Market rankings · California
Mortgage brokers and lenders in California
Every metro area, small-town market and county in California, ranked by the Groundwork market score for mortgage brokers and lenders, with competitor counts and household spending for each.
- Listings
- 8,697
- 1,525 chain locations (18%)
- Official establishments
- 4,557
- −0.8% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $270.6B
- On rent and homeowner costs
- Listings per 10k households
- 6.4
- 49% above the U.S.
- Housing spending per listing (U.S. = 100)
- 80
- 20% below the U.S.
- Rank among states
- #50 of 51
- Market score 28 · Lower middle
A site report maps the mortgage brokers and lenders on map listings around any address in California by name and distance, and the spending within reach.
Free10 actions over 3 days, no cardSurvey estimates 2020–2024 · population estimates 2025 · official business counts 2023 · map listings September 2026 · Data credits · How we measure
What this means
California has 8,697 mortgage brokers and lenders on map listings as of September 2026. Of those, 1,525 are chain locations, or 18%, against 21% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 6.4, 49% above the U.S. rate of 4.3.
At $19,977 per household (20% above the U.S. average), households in California spend about $270.6B a year on rent and homeowner costs. Housing spending per office is 20% below the U.S. figure. The spending figure is all rent and homeowner costs, a measure of housing demand, not money mortgage brokers and lenders take in.
Official counts show 4,557 businesses with payroll classed as mortgage brokers and real estate lenders in California in 2023, down 0.8% from 2019. That is one for every 2,973 households, against one for every 4,897 across the U.S. Across the U.S., the count rose 9.5% over the same years. Since fiscal 2022, 47 SBA-backed loans worth $32.8M have gone to businesses classed as mortgage brokers and real estate lenders in California.
Among the 50 states and DC, California ranks #50 for mortgage brokers and lenders, with a Groundwork market score of 28 (lower middle). Of the 25 scored metro areas in or partly in California, the Hanford-Corcoran metro area scores highest (70). Of the 6 scored small-town markets in or partly in California, the Sonora area scores highest (66).
Every market in California for mortgage brokers and lenders
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
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Housing spending per listing (U.S. = 100) | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Hanford-Corcoran, CA | 70 | 8 | 1.8 | 240 | +1.0% | #32 of 373 |
| 2Merced, CA | 70 | 26 | 3.0 | 141 | +5.1% | #34 of 373 |
| 3Visalia, CA | 57 | 43 | 3.0 | 146 | +2.4% | #120 of 373 |
| 4Yuba City, CA | 57 | 22 | 3.6 | 128 | +3.3% | #122 of 373 |
| 5Stockton-Lodi, CA | 57 | 110 | 4.5 | 109 | +5.5% | #127 of 373 |
| 6San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | 51 | 341 | 5.0 | 123 | −0.6% | #173 of 373 |
| 7Bakersfield-Delano, CA | 51 | 108 | 3.8 | 116 | +2.3% | #174 of 373 |
| 8Salinas, CA | 49 | 60 | 4.5 | 111 | −1.5% | #191 of 373 |
| 9Fresno, CA | 45 | 173 | 4.7 | 96 | +3.2% | #223 of 373 |
| 10San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | 44 | 893 | 5.1 | 113 | −2.4% | #229 of 373 |
| 11Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA | 43 | 856 | 5.9 | 81 | +3.5% | #239 of 373 |
| 12Vallejo, CA | 40 | 94 | 6.0 | 85 | +0.6% | #264 of 373 |
| 13Chico, CA | 39 | 38 | 4.6 | 97 | −0.5% | #271 of 373 |
| 14El Centro, CA | 37 | 28 | 5.6 | 72 | +1.1% | #298 of 373 |
| 15Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA | 33 | 85 | 5.7 | 90 | −1.4% | #335 of 373 |
| 16Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA | 33 | 64 | 6.6 | 81 | −4.7% | #337 of 373 |
| 17Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA | 33 | 728 | 8.3 | 61 | +3.2% | #340 of 373 |
| 18Modesto, CA | 29 | 112 | 6.3 | 74 | +0.7% | #355 of 373 |
| 19Santa Rosa-Petaluma, CA | 28 | 163 | 8.5 | 61 | −0.4% | #358 of 373 |
| 20Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura, CA | 27 | 203 | 7.2 | 73 | −1.5% | #361 of 373 |
| 21Napa, CA | 27 | 43 | 8.6 | 62 | −3.3% | #363 of 373 |
| 22San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles, CA | 27 | 89 | 8.1 | 62 | 0.0% | #364 of 373 |
| 23San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA | 25 | 985 | 8.4 | 62 | −0.6% | #367 of 373 |
| 24Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | 24 | 3,271 | 7.3 | 69 | −2.6% | #369 of 373 |
| 25Redding, CA | 22 | 62 | 8.7 | 51 | −0.3% | #371 of 373 |
Small-town markets
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Housing spending per listing (U.S. = 100) | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Sonora, CA | 66 | 5 | 2.2 | 208 | −4.0% | #26 of 177 |
| 2Red Bluff, CA | 58 | 8 | 3.2 | 131 | −1.7% | #61 of 177 |
| 3Eureka-Arcata, CA | 54 | 13 | 2.4 | 178 | −3.4% | #75 of 177 |
| 4Ukiah, CA | 52 | 10 | 2.9 | 152 | −3.5% | #86 of 177 |
| 5Truckee-Grass Valley, CA | 33 | 29 | 6.8 | 72 | −0.4% | #142 of 177 |
| Gardnerville Ranchos, NV-CA | 31 | 18 | 8.3 | 59 | +0.9% | #152 of 177 |
| Clearlake, CA | Not scored | 4 | 1.5 | 285 | −0.6% | |
| Susanville, CA | Not scored | 3 | 3.2 | 130 | −13.1% | |
| Crescent City, CA | Not scored | 2 | 2.1 | 203 | −4.4% | |
| Bishop, CA | Not scored | 0 | 0.0 | n/a | −4.4% |
Counties
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Housing spending per listing (U.S. = 100) | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Kings County, CA | 71 | 8 | 1.8 | 240 | +1.0% | #102 of 887 |
| 2Merced County, CA | 71 | 26 | 3.0 | 141 | +5.1% | #111 of 887 |
| 3Tuolumne County, CA | 64 | 5 | 2.2 | 208 | −4.0% | #181 of 887 |
| 4San Francisco County, CA | 64 | 116 | 3.2 | 183 | −5.6% | #184 of 887 |
| 5Madera County, CA | 64 | 14 | 3.1 | 146 | +7.4% | #188 of 887 |
| 6Calaveras County, CA | 62 | 7 | 3.8 | 123 | +2.8% | #222 of 887 |
| 7Alameda County, CA | 59 | 231 | 3.9 | 148 | −2.6% | #262 of 887 |
| 8Tulare County, CA | 59 | 43 | 3.0 | 146 | +2.4% | #263 of 887 |
| 9San Benito County, CA | 59 | 11 | 5.3 | 101 | +8.6% | #271 of 887 |
| 10San Mateo County, CA | 58 | 98 | 3.7 | 166 | −2.5% | #273 of 887 |
| 11San Joaquin County, CA | 58 | 110 | 4.5 | 109 | +5.5% | #279 of 887 |
| 12Yolo County, CA | 58 | 37 | 4.8 | 102 | +3.1% | #284 of 887 |
| 13Tehama County, CA | 55 | 8 | 3.2 | 131 | −1.7% | #331 of 887 |
| 14Santa Clara County, CA | 54 | 330 | 5.0 | 124 | −0.9% | #351 of 887 |
| 15Kern County, CA | 53 | 108 | 3.8 | 116 | +2.3% | #384 of 887 |
| 16Humboldt County, CA | 51 | 13 | 2.4 | 178 | −3.4% | #411 of 887 |
| 17Mendocino County, CA | 51 | 10 | 2.9 | 152 | −3.5% | #412 of 887 |
| 18Monterey County, CA | 51 | 60 | 4.5 | 111 | −1.5% | #424 of 887 |
| 19Riverside County, CA | 47 | 460 | 5.9 | 83 | +5.0% | #499 of 887 |
| 20Fresno County, CA | 43 | 159 | 4.9 | 92 | +2.6% | #570 of 887 |
| 21Butte County, CA | 42 | 38 | 4.6 | 97 | −0.5% | #579 of 887 |
| 22Solano County, CA | 42 | 94 | 6.0 | 85 | +0.6% | #587 of 887 |
| 23San Bernardino County, CA | 42 | 396 | 5.9 | 80 | +1.9% | #590 of 887 |
| 24Imperial County, CA | 40 | 28 | 5.6 | 72 | +1.1% | #624 of 887 |
| 25El Dorado County, CA | 39 | 48 | 6.3 | 84 | +0.6% | #639 of 887 |
Show all 58 counties
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Housing spending per listing (U.S. = 100) | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 26Sacramento County, CA | 39 | 344 | 6.0 | 81 | +2.0% | #641 of 887 |
| 27Los Angeles County, CA | 37 | 1,753 | 5.1 | 96 | −3.0% | #676 of 887 |
| 28Placer County, CA | 37 | 299 | 18.9 | 29 | +8.9% | #686 of 887 |
| 29Santa Cruz County, CA | 36 | 64 | 6.6 | 81 | −4.7% | #694 of 887 |
| 30Santa Barbara County, CA | 35 | 85 | 5.7 | 90 | −1.4% | #706 of 887 |
| 31Stanislaus County, CA | 32 | 112 | 6.3 | 74 | +0.7% | #750 of 887 |
| 32Sutter County, CA | 31 | 20 | 6.0 | 77 | −0.7% | #762 of 887 |
| 33Contra Costa County, CA | 31 | 364 | 8.8 | 64 | +0.3% | #767 of 887 |
| 34Sonoma County, CA | 31 | 163 | 8.5 | 61 | −0.4% | #769 of 887 |
| 35Ventura County, CA | 30 | 203 | 7.2 | 73 | −1.5% | #780 of 887 |
| 36Nevada County, CA | 30 | 29 | 6.8 | 72 | −0.4% | #781 of 887 |
| 37Napa County, CA | 30 | 43 | 8.6 | 62 | −3.3% | #783 of 887 |
| 38San Luis Obispo County, CA | 30 | 89 | 8.1 | 62 | 0.0% | #784 of 887 |
| 39Marin County, CA | 29 | 84 | 8.2 | 74 | −2.9% | #791 of 887 |
| 40San Diego County, CA | 28 | 985 | 8.4 | 62 | −0.6% | #812 of 887 |
| 41Shasta County, CA | 24 | 62 | 8.7 | 51 | −0.3% | #850 of 887 |
| 42Orange County, CA | 22 | 1,518 | 14.0 | 39 | −1.1% | #862 of 887 |
| Yuba County, CA | Not scored | 2 | 0.7 | 638 | +8.2% | |
| Lake County, CA | Not scored | 4 | 1.5 | 285 | −0.6% | |
| Siskiyou County, CA | Not scored | 4 | 2.1 | 195 | −4.5% | |
| Amador County, CA | Not scored | 3 | 1.9 | 251 | +3.2% | |
| Lassen County, CA | Not scored | 3 | 3.2 | 130 | −13.1% | |
| Glenn County, CA | Not scored | 2 | 2.0 | 207 | −2.6% | |
| Del Norte County, CA | Not scored | 2 | 2.1 | 203 | −4.4% | |
| Colusa County, CA | Not scored | 0 | 0.0 | n/a | −0.1% | |
| Plumas County, CA | Not scored | 1 | 1.2 | 354 | −5.9% | |
| Inyo County, CA | Not scored | 0 | 0.0 | n/a | −4.4% | |
| Mariposa County, CA | Not scored | 1 | 1.3 | 328 | −1.2% | |
| Trinity County, CA | Not scored | 0 | 0.0 | n/a | −2.3% | |
| Mono County, CA | Not scored | 0 | 0.0 | n/a | −5.4% | |
| Modoc County, CA | Not scored | 0 | 0.0 | n/a | −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 mortgage brokers and lenders on map listings, and counties under 10,000 people, aren’t scored; they’re listed last in each table.
Questions
How many mortgage brokers and lenders are in California?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 8,697 mortgage brokers and lenders in California. 1,525 of them (18%) are chain locations. The listings count mortgage brokers and mortgage lenders. Official counts show 4,557 businesses with payroll classed as mortgage brokers and real estate lenders in 2023, down 0.8% from 2019.
How much do households in California spend on rent and homeowner costs?
About $270.6B a year, or $19,977 per household. That is 20% above the U.S. average (an index of 120, where 100 is the U.S. average). For the 8,697 mortgage brokers and lenders on map listings, housing spending per office is 20% below the U.S. figure. That figure is all rent and homeowner costs, used as a measure of housing demand; it is not money mortgage brokers and lenders take in. 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 mortgage brokers and lenders?
California has 6.4 mortgage brokers and lenders per 10,000 households, 49% above the U.S. rate of 4.3. The index of housing spending per office is 80, where 100 is the U.S. At the U.S. ratio of mortgage brokers and lenders to household spending, California would have about 6,936, against 8,697 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 2,973 households, against one for every 4,897 across the U.S. The official count fell 0.8% from 2019 to 2023, against +9.5% for the U.S.
Which market in California has the highest market score for mortgage brokers and lenders?
Among 25 scored metro areas in or partly in California, the Hanford-Corcoran metro area scores highest, at 70 (upper middle). Among 6 scored small-town markets in or partly in California, the Sonora area scores highest, at 66 (upper middle). Among 42 scored counties in California, Kings County scores highest, at 71 (upper middle). 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 28 for mortgage brokers and lenders (lower middle), #50 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 mortgage brokers and lenders 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.
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Top markets for mortgage brokers and lenders across the U.S. · All business types in California
Related business types in California
- Real estate66,358 listings
- Real estate agents and brokers51,532 listings
- Property management5,517 listings
- Home inspectors612 listings
Screening a site or an acquisition in California?
A site report maps the competitors on map listings near an address and sizes the households and spending around it.
This product uses the Census Bureau Data API but is not endorsed or certified by the Census Bureau.
Figures are estimates for research only. Not investment or real estate advice.