Saturation ranking
Where staffing & employment agencies is most and least saturated in California
Every California market with sourced Staffing 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
- 5,051
- 2023 County Business Patterns
- State median density
- 0.8
- Per 10,000 residents, counties
- Counties ranked
- 34
- of 40 with data
- Cities ranked
- 131
- of 199 with data
Most saturated counties for staffing
34 of 40 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 | San Francisco County826,079 residents | 195 | 2.4 | +214% | Densely served |
| 2 | Orange County3,149,507 residents | 537 | 1.7 | +127% | Densely served |
| 3 | Napa County132,949 residents | 22 | 1.7 | +120% | Densely served |
| 4 | Sacramento County1,618,460 residents | 265 | 1.6 | +118% | Densely served |
| 5 | Santa Clara County1,914,391 residents | 291 | 1.5 | +102% | Densely served |
| 6 | Alameda County1,636,630 residents | 240 | 1.5 | +95% | Densely served |
| 7 | San Mateo County743,568 residents | 106 | 1.4 | +90% | Densely served |
| 8 | Marin County253,694 residents | 35 | 1.4 | +83% | Densely served |
| 9 | Contra Costa County1,170,070 residents | 159 | 1.4 | +81% | Densely served |
| 10 | Los Angeles County9,694,934 residents | 1,296 | 1.3 | +78% | Densely served |
| 11 | Placer County442,081 residents | 58 | 1.3 | +74% | Densely served |
| 12 | Ventura County830,851 residents | 109 | 1.3 | +74% | Densely served |
| 13 | San Diego County3,282,248 residents | 415 | 1.3 | +68% | Densely served |
| 14 | Sutter County98,787 residents | 10 | 1.0 | +35% | Above average |
| 15 | San Bernardino County2,224,091 residents | 216 | 1.0 | +29% | Above average |
State median for this industry: 0.8 establishments per 10,000 residents. A high figure means more provision per resident, not more demand.
Least saturated counties for staffing
The same 34 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 | Madera County167,927 residents | 5 | 0.3 | -60% | Thinly served |
| 2 | Kings County154,327 residents | 5 | 0.3 | -57% | Thinly served |
| 3 | Humboldt County131,647 residents | 5 | 0.4 | -50% | Thinly served |
| 4 | El Dorado County192,323 residents | 10 | 0.5 | -31% | Below average |
| 5 | Butte County209,211 residents | 11 | 0.5 | -30% | Below average |
| 6 | Monterey County433,729 residents | 24 | 0.6 | -26% | Below average |
| 7 | San Joaquin County823,815 residents | 51 | 0.6 | -18% | Below average |
| 8 | Yolo County224,410 residents | 14 | 0.6 | -17% | Below average |
| 9 | Kern County927,068 residents | 61 | 0.7 | -13% | Typical |
| 10 | Solano County455,376 residents | 30 | 0.7 | -12% | Typical |
| 11 | Tulare County485,146 residents | 32 | 0.7 | -12% | Typical |
| 12 | Santa Cruz County258,852 residents | 18 | 0.7 | -8% | Typical |
| 13 | Riverside County2,544,916 residents | 177 | 0.7 | -8% | Typical |
| 14 | Fresno County1,035,456 residents | 74 | 0.7 | -5% | Typical |
| 15 | San Luis Obispo County282,367 residents | 21 | 0.7 | -1% | Typical |
State median for this industry: 0.8 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 staffing
131 of 199 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 | San RamonContra Costa, 2,659 businesses in total | 68 | 2.56% | +630% | Densely served |
| 2 | PleasantonAlameda, 3,345 businesses in total | 75 | 2.24% | +540% | Densely served |
| 3 | FolsomSacramento, 2,559 businesses in total | 39 | 1.52% | +335% | Densely served |
| 4 | OntarioSan Bernardino, 5,487 businesses in total | 72 | 1.31% | +274% | Densely served |
| 5 | Rancho CordovaSacramento, 2,357 businesses in total | 28 | 1.19% | +239% | Densely served |
| 6 | El SegundoLos Angeles, 2,288 businesses in total | 26 | 1.14% | +224% | Densely served |
| 7 | South San FranciscoSan Mateo, 2,283 businesses in total | 23 | 1.01% | +187% | Densely served |
| 8 | La PuenteLos Angeles, 2,119 businesses in total | 21 | 0.99% | +183% | Densely served |
| 9 | Santa ClaraSanta Clara, 4,587 businesses in total | 43 | 0.94% | +167% | Densely served |
| 10 | FairfieldSolano, 2,170 businesses in total | 19 | 0.88% | +150% | Densely served |
| 11 | CerritosLos Angeles, 1,970 businesses in total | 17 | 0.86% | +146% | Densely served |
| 12 | TorranceLos Angeles, 7,600 businesses in total | 65 | 0.86% | +144% | Densely served |
| 13 | AlamedaAlameda, 1,899 businesses in total | 16 | 0.84% | +140% | Densely served |
| 14 | Westlake VillageLos Angeles, 1,669 businesses in total | 14 | 0.84% | +139% | Densely served |
| 15 | RosevillePlacer, 5,038 businesses in total | 42 | 0.83% | +138% | Densely served |
| 16 | Santa Fe SpringsLos Angeles, 2,171 businesses in total | 18 | 0.83% | +137% | Densely served |
| 17 | CarsonLos Angeles, 1,696 businesses in total | 14 | 0.83% | +136% | Densely served |
| 18 | Culver CityLos Angeles, 2,919 businesses in total | 24 | 0.82% | +135% | Densely served |
| 19 | OxnardVentura, 3,760 businesses in total | 30 | 0.80% | +128% | Densely served |
| 20 | PerrisRiverside, 1,263 businesses in total | 10 | 0.79% | +126% | Densely served |
| 21 | MoorparkVentura, 899 businesses in total | 7 | 0.78% | +122% | Densely served |
| 22 | IrvineOrange, 14,947 businesses in total | 112 | 0.75% | +114% | Densely served |
| 23 | SacramentoSacramento, 19,687 businesses in total | 147 | 0.75% | +113% | Densely served |
| 24 | Menlo ParkSan Mateo, 1,765 businesses in total | 13 | 0.74% | +110% | Densely served |
| 25 | RialtoSan Bernardino, 1,231 businesses in total | 9 | 0.73% | +109% | 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 staffing
The bottom of the same ordering. These are the California cities carrying the least staffing provision per resident among those that clear both floors.
| # | City | Establishments | Share of local | Vs state share | Reading |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Santa RosaSonoma, 6,121 businesses in total | 9 | 0.15% | -58% | Thinly served |
| 2 | Redondo BeachLos Angeles, 2,814 businesses in total | 5 | 0.18% | -49% | Thinly served |
| 3 | Santa MariaSanta Barbara, 2,804 businesses in total | 5 | 0.18% | -49% | Thinly served |
| 4 | Simi ValleyVentura, 3,329 businesses in total | 6 | 0.18% | -49% | Thinly served |
| 5 | San RafaelMarin, 3,160 businesses in total | 6 | 0.19% | -46% | Thinly served |
| 6 | ChicoButte, 3,159 businesses in total | 6 | 0.19% | -46% | Thinly served |
| 7 | OaklandAlameda, 10,328 businesses in total | 20 | 0.19% | -45% | Thinly served |
| 8 | FullertonOrange, 4,049 businesses in total | 8 | 0.20% | -44% | Thinly served |
| 9 | StocktonSan Joaquin, 6,022 businesses in total | 12 | 0.20% | -43% | Thinly served |
| 10 | Santa BarbaraSanta Barbara, 5,868 businesses in total | 12 | 0.20% | -42% | Thinly served |
| 11 | EscondidoSan Diego, 4,331 businesses in total | 9 | 0.21% | -41% | Thinly served |
| 12 | Garden GroveOrange, 3,714 businesses in total | 8 | 0.22% | -39% | Below average |
| 13 | Chula VistaSan Diego, 4,885 businesses in total | 11 | 0.23% | -36% | Below average |
| 14 | ReddingShasta, 3,471 businesses in total | 8 | 0.23% | -34% | Below average |
| 15 | Long BeachLos Angeles, 9,885 businesses in total | 24 | 0.24% | -31% | Below average |
| 16 | PetalumaSonoma, 2,420 businesses in total | 6 | 0.25% | -29% | Below average |
| 17 | TemeculaRiverside, 4,281 businesses in total | 11 | 0.26% | -27% | Below average |
| 18 | SunnyvaleSanta Clara, 3,376 businesses in total | 9 | 0.27% | -24% | Below average |
| 19 | Mountain ViewSanta Clara, 2,974 businesses in total | 8 | 0.27% | -23% | Below average |
| 20 | Moreno ValleyRiverside, 2,220 businesses in total | 6 | 0.27% | -23% | Below average |
| 21 | LodiSan Joaquin, 1,796 businesses in total | 5 | 0.28% | -21% | Below average |
| 22 | ConcordContra Costa, 3,539 businesses in total | 10 | 0.28% | -19% | Below average |
| 23 | Los AngelesLos Angeles, 77,828 businesses in total | 229 | 0.29% | -16% | Below average |
| 24 | West CovinaLos Angeles, 2,345 businesses in total | 7 | 0.30% | -15% | Typical |
| 25 | WalnutLos Angeles, 2,341 businesses in total | 7 | 0.30% | -15% | Typical |
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 staffing 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.