Saturation ranking
Where towing & roadside assistance is most and least saturated in California
Every California market with sourced Towing 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
- 1,292
- 2023 County Business Patterns
- State median density
- 0.4
- Per 10,000 residents, counties
- Counties ranked
- 37
- of 45 with data
- Cities ranked
- 50
- of 113 with data
Most saturated counties for towing
37 of 45 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 | 6 | 1.4 | +286% | Densely served |
| 2 | Mendocino County88,122 residents | 9 | 1.0 | +176% | Densely served |
| 3 | Imperial County181,411 residents | 18 | 1.0 | +168% | Densely served |
| 4 | Sutter County98,787 residents | 8 | 0.8 | +119% | Densely served |
| 5 | Nevada County101,911 residents | 7 | 0.7 | +86% | Densely served |
| 6 | Kings County154,327 residents | 10 | 0.6 | +75% | Densely served |
| 7 | Shasta County181,648 residents | 10 | 0.6 | +49% | Above average |
| 8 | Humboldt County131,647 residents | 7 | 0.5 | +44% | Above average |
| 9 | San Luis Obispo County282,367 residents | 14 | 0.5 | +34% | Above average |
| 10 | Fresno County1,035,456 residents | 50 | 0.5 | +30% | Above average |
| 11 | Butte County209,211 residents | 10 | 0.5 | +29% | Above average |
| 12 | Monterey County433,729 residents | 19 | 0.4 | +18% | Above average |
| 13 | Stanislaus County557,719 residents | 23 | 0.4 | +11% | Typical |
| 14 | Sacramento County1,618,460 residents | 66 | 0.4 | +10% | Typical |
| 15 | San Bernardino County2,224,091 residents | 89 | 0.4 | +8% | Typical |
State median for this industry: 0.4 establishments per 10,000 residents. A high figure means more provision per resident, not more demand.
Least saturated counties for towing
The same 37 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 | Santa Clara County1,914,391 residents | 44 | 0.2 | -38% | Below average |
| 2 | Santa Cruz County258,852 residents | 6 | 0.2 | -37% | Below average |
| 3 | Ventura County830,851 residents | 21 | 0.3 | -32% | Below average |
| 4 | Orange County3,149,507 residents | 82 | 0.3 | -30% | Below average |
| 5 | San Francisco County826,079 residents | 22 | 0.3 | -28% | Below average |
| 6 | San Mateo County743,568 residents | 20 | 0.3 | -27% | Below average |
| 7 | San Diego County3,282,248 residents | 90 | 0.3 | -26% | Below average |
| 8 | Marin County253,694 residents | 7 | 0.3 | -25% | Below average |
| 9 | Kern County927,068 residents | 26 | 0.3 | -24% | Below average |
| 10 | Tulare County485,146 residents | 14 | 0.3 | -22% | Below average |
| 11 | Los Angeles County9,694,934 residents | 281 | 0.3 | -22% | Below average |
| 12 | San Joaquin County823,815 residents | 25 | 0.3 | -18% | Below average |
| 13 | Alameda County1,636,630 residents | 50 | 0.3 | -17% | Below average |
| 14 | El Dorado County192,323 residents | 6 | 0.3 | -16% | Below average |
| 15 | Contra Costa County1,170,070 residents | 38 | 0.3 | -12% | Typical |
State median for this industry: 0.4 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 towing
50 of 113 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 | StantonOrange, 584 businesses in total | 6 | 1.03% | +1383% | Densely served |
| 2 | San JacintoRiverside, 545 businesses in total | 5 | 0.92% | +1224% | Densely served |
| 3 | CalexicoImperial, 641 businesses in total | 5 | 0.78% | +1026% | Densely served |
| 4 | CeresStanislaus, 676 businesses in total | 5 | 0.74% | +968% | Densely served |
| 5 | Jurupa Valley1,066 businesses in total | 7 | 0.66% | +848% | Densely served |
| 6 | ColtonSan Bernardino, 874 businesses in total | 5 | 0.57% | +726% | Densely served |
| 7 | El CajonSan Diego, 4,089 businesses in total | 23 | 0.56% | +712% | Densely served |
| 8 | HanfordKings, 1,151 businesses in total | 5 | 0.43% | +527% | Densely served |
| 9 | San BernardinoSan Bernardino, 3,569 businesses in total | 14 | 0.39% | +466% | Densely served |
| 10 | AntiochContra Costa, 1,538 businesses in total | 5 | 0.33% | +369% | Densely served |
| 11 | Daly CitySan Mateo, 1,538 businesses in total | 5 | 0.33% | +369% | Densely served |
| 12 | HesperiaSan Bernardino, 1,542 businesses in total | 5 | 0.32% | +368% | Densely served |
| 13 | LivermoreAlameda, 2,640 businesses in total | 8 | 0.30% | +337% | Densely served |
| 14 | Santa MariaSanta Barbara, 2,804 businesses in total | 8 | 0.29% | +312% | Densely served |
| 15 | RiversideRiverside, 7,958 businesses in total | 22 | 0.28% | +299% | Densely served |
| 16 | South El MonteLos Angeles, 1,852 businesses in total | 5 | 0.27% | +290% | Densely served |
| 17 | GardenaLos Angeles, 3,007 businesses in total | 8 | 0.27% | +284% | Densely served |
| 18 | SalinasMonterey, 3,451 businesses in total | 9 | 0.26% | +276% | Densely served |
| 19 | Yuba CitySutter, 1,959 businesses in total | 5 | 0.26% | +268% | Densely served |
| 20 | Elk GroveSacramento, 3,042 businesses in total | 7 | 0.23% | +232% | Densely served |
| 21 | ConcordContra Costa, 3,539 businesses in total | 8 | 0.23% | +226% | Densely served |
| 22 | San LeandroAlameda, 2,673 businesses in total | 6 | 0.22% | +224% | Densely served |
| 23 | Lake ForestOrange, 2,230 businesses in total | 5 | 0.22% | +224% | Densely served |
| 24 | PalmdaleLos Angeles, 2,335 businesses in total | 5 | 0.21% | +209% | Densely served |
| 25 | Chula VistaSan Diego, 4,885 businesses in total | 10 | 0.20% | +195% | Densely served |
Statewide, 0.07% 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 towing
The bottom of the same ordering. These are the California cities carrying the least towing 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 | 19 | 0.02% | -65% | Thinly served |
| 2 | San JoseSanta Clara, 21,501 businesses in total | 10 | 0.05% | -33% | Below average |
| 3 | San DiegoSan Diego, 42,106 businesses in total | 24 | 0.06% | -18% | Below average |
| 4 | San FranciscoSan Francisco, 33,575 businesses in total | 20 | 0.06% | -14% | Typical |
| 5 | AnaheimOrange, 9,049 businesses in total | 6 | 0.07% | -4% | Typical |
| 6 | Long BeachLos Angeles, 9,885 businesses in total | 7 | 0.07% | +2% | Typical |
| 7 | OaklandAlameda, 10,328 businesses in total | 9 | 0.09% | +26% | Above average |
| 8 | ModestoStanislaus, 5,412 businesses in total | 5 | 0.09% | +33% | Above average |
| 9 | Santa AnaOrange, 8,181 businesses in total | 8 | 0.10% | +41% | Above average |
| 10 | Santa RosaSonoma, 6,121 businesses in total | 6 | 0.10% | +41% | Above average |
| 11 | OrangeOrange, 5,761 businesses in total | 6 | 0.10% | +50% | Densely served |
| 12 | SacramentoSacramento, 19,687 businesses in total | 22 | 0.11% | +61% | Densely served |
| 13 | HaywardAlameda, 4,289 businesses in total | 5 | 0.12% | +68% | Densely served |
| 14 | FremontAlameda, 5,575 businesses in total | 7 | 0.13% | +81% | Densely served |
| 15 | OntarioSan Bernardino, 5,487 businesses in total | 7 | 0.13% | +84% | Densely served |
| 16 | BakersfieldKern, 10,791 businesses in total | 14 | 0.13% | +87% | Densely served |
| 17 | BurbankLos Angeles, 5,899 businesses in total | 8 | 0.14% | +96% | Densely served |
| 18 | FresnoFresno, 13,153 businesses in total | 18 | 0.14% | +98% | Densely served |
| 19 | FontanaSan Bernardino, 3,587 businesses in total | 5 | 0.14% | +101% | Densely served |
| 20 | VisaliaTulare, 3,364 businesses in total | 5 | 0.15% | +115% | Densely served |
| 21 | Redwood CitySan Mateo, 3,279 businesses in total | 5 | 0.15% | +120% | Densely served |
| 22 | OxnardVentura, 3,760 businesses in total | 6 | 0.16% | +130% | Densely served |
| 23 | ChicoButte, 3,159 businesses in total | 6 | 0.19% | +174% | Densely served |
| 24 | StocktonSan Joaquin, 6,022 businesses in total | 12 | 0.20% | +188% | Densely served |
| 25 | TracySan Joaquin, 2,464 businesses in total | 5 | 0.20% | +193% | Densely served |
Statewide, 0.07% 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 towing 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.