Market rankings · California

Dentists and orthodontists in California

Every metro area, small-town market and county in California, ranked by the Groundwork market score for dentists and orthodontists, with competitor counts and household spending for each.

Listings: 24,273; 2,423 chain locations (10%)
Official establishments: 22,757; +1.8% since 2019
Household spending a year: $19.8B; On medical and dental services
Listings per 10k households: 17.9; 37% above the U.S.
Spending per listing: $817K; 17% below the U.S.
Rank among states: #51 of 51; Market score 22 · Low

A site report maps the dentists and orthodontists on map listings around any address in California by name and distance, and the spending within reach.

Free10 actions over 3 days, no card

Survey estimates 2020–2024 · population estimates 2025 · official business counts 2023 · map listings September 2026 · Data credits · How we measure

What this means

There are 24,273 dentists and orthodontists on map listings in California as of September 2026. Of those, 2,423 are chain locations, or 10%, against 12% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 17.9, 37% above the U.S. rate of 13.1.

At $1,464 per household (14% above the U.S. average), households in California spend about $19.8B a year on medical and dental services. That is about $817K of household spending for each practice on map listings, 17% below the U.S. figure of $984K. The spending figure covers all medical and dental services, not only dentists and orthodontists.

Official counts show 22,757 businesses with payroll classed as offices of dentists in California in 2023, up 1.8% from 2019. That is one for every 595 households, against one for every 952 across the U.S. Across the U.S., the count fell 0.5% over the same years. Since fiscal 2022, 577 SBA-backed loans worth $568.5M have gone to businesses classed as offices of dentists in California.

Among the 50 states and DC, California ranks #51 for dentists and orthodontists, with a Groundwork market score of 22 (low). Of the 25 scored metro areas in or partly in California, the El Centro metro area scores highest (72). Of the 9 scored small-town markets in or partly in California, the Clearlake area scores highest (61).

Every market in California for dentists and orthodontists

Download the ranking (CSV)

Numbered by Groundwork market score among the markets based in California, highest first; the U.S. rank compares each market with every other of its kind. A metro area that crosses a state line is listed in each state it reaches, and numbered only in the state its page is under. How the score works.

Metro areas

Metro areas reaching California, ranked for dentists and orthodontists by Groundwork market score
Market	Score	Listings	Per 10k households	Spending per listing	Population growth	U.S. rank
1El Centro, CA	72	31	6.2	$1.8M	+1.1%	#34 of 387
2Yuba City, CA	62	66	10.7	$1.2M	+3.3%	#111 of 387
3Bakersfield-Delano, CA	56	310	10.9	$1.1M	+2.3%	#141 of 387
4Hanford-Corcoran, CA	52	46	10.4	$1.2M	+1.0%	#177 of 387
5Merced, CA	51	93	10.8	$1.1M	+5.1%	#182 of 387
6Stockton-Lodi, CA	49	337	13.7	$1M	+5.5%	#194 of 387
7Visalia, CA	44	163	11.4	$1.1M	+2.4%	#234 of 387
8Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA	37	2,197	15.1	$900K	+3.5%	#301 of 387
9Vallejo, CA	36	248	15.7	$919K	+0.6%	#312 of 387
10Salinas, CA	34	192	14.5	$984K	−1.5%	#320 of 387
11Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA	34	153	15.8	$979K	−4.7%	#321 of 387
12Napa, CA	34	79	15.9	$977K	−3.3%	#322 of 387
13Redding, CA	34	97	13.6	$916K	−0.3%	#324 of 387
14Santa Rosa-Petaluma, CA	33	310	16.2	$922K	−0.4%	#328 of 387
15Fresno, CA	33	522	14.1	$893K	+3.2%	#329 of 387
16Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA	33	1,544	17.5	$817K	+3.2%	#331 of 387
17Chico, CA	30	108	13.0	$947K	−0.5%	#343 of 387
18San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA	29	3,252	18.6	$905K	−2.4%	#346 of 387
19San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles, CA	28	182	16.6	$860K	0.0%	#352 of 387
20Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA	27	247	16.5	$881K	−1.4%	#354 of 387
21San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA	25	2,226	19.0	$790K	−0.6%	#363 of 387
22San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA	25	1,599	23.5	$770K	−0.6%	#364 of 387
23Modesto, CA	23	284	16.0	$815K	+0.7%	#372 of 387
24Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura, CA	22	622	22.2	$688K	−1.5%	#374 of 387
25Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA	19	9,065	20.1	$715K	−2.6%	#378 of 387

Small-town markets

Small-town markets reaching California, ranked for dentists and orthodontists by Groundwork market score
Market	Score	Listings	Per 10k households	Spending per listing	Population growth	U.S. rank
1Clearlake, CA	61	22	8.2	$1.4M	−0.6%	#160 of 526
2Bishop, CA	55	6	7.5	$1.7M	−4.4%	#217 of 526
3Truckee-Grass Valley, CA	49	42	9.8	$1.4M	−0.4%	#266 of 526
4Susanville, CA	48	6	6.5	$1.8M	−13.1%	#271 of 526
5Red Bluff, CA	44	23	9.3	$1.3M	−1.7%	#313 of 526
6Ukiah, CA	43	29	8.3	$1.5M	−3.5%	#325 of 526
Gardnerville Ranchos, NV-CA	43	29	13.3	$1M	+0.9%	#333 of 526
7Eureka-Arcata, CA	37	51	9.3	$1.3M	−3.4%	#384 of 526
8Sonora, CA	18	38	16.7	$761K	−4.0%	#517 of 526
Crescent City, CA	Not scored	4	4.2	$2.8M	−4.4%

Counties

Counties in California, ranked for dentists and orthodontists by Groundwork market score
Market	Score	Listings	Per 10k households	Spending per listing	Population growth	U.S. rank
1Yuba County, CA	89	7	2.4	$5.1M	+8.2%	#9 of 1,886
2Amador County, CA	72	13	8.1	$1.6M	+3.2%	#220 of 1,886
3San Benito County, CA	67	24	11.7	$1.3M	+8.6%	#361 of 1,886
4Imperial County, CA	63	31	6.2	$1.8M	+1.1%	#456 of 1,886
5Calaveras County, CA	62	16	8.7	$1.5M	+2.8%	#504 of 1,886
6Lake County, CA	60	22	8.2	$1.4M	−0.6%	#566 of 1,886
7Inyo County, CA	56	6	7.5	$1.7M	−4.4%	#698 of 1,886
8Yolo County, CA	51	92	12.0	$1.2M	+3.1%	#900 of 1,886
9Lassen County, CA	50	6	6.5	$1.8M	−13.1%	#920 of 1,886
10Colusa County, CA	50	7	9.3	$1.3M	−0.1%	#929 of 1,886
11Nevada County, CA	49	42	9.8	$1.4M	−0.4%	#960 of 1,886
12Kern County, CA	48	310	10.9	$1.1M	+2.3%	#1,008 of 1,886
13Madera County, CA	48	55	12.1	$1M	+7.4%	#1,019 of 1,886
14Mendocino County, CA	46	29	8.3	$1.5M	−3.5%	#1,073 of 1,886
15Tehama County, CA	46	23	9.3	$1.3M	−1.7%	#1,083 of 1,886
16San Joaquin County, CA	46	337	13.7	$1M	+5.5%	#1,106 of 1,886
17Glenn County, CA	45	8	8.2	$1.4M	−2.6%	#1,116 of 1,886
18Merced County, CA	45	93	10.8	$1.1M	+5.1%	#1,134 of 1,886
19Riverside County, CA	45	1,108	14.3	$975K	+5.0%	#1,143 of 1,886
20Kings County, CA	44	46	10.4	$1.2M	+1.0%	#1,158 of 1,886
21Humboldt County, CA	40	51	9.3	$1.3M	−3.4%	#1,272 of 1,886
22Tulare County, CA	40	163	11.4	$1.1M	+2.4%	#1,278 of 1,886
23Placer County, CA	38	391	24.8	$631K	+8.9%	#1,387 of 1,886
24Siskiyou County, CA	37	18	9.4	$1.2M	−4.5%	#1,393 of 1,886
25Plumas County, CA	37	9	11.2	$1.1M	−5.9%	#1,399 of 1,886

Show all 58 counties

Counties in California, ranked for dentists and orthodontists by Groundwork market score, continued
Market	Score	Listings	Per 10k households	Spending per listing	Population growth	U.S. rank
26Solano County, CA	36	248	15.7	$919K	+0.6%	#1,453 of 1,886
27Sacramento County, CA	35	921	16.1	$859K	+2.0%	#1,493 of 1,886
28Marin County, CA	34	175	17.0	$1M	−2.9%	#1,506 of 1,886
29El Dorado County, CA	34	140	18.4	$831K	+0.6%	#1,522 of 1,886
30Sonoma County, CA	33	310	16.2	$922K	−0.4%	#1,552 of 1,886
31Shasta County, CA	33	97	13.6	$916K	−0.3%	#1,553 of 1,886
32Monterey County, CA	32	192	14.5	$984K	−1.5%	#1,577 of 1,886
33Fresno County, CA	32	467	14.4	$875K	+2.6%	#1,588 of 1,886
34Contra Costa County, CA	32	810	19.5	$839K	+0.3%	#1,591 of 1,886
35San Francisco County, CA	31	619	17.0	$998K	−5.6%	#1,607 of 1,886
36Santa Cruz County, CA	31	153	15.8	$979K	−4.7%	#1,608 of 1,886
37Napa County, CA	31	79	15.9	$977K	−3.3%	#1,609 of 1,886
38San Luis Obispo County, CA	31	182	16.6	$860K	0.0%	#1,621 of 1,886
39San Bernardino County, CA	31	1,089	16.1	$825K	+1.9%	#1,622 of 1,886
40Alameda County, CA	30	1,080	18.1	$917K	−2.6%	#1,636 of 1,886
41Butte County, CA	29	108	13.0	$947K	−0.5%	#1,656 of 1,886
42Santa Barbara County, CA	29	247	16.5	$881K	−1.4%	#1,662 of 1,886
43San Diego County, CA	28	2,226	19.0	$790K	−0.6%	#1,702 of 1,886
44San Mateo County, CA	27	568	21.5	$836K	−2.5%	#1,717 of 1,886
45Stanislaus County, CA	27	284	16.0	$815K	+0.7%	#1,718 of 1,886
46Santa Clara County, CA	27	1,575	23.9	$761K	−0.9%	#1,719 of 1,886
47Ventura County, CA	24	622	22.2	$688K	−1.5%	#1,779 of 1,886
48Orange County, CA	24	2,891	26.7	$589K	−1.1%	#1,784 of 1,886
49Los Angeles County, CA	22	6,174	18.1	$773K	−3.0%	#1,798 of 1,886
50Sutter County, CA	22	59	17.7	$734K	−0.7%	#1,800 of 1,886
51Tuolumne County, CA	18	38	16.7	$761K	−4.0%	#1,832 of 1,886
Del Norte County, CA	Not scored	4	4.2	$2.8M	−4.4%
Mariposa County, CA	Not scored	2	2.7	$4.5M	−1.2%
Trinity County, CA	Not scored	2	3.6	$3.1M	−2.3%
Mono County, CA	Not scored	3	5.2	$2.7M	−5.4%
Modoc County, CA	Not scored	1	3.1	$3.6M	−2.9%
Sierra County, CA	Not scored	0	0.0	n/a	−4.0%
Alpine County, CA	Not scored	0	0.0	n/a	−11.6%

Markets with fewer than 5 dentists and orthodontists on map listings, and counties under 10,000 people, aren’t scored; they’re listed last in each table.

Questions

How many dentists and orthodontists are in California?

As of September 2026, map listings count 24,273 dentists and orthodontists in California. 2,423 of them (10%) are chain locations. The listings count dental practices, orthodontists included. Official counts show 22,757 businesses with payroll classed as offices of dentists in 2023, up 1.8% from 2019.

How much do households in California spend on medical and dental services?

About $19.8B a year, or $1,464 per household. That is 14% above the U.S. average (an index of 114, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 24,273 dentists and orthodontists on map listings, it comes to $817K per practice. That spending covers all medical and dental services, which dentists and orthodontists share with other businesses in the trade. It is estimated from the incomes of the 13,548,091 households in California and national spending patterns by income.

How does California compare with the U.S. for dentists and orthodontists?

California has 17.9 dentists and orthodontists per 10,000 households, 37% above the U.S. rate of 13.1. Spending per practice is $817K, 17% below the U.S. figure of $984K. At the U.S. ratio of dentists and orthodontists to household spending, California would have about 20,167, against 24,273 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 595 households, against one for every 952 across the U.S. The official count rose 1.8% from 2019 to 2023, against −0.5% for the U.S.

Which market in California has the highest market score for dentists and orthodontists?

Among 25 scored metro areas in or partly in California, the El Centro metro area scores highest, at 72 (upper middle). Among 9 scored small-town markets in or partly in California, the Clearlake area scores highest, at 61 (upper middle). Among 51 scored counties in California, Yuba County scores highest, at 89 (high). Scores compare each market with others of its kind across the U.S.

What is the Groundwork market score?

The Groundwork market score runs from 0 to 100 and compares a market with others of its kind for one business type: states with states, metro areas with metro areas, small-town markets and counties with their own. It weighs household spending per competitor (35%), households per business with payroll (25%), population growth (20%) and spending power (20%), each ranked against those peers. A higher score means that, taken together, the market has more household spending and more households for each business already there, faster population growth and more spending per household than similar markets. It describes a market, not any one site or deal. California scores 22 for dentists and orthodontists (low), #51 of the 50 states and DC.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

Run a Groundwork site report on an address in California. It maps the dentists and orthodontists on map listings near the site and sizes the households and spending within the distance you choose. New accounts get 10 actions over 3 days, no card.

Doctors, dentists and clinics119,682 listings
Primary care and pediatrics9,838 listings
Urgent care and walk-in clinics833 listings
Chiropractors7,604 listings
Physical therapy6,019 listings
Optometrists and eye care6,086 listings

Screening a site or an acquisition in California?

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