | RialtoSan Bernardino, 1,231 businesses in total | 6 | 0.49% | +230% | Densely served |
| 17 | Solana BeachSan Diego, 1,032 businesses in total | 5 | 0.48% | +228% | Densely served |
| 18 | LancasterLos Angeles, 2,565 businesses in total | 12 | 0.47% | +217% | Densely served |
| 19 | Palm SpringsRiverside, 1,933 businesses in total | 9 | 0.47% | +215% | Densely served |
| 20 | South Lake TahoeEl Dorado, 1,082 businesses in total | 5 | 0.46% | +213% | Densely served |
| 21 | Lake ElsinoreRiverside, 1,327 businesses in total | 6 | 0.45% | +206% | Densely served |
| 22 | ChicoButte, 3,159 businesses in total | 14 | 0.44% | +200% | Densely served |
| 23 | San MarcosSan Diego, 2,711 businesses in total | 12 | 0.44% | +199% | Densely served |
| 24 | HawthorneLos Angeles, 1,403 businesses in total | 6 | 0.43% | +189% | Densely served |
| 25 | TulareTulare, 1,173 businesses in total | 5 | 0.43% | +188% | Densely served |
Statewide, 0.15% 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 self storage
The bottom of the same ordering. These are the California cities carrying the least self storage provision per resident among those that clear both floors.
| # | City | Establishments | Share of local | Vs state share | Reading |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San FranciscoSan Francisco, 33,575 businesses in total | 19 | 0.06% | -62% | Thinly served |
| 2 | Los AngelesLos Angeles, 77,828 businesses in total | 54 | 0.07% | -53% | Thinly served |
| 3 | TorranceLos Angeles, 7,600 businesses in total | 6 | 0.08% | -47% | Thinly served |
| 4 | San JoseSanta Clara, 21,501 businesses in total | 21 | 0.10% | -34% | Below average |
| 5 | CoronaRiverside, 5,711 businesses in total | 6 | 0.11% | -29% | Below average |
| 6 | AnaheimOrange, 9,049 businesses in total | 10 | 0.11% | -25% | Below average |
| 7 | Newport BeachOrange, 6,234 businesses in total | 7 | 0.11% | -24% | Below average |
| 8 | OaklandAlameda, 10,328 businesses in total | 12 | 0.12% | -21% | Below average |
| 9 | San DiegoSan Diego, 42,106 businesses in total | 54 | 0.13% | -13% | Typical |
| 10 | Palo AltoSanta Clara, 3,843 businesses in total | 5 | 0.13% | -12% | Typical |
| 11 | Thousand OaksVentura, 3,759 businesses in total | 5 | 0.13% | -10% | Typical |
| 12 | IrvineOrange, 14,947 businesses in total | 20 | 0.13% | -9% | Typical |
| 13 | Santa AnaOrange, 8,181 businesses in total | 11 | 0.13% | -9% | Typical |
| 14 | PasadenaLos Angeles, 7,697 businesses in total | 11 | 0.14% | -3% | Typical |
| 15 | TustinOrange, 3,361 businesses in total | 5 | 0.15% | +1% | Typical |
| 16 | PleasantonAlameda, 3,345 businesses in total | 5 | 0.15% | +1% | Typical |
| 17 | Rancho CucamongaSan Bernardino, 5,340 businesses in total | 8 | 0.15% | +1% | Typical |
| 18 | ChinoSan Bernardino, 3,295 businesses in total | 5 | 0.15% | +3% | Typical |
| 19 | OxnardVentura, 3,760 businesses in total | 6 | 0.16% | +8% | Typical |
| 20 | Huntington BeachOrange, 6,263 businesses in total | 10 | 0.16% | +8% | Typical |
| 21 | Santa RosaSonoma, 6,121 businesses in total | 10 | 0.16% | +11% | Typical |
| 22 | OntarioSan Bernardino, 5,487 businesses in total | 9 | 0.16% | +11% | Typical |
| 23 | OceansideSan Diego, 3,630 businesses in total | 6 | 0.17% | +12% | Typical |
| 24 | ModestoStanislaus, 5,412 businesses in total | 9 | 0.17% | +13% | Typical |
| 25 | Long BeachLos Angeles, 9,885 businesses in total | 17 | 0.17% | +16% | Above average |
Statewide, 0.15% 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 self storage 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.