Saturation ranking
Where general freight trucking is most and least saturated in California
Every California market with sourced Trucking 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
- 17,372
- 2023 County Business Patterns
- State median density
- 2.9
- Per 10,000 residents, counties
- Counties ranked
- 45
- of 47 with data
- Cities ranked
- 197
- of 298 with data
Most saturated counties for trucking
45 of 47 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 | Sutter County98,787 residents | 311 | 31.5 | +1002% | Densely served |
| 2 | San Joaquin County823,815 residents | 989 | 12.0 | +320% | Densely served |
| 3 | Colusa County21,836 residents | 23 | 10.5 | +269% | Densely served |
| 4 | Glenn County28,141 residents | 27 | 9.6 | +236% | Densely served |
| 5 | San Bernardino County2,224,091 residents | 2,000 | 9.0 | +215% | Densely served |
| 6 | Fresno County1,035,456 residents | 925 | 8.9 | +213% | Densely served |
| 7 | Kern County927,068 residents | 643 | 6.9 | +143% | Densely served |
| 8 | Merced County297,260 residents | 193 | 6.5 | +127% | Densely served |
| 9 | Stanislaus County557,719 residents | 359 | 6.4 | +125% | Densely served |
| 10 | Imperial County181,411 residents | 110 | 6.1 | +112% | Densely served |
| 11 | Los Angeles County9,694,934 residents | 5,757 | 5.9 | +108% | Densely served |
| 12 | Sacramento County1,618,460 residents | 906 | 5.6 | +96% | Densely served |
| 13 | Madera County167,927 residents | 88 | 5.2 | +83% | Densely served |
| 14 | Riverside County2,544,916 residents | 1,177 | 4.6 | +62% | Densely served |
| 15 | Yolo County224,410 residents | 102 | 4.5 | +59% | Densely served |
State median for this industry: 2.9 establishments per 10,000 residents. A high figure means more provision per resident, not more demand.
Least saturated counties for trucking
The same 45 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 | Marin County253,694 residents | 11 | 0.4 | -85% | Thinly served |
| 2 | Nevada County101,911 residents | 7 | 0.7 | -76% | Thinly served |
| 3 | Sonoma County486,444 residents | 37 | 0.8 | -73% | Thinly served |
| 4 | Santa Cruz County258,852 residents | 21 | 0.8 | -72% | Thinly served |
| 5 | San Luis Obispo County282,367 residents | 23 | 0.8 | -71% | Thinly served |
| 6 | San Francisco County826,079 residents | 84 | 1.0 | -64% | Thinly served |
| 7 | San Mateo County743,568 residents | 94 | 1.3 | -56% | Thinly served |
| 8 | Santa Clara County1,914,391 residents | 244 | 1.3 | -55% | Thinly served |
| 9 | Calaveras County46,605 residents | 6 | 1.3 | -55% | Thinly served |
| 10 | Butte County209,211 residents | 28 | 1.3 | -53% | Thinly served |
| 11 | El Dorado County192,323 residents | 26 | 1.4 | -53% | Thinly served |
| 12 | Humboldt County131,647 residents | 19 | 1.4 | -49% | Thinly served |
| 13 | Santa Barbara County442,065 residents | 65 | 1.5 | -49% | Thinly served |
| 14 | Napa County132,949 residents | 23 | 1.7 | -39% | Below average |
| 15 | Shasta County181,648 residents | 34 | 1.9 | -34% | Below average |
State median for this industry: 2.9 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 trucking
197 of 298 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 | LathropSan Joaquin, 519 businesses in total | 106 | 20.42% | +1186% | Densely served |
| 2 | Monterey ParkLos Angeles, 2,109 businesses in total | 329 | 15.60% | +882% | Densely served |
| 3 | MantecaSan Joaquin, 1,669 businesses in total | 246 | 14.74% | +828% | Densely served |
| 4 | Yuba CitySutter, 1,959 businesses in total | 284 | 14.50% | +813% | Densely served |
| 5 | CeresStanislaus, 676 businesses in total | 80 | 11.83% | +645% | Densely served |
| 6 | FontanaSan Bernardino, 3,587 businesses in total | 399 | 11.12% | +600% | Densely served |
| 7 | San GabrielLos Angeles, 2,119 businesses in total | 228 | 10.76% | +577% | Densely served |
| 8 | RosemeadLos Angeles, 1,514 businesses in total | 158 | 10.44% | +557% | Densely served |
| 9 | La PuenteLos Angeles, 2,119 businesses in total | 183 | 8.64% | +444% | Densely served |
| 10 | Jurupa Valley1,066 businesses in total | 91 | 8.54% | +437% | Densely served |
| 11 | PerrisRiverside, 1,263 businesses in total | 104 | 8.23% | +418% | Densely served |
| 12 | CalexicoImperial, 641 businesses in total | 51 | 7.96% | +401% | Densely served |
| 13 | Baldwin ParkLos Angeles, 1,638 businesses in total | 130 | 7.94% | +400% | Densely served |
| 14 | El MonteLos Angeles, 1,835 businesses in total | 143 | 7.79% | +391% | Densely served |
| 15 | Temple CityLos Angeles, 1,038 businesses in total | 80 | 7.71% | +385% | Densely served |
| 16 | TracySan Joaquin, 2,464 businesses in total | 184 | 7.47% | +370% | Densely served |
| 17 | AlhambraLos Angeles, 2,384 businesses in total | 177 | 7.42% | +367% | Densely served |
| 18 | ComptonLos Angeles, 1,736 businesses in total | 126 | 7.26% | +357% | Densely served |
| 19 | Union CityAlameda, 1,362 businesses in total | 96 | 7.05% | +344% | Densely served |
| 20 | ChinoSan Bernardino, 3,295 businesses in total | 232 | 7.04% | +343% | Densely served |
| 21 | LynwoodLos Angeles, 762 businesses in total | 51 | 6.69% | +321% | Densely served |
| 22 | RialtoSan Bernardino, 1,231 businesses in total | 80 | 6.50% | +309% | Densely served |
| 23 | West CovinaLos Angeles, 2,345 businesses in total | 152 | 6.48% | +308% | Densely served |
| 24 | HesperiaSan Bernardino, 1,542 businesses in total | 97 | 6.29% | +296% | Densely served |
| 25 | Chino HillsSan Bernardino, 1,876 businesses in total | 114 | 6.08% | +283% | Densely served |
Statewide, 1.59% 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 trucking
The bottom of the same ordering. These are the California cities carrying the least trucking provision per resident among those that clear both floors.
| # | City | Establishments | Share of local | Vs state share | Reading |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Costa MesaOrange, 5,397 businesses in total | 7 | 0.13% | -92% | Thinly served |
| 2 | PleasantonAlameda, 3,345 businesses in total | 5 | 0.15% | -91% | Thinly served |
| 3 | VistaSan Diego, 3,017 businesses in total | 5 | 0.17% | -90% | Thinly served |
| 4 | San FranciscoSan Francisco, 33,575 businesses in total | 60 | 0.18% | -89% | Thinly served |
| 5 | Santa RosaSonoma, 6,121 businesses in total | 11 | 0.18% | -89% | Thinly served |
| 6 | PasadenaLos Angeles, 7,697 businesses in total | 14 | 0.18% | -89% | Thinly served |
| 7 | Huntington BeachOrange, 6,263 businesses in total | 12 | 0.19% | -88% | Thinly served |
| 8 | Mission ViejoOrange, 2,993 businesses in total | 6 | 0.20% | -87% | Thinly served |
| 9 | OrangeOrange, 5,761 businesses in total | 12 | 0.21% | -87% | Thinly served |
| 10 | Santa ClaraSanta Clara, 4,587 businesses in total | 10 | 0.22% | -86% | Thinly served |
| 11 | OceansideSan Diego, 3,630 businesses in total | 8 | 0.22% | -86% | Thinly served |
| 12 | NapaNapa, 3,089 businesses in total | 7 | 0.23% | -86% | Thinly served |
| 13 | TustinOrange, 3,361 businesses in total | 9 | 0.27% | -83% | Thinly served |
| 14 | Palm SpringsRiverside, 1,933 businesses in total | 6 | 0.31% | -80% | Thinly served |
| 15 | ConcordContra Costa, 3,539 businesses in total | 11 | 0.31% | -80% | Thinly served |
| 16 | AlamedaAlameda, 1,899 businesses in total | 6 | 0.32% | -80% | Thinly served |
| 17 | ChicoButte, 3,159 businesses in total | 10 | 0.32% | -80% | Thinly served |
| 18 | Redondo BeachLos Angeles, 2,814 businesses in total | 9 | 0.32% | -80% | Thinly served |
| 19 | Laguna NiguelOrange, 1,969 businesses in total | 7 | 0.36% | -78% | Thinly served |
| 20 | Yorba LindaOrange, 1,953 businesses in total | 7 | 0.36% | -77% | Thinly served |
| 21 | National CitySan Diego, 1,379 businesses in total | 5 | 0.36% | -77% | Thinly served |
| 22 | Simi ValleyVentura, 3,329 businesses in total | 13 | 0.39% | -75% | Thinly served |
| 23 | IndioRiverside, 1,728 businesses in total | 7 | 0.41% | -74% | Thinly served |
| 24 | CamarilloVentura, 2,597 businesses in total | 11 | 0.42% | -73% | Thinly served |
| 25 | EscondidoSan Diego, 4,331 businesses in total | 20 | 0.46% | -71% | Thinly served |
Statewide, 1.59% 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 trucking 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.