Saturation ranking
Where veterinary clinics is most and least saturated in California
Every California market with sourced Veterinary 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
- 3,467
- 2023 County Business Patterns
- State median density
- 1.1
- Per 10,000 residents, counties
- Counties ranked
- 45
- of 49 with data
- Cities ranked
- 169
- of 256 with data
Most saturated counties for veterinary
45 of 49 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 | Plumas County18,583 residents | 9 | 4.8 | +361% | Densely served |
| 2 | Amador County41,876 residents | 9 | 2.1 | +104% | Densely served |
| 3 | Nevada County101,911 residents | 21 | 2.1 | +96% | Densely served |
| 4 | San Luis Obispo County282,367 residents | 58 | 2.1 | +95% | Densely served |
| 5 | Siskiyou County42,013 residents | 8 | 1.9 | +81% | Densely served |
| 6 | Sonoma County486,444 residents | 92 | 1.9 | +80% | Densely served |
| 7 | El Dorado County192,323 residents | 36 | 1.9 | +78% | Densely served |
| 8 | Glenn County28,141 residents | 5 | 1.8 | +69% | Densely served |
| 9 | Napa County132,949 residents | 23 | 1.7 | +65% | Densely served |
| 10 | Mendocino County88,122 residents | 15 | 1.7 | +62% | Densely served |
| 11 | Yolo County224,410 residents | 38 | 1.7 | +61% | Densely served |
| 12 | Santa Cruz County258,852 residents | 41 | 1.6 | +51% | Densely served |
| 13 | Marin County253,694 residents | 39 | 1.5 | +46% | Above average |
| 14 | Tuolumne County53,160 residents | 8 | 1.5 | +43% | Above average |
| 15 | Santa Barbara County442,065 residents | 66 | 1.5 | +42% | Above average |
State median for this industry: 1.1 establishments per 10,000 residents. A high figure means more provision per resident, not more demand.
Least saturated counties for veterinary
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 | Merced County297,260 residents | 13 | 0.4 | -58% | Thinly served |
| 2 | Kings County154,327 residents | 7 | 0.5 | -57% | Thinly served |
| 3 | Tulare County485,146 residents | 25 | 0.5 | -51% | Thinly served |
| 4 | Kern County927,068 residents | 50 | 0.5 | -49% | Thinly served |
| 5 | Fresno County1,035,456 residents | 56 | 0.5 | -49% | Thinly served |
| 6 | San Francisco County826,079 residents | 46 | 0.6 | -47% | Thinly served |
| 7 | Yuba County88,691 residents | 5 | 0.6 | -46% | Thinly served |
| 8 | Riverside County2,544,916 residents | 147 | 0.6 | -45% | Thinly served |
| 9 | Santa Clara County1,914,391 residents | 125 | 0.7 | -38% | Below average |
| 10 | San Bernardino County2,224,091 residents | 146 | 0.7 | -38% | Below average |
| 11 | Madera County167,927 residents | 12 | 0.7 | -32% | Below average |
| 12 | Los Angeles County9,694,934 residents | 707 | 0.7 | -31% | Below average |
| 13 | Lake County67,772 residents | 5 | 0.7 | -30% | Below average |
| 14 | San Joaquin County823,815 residents | 61 | 0.7 | -30% | Below average |
| 15 | Stanislaus County557,719 residents | 43 | 0.8 | -27% | Below average |
State median for this industry: 1.1 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 veterinary
169 of 256 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 | PacificaSan Mateo, 637 businesses in total | 9 | 1.41% | +421% | Densely served |
| 2 | DavisYolo, 1,439 businesses in total | 19 | 1.32% | +387% | Densely served |
| 3 | SonomaSonoma, 1,218 businesses in total | 13 | 1.07% | +293% | Densely served |
| 4 | PlacervilleEl Dorado, 974 businesses in total | 10 | 1.03% | +278% | Densely served |
| 5 | LawndaleLos Angeles, 608 businesses in total | 6 | 0.99% | +264% | Densely served |
| 6 | CampbellSanta Clara, 2,034 businesses in total | 20 | 0.98% | +262% | Densely served |
| 7 | Scotts ValleySanta Cruz, 547 businesses in total | 5 | 0.91% | +237% | Densely served |
| 8 | Arroyo GrandeSan Luis Obispo, 896 businesses in total | 8 | 0.89% | +229% | Densely served |
| 9 | PetalumaSonoma, 2,420 businesses in total | 21 | 0.87% | +220% | Densely served |
| 10 | La HabraOrange, 1,511 businesses in total | 13 | 0.86% | +217% | Densely served |
| 11 | Agoura HillsLos Angeles, 1,515 businesses in total | 13 | 0.86% | +216% | Densely served |
| 12 | OakdaleStanislaus, 702 businesses in total | 6 | 0.85% | +215% | Densely served |
| 13 | Santa ClaritaLos Angeles, 1,301 businesses in total | 11 | 0.85% | +212% | Densely served |
| 14 | El CerritoContra Costa, 594 businesses in total | 5 | 0.84% | +210% | Densely served |
| 15 | ClaremontLos Angeles, 1,094 businesses in total | 9 | 0.82% | +203% | Densely served |
| 16 | Laguna NiguelOrange, 1,969 businesses in total | 16 | 0.81% | +200% | Densely served |
| 17 | Grass ValleyNevada, 1,381 businesses in total | 11 | 0.80% | +194% | Densely served |
| 18 | LompocSanta Barbara, 883 businesses in total | 7 | 0.79% | +192% | Densely served |
| 19 | OjaiVentura, 757 businesses in total | 6 | 0.79% | +192% | Densely served |
| 20 | TustinOrange, 3,361 businesses in total | 26 | 0.77% | +185% | Densely served |
| 21 | MonroviaLos Angeles, 1,318 businesses in total | 10 | 0.76% | +180% | Densely served |
| 22 | Thousand OaksVentura, 3,759 businesses in total | 28 | 0.74% | +175% | Densely served |
| 23 | AuburnPlacer, 1,640 businesses in total | 12 | 0.73% | +170% | Densely served |
| 24 | AntiochContra Costa, 1,538 businesses in total | 11 | 0.72% | +164% | Densely served |
| 25 | Daly CitySan Mateo, 1,538 businesses in total | 11 | 0.72% | +164% | Densely served |
Statewide, 0.27% 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 veterinary
The bottom of the same ordering. These are the California cities carrying the least veterinary provision per resident among those that clear both floors.
| # | City | Establishments | Share of local | Vs state share | Reading |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Santa ClaraSanta Clara, 4,587 businesses in total | 5 | 0.11% | -60% | Thinly served |
| 2 | Los AngelesLos Angeles, 77,828 businesses in total | 85 | 0.11% | -60% | Thinly served |
| 3 | San FranciscoSan Francisco, 33,575 businesses in total | 38 | 0.11% | -58% | Thinly served |
| 4 | San JoseSanta Clara, 21,501 businesses in total | 25 | 0.12% | -57% | Thinly served |
| 5 | Santa AnaOrange, 8,181 businesses in total | 10 | 0.12% | -55% | Thinly served |
| 6 | Santa MonicaLos Angeles, 7,320 businesses in total | 10 | 0.14% | -50% | Thinly served |
| 7 | SacramentoSacramento, 19,687 businesses in total | 29 | 0.15% | -46% | Thinly served |
| 8 | TorranceLos Angeles, 7,600 businesses in total | 12 | 0.16% | -42% | Thinly served |
| 9 | BerkeleyAlameda, 4,279 businesses in total | 7 | 0.16% | -40% | Below average |
| 10 | Chula VistaSan Diego, 4,885 businesses in total | 8 | 0.16% | -40% | Below average |
| 11 | AnaheimOrange, 9,049 businesses in total | 15 | 0.17% | -39% | Below average |
| 12 | GlendaleLos Angeles, 7,130 businesses in total | 12 | 0.17% | -38% | Below average |
| 13 | RiversideRiverside, 7,958 businesses in total | 14 | 0.18% | -35% | Below average |
| 14 | DowneyLos Angeles, 2,532 businesses in total | 5 | 0.20% | -27% | Below average |
| 15 | RedlandsSan Bernardino, 2,509 businesses in total | 5 | 0.20% | -27% | Below average |
| 16 | IrvineOrange, 14,947 businesses in total | 30 | 0.20% | -26% | Below average |
| 17 | OaklandAlameda, 10,328 businesses in total | 21 | 0.20% | -25% | Below average |
| 18 | Newport BeachOrange, 6,234 businesses in total | 13 | 0.21% | -23% | Below average |
| 19 | HaywardAlameda, 4,289 businesses in total | 9 | 0.21% | -23% | Below average |
| 20 | CoronaRiverside, 5,711 businesses in total | 12 | 0.21% | -23% | Below average |
| 21 | ChinoSan Bernardino, 3,295 businesses in total | 7 | 0.21% | -22% | Below average |
| 22 | Santa MariaSanta Barbara, 2,804 businesses in total | 6 | 0.21% | -21% | Below average |
| 23 | StocktonSan Joaquin, 6,022 businesses in total | 13 | 0.22% | -20% | Below average |
| 24 | ModestoStanislaus, 5,412 businesses in total | 12 | 0.22% | -18% | Below average |
| 25 | FontanaSan Bernardino, 3,587 businesses in total | 8 | 0.22% | -18% | Below average |
Statewide, 0.27% 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 veterinary 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.