Market rankings · California

Real estate businesses in California

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

Listings: 66,358; 3,607 chain locations (5%)
Official establishments: 46,316; +13.8% since 2019
Household spending a year: $270.6B; On rent and homeowner costs
Listings per 10k households: 49.0; 27% above the U.S.
Housing spending per listing (U.S. = 100): 94; 6% below the U.S.
Rank among states: #48 of 51; Market score 32 · Lower middle

A site report maps the real estate businesses 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 66,358 real estate businesses on map listings in California as of September 2026. Of those, 3,607 are chain locations, or 5%, against 6% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 49.0, 27% above the U.S. rate of 38.5.

Households in California spend about $270.6B a year on rent and homeowner costs, or $19,977 per household, 20% above the U.S. average. Housing spending per office is 6% below the U.S. figure. The spending figure is all rent and homeowner costs, a measure of housing demand, not money real estate businesses take in.

The official count of businesses with payroll classed as real estate agents, property managers, mortgage lenders and inspectors in California was 46,316 in 2023, up 13.8% from 2019. That is one for every 293 households, against one for every 414 across the U.S. Across the U.S., the count rose 15.8% over the same years. Since fiscal 2022, 666 SBA-backed loans worth $295.8M have gone to businesses classed as real estate agents, property managers, mortgage lenders and inspectors in California.

Among the 50 states and DC, California ranks #48 for real estate businesses, with a Groundwork market score of 32 (lower middle). Of the 25 scored metro areas in or partly in California, the Merced metro area scores highest (79). Of the 10 scored small-town markets in or partly in California, the Bishop area scores highest (74).

Every market in California for real estate businesses

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 real estate businesses by Groundwork market score
Market	Score	Listings	Per 10k households	Housing spending per listing (U.S. = 100)	Population growth	U.S. rank
1Merced, CA	79	210	24.4	157	+5.1%	#11 of 387
2Hanford-Corcoran, CA	72	85	19.3	203	+1.0%	#30 of 387
3Yuba City, CA	71	178	28.7	143	+3.3%	#35 of 387
4Visalia, CA	68	347	24.2	163	+2.4%	#45 of 387
5Stockton-Lodi, CA	67	868	35.4	124	+5.5%	#55 of 387
6Bakersfield-Delano, CA	66	772	27.1	146	+2.3%	#57 of 387
7Fresno, CA	58	1,249	33.7	120	+3.2%	#110 of 387
8Vallejo, CA	57	599	38.0	120	+0.6%	#120 of 387
9Salinas, CA	50	486	36.7	123	−1.5%	#179 of 387
10El Centro, CA	47	163	32.8	112	+1.1%	#209 of 387
11Modesto, CA	47	743	41.8	100	+0.7%	#213 of 387
12Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA	47	6,578	45.4	96	+3.5%	#216 of 387
13San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA	46	3,317	48.8	114	−0.6%	#223 of 387
14Redding, CA	44	291	40.9	98	−0.3%	#243 of 387
15Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA	42	4,469	50.7	89	+3.2%	#262 of 387
16Santa Rosa-Petaluma, CA	41	923	48.3	97	−0.4%	#270 of 387
17San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA	40	8,467	48.5	108	−2.4%	#277 of 387
18Chico, CA	38	359	43.1	92	−0.5%	#299 of 387
19Napa, CA	37	247	49.6	98	−3.3%	#310 of 387
20Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura, CA	37	1,375	49.0	97	−1.5%	#311 of 387
21Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA	36	497	51.3	94	−4.7%	#321 of 387
22Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA	32	748	50.0	92	−1.4%	#356 of 387
23San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles, CA	30	678	61.9	73	0.0%	#371 of 387
24San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA	28	7,202	61.5	77	−0.6%	#376 of 387
25Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA	27	24,297	54.0	84	−2.6%	#379 of 387

Small-town markets

Small-town markets reaching California, ranked for real estate businesses by Groundwork market score
Market	Score	Listings	Per 10k households	Housing spending per listing (U.S. = 100)	Population growth	U.S. rank
1Bishop, CA	74	12	14.9	270	−4.4%	#34 of 536
2Red Bluff, CA	50	64	25.8	148	−1.7%	#270 of 536
3Susanville, CA	40	23	24.9	152	−13.1%	#389 of 536
4Clearlake, CA	40	81	30.1	127	−0.6%	#394 of 536
5Ukiah, CA	37	97	27.8	141	−3.5%	#426 of 536
6Crescent City, CA	34	29	30.5	126	−4.4%	#462 of 536
7Eureka-Arcata, CA	34	168	30.6	124	−3.4%	#463 of 536
Gardnerville Ranchos, NV-CA	33	131	60.2	73	+0.9%	#482 of 536
8Truckee-Grass Valley, CA	30	282	65.8	67	−0.4%	#507 of 536
9Sonora, CA	29	88	38.8	106	−4.0%	#510 of 536

Counties

Counties in California, ranked for real estate businesses by Groundwork market score
Market	Score	Listings	Per 10k households	Housing spending per listing (U.S. = 100)	Population growth	U.S. rank
1Yuba County, CA	85	32	11.2	359	+8.2%	#7 of 2,229
2Inyo County, CA	72	12	14.9	270	−4.4%	#162 of 2,229
3Colusa County, CA	67	10	13.3	301	−0.1%	#292 of 2,229
4Merced County, CA	64	210	24.4	157	+5.1%	#424 of 2,229
5Trinity County, CA	63	10	17.9	203	−2.3%	#455 of 2,229
6Kings County, CA	61	85	19.3	203	+1.0%	#540 of 2,229
7Glenn County, CA	59	17	17.3	219	−2.6%	#610 of 2,229
8Tulare County, CA	56	347	24.2	163	+2.4%	#775 of 2,229
9Madera County, CA	56	132	29.1	140	+7.4%	#787 of 2,229
10San Joaquin County, CA	54	868	35.4	124	+5.5%	#882 of 2,229
11Kern County, CA	53	772	27.1	146	+2.3%	#931 of 2,229
12Amador County, CA	53	61	37.9	111	+3.2%	#947 of 2,229
13Tehama County, CA	52	64	25.8	148	−1.7%	#989 of 2,229
14San Benito County, CA	51	100	48.6	100	+8.6%	#1,050 of 2,229
15Yolo County, CA	50	249	32.5	136	+3.1%	#1,085 of 2,229
16Fresno County, CA	46	1,117	34.4	118	+2.6%	#1,304 of 2,229
17Solano County, CA	45	599	38.0	120	+0.6%	#1,348 of 2,229
18Calaveras County, CA	45	91	49.4	85	+2.8%	#1,368 of 2,229
19Lassen County, CA	44	23	24.9	152	−13.1%	#1,384 of 2,229
20Lake County, CA	44	81	30.1	127	−0.6%	#1,405 of 2,229
21Riverside County, CA	43	3,719	48.0	92	+5.0%	#1,481 of 2,229
22Sacramento County, CA	42	2,318	40.6	108	+2.0%	#1,525 of 2,229
23San Bernardino County, CA	41	2,859	42.4	100	+1.9%	#1,576 of 2,229
24Mendocino County, CA	40	97	27.8	141	−3.5%	#1,600 of 2,229
25Mariposa County, CA	40	23	30.6	129	−1.2%	#1,608 of 2,229

Show all 58 counties

Counties in California, ranked for real estate businesses by Groundwork market score, continued
Market	Score	Listings	Per 10k households	Housing spending per listing (U.S. = 100)	Population growth	U.S. rank
26Monterey County, CA	40	486	36.7	123	−1.5%	#1,609 of 2,229
27Stanislaus County, CA	40	743	41.8	100	+0.7%	#1,626 of 2,229
28Alameda County, CA	39	2,346	39.2	131	−2.6%	#1,664 of 2,229
29Del Norte County, CA	39	29	30.5	126	−4.4%	#1,670 of 2,229
30Imperial County, CA	39	163	32.8	112	+1.1%	#1,680 of 2,229
31Placer County, CA	39	1,409	89.2	55	+8.9%	#1,712 of 2,229
32Humboldt County, CA	38	168	30.6	124	−3.4%	#1,733 of 2,229
33Santa Clara County, CA	37	3,217	48.8	115	−0.9%	#1,786 of 2,229
34Shasta County, CA	37	291	40.9	98	−0.3%	#1,799 of 2,229
35Siskiyou County, CA	36	59	30.9	119	−4.5%	#1,833 of 2,229
36Sutter County, CA	36	146	43.9	95	−0.7%	#1,846 of 2,229
37Sonoma County, CA	35	923	48.3	97	−0.4%	#1,873 of 2,229
38San Mateo County, CA	34	1,264	47.8	116	−2.5%	#1,915 of 2,229
39Butte County, CA	34	359	43.1	92	−0.5%	#1,928 of 2,229
40Contra Costa County, CA	34	2,355	56.8	90	+0.3%	#1,930 of 2,229
41Tuolumne County, CA	33	88	38.8	106	−4.0%	#1,971 of 2,229
42Ventura County, CA	32	1,375	49.0	97	−1.5%	#2,005 of 2,229
43El Dorado County, CA	32	493	64.7	74	+0.6%	#2,015 of 2,229
44San Francisco County, CA	30	1,861	51.1	103	−5.6%	#2,066 of 2,229
45Napa County, CA	30	247	49.6	98	−3.3%	#2,068 of 2,229
46Santa Cruz County, CA	30	497	51.3	94	−4.7%	#2,070 of 2,229
47Santa Barbara County, CA	30	748	50.0	92	−1.4%	#2,073 of 2,229
48San Luis Obispo County, CA	30	678	61.9	73	0.0%	#2,077 of 2,229
49Los Angeles County, CA	28	16,418	48.1	92	−3.0%	#2,123 of 2,229
50San Diego County, CA	28	7,202	61.5	77	−0.6%	#2,129 of 2,229
51Nevada County, CA	28	282	65.8	67	−0.4%	#2,133 of 2,229
52Marin County, CA	27	641	62.2	87	−2.9%	#2,148 of 2,229
53Orange County, CA	26	7,879	72.8	67	−1.1%	#2,167 of 2,229
54Plumas County, CA	22	43	53.4	74	−5.9%	#2,202 of 2,229
55Mono County, CA	21	43	74.9	61	−5.4%	#2,210 of 2,229
Modoc County, CA	Not scored	7	21.4	171	−2.9%
Sierra County, CA	Not scored	0	0.0	n/a	−4.0%
Alpine County, CA	Not scored	2	46.0	100	−11.6%

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

Questions

How many real estate businesses are in California?

As of September 2026, map listings count 66,358 real estate businesses in California. 3,607 of them (5%) are chain locations. The listings count real estate agents and brokers, property managers, mortgage brokers and lenders, and home inspectors. Official counts show 46,316 businesses with payroll classed as real estate agents, property managers, mortgage lenders and inspectors in 2023, up 13.8% from 2019. Official counts also show 209,312 one-person businesses without payroll.

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 66,358 real estate businesses on map listings, housing spending per office is 6% below the U.S. figure. That figure is all rent and homeowner costs, used as a measure of housing demand; it is not money real estate businesses 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 real estate businesses?

California has 49.0 real estate businesses per 10,000 households, 27% above the U.S. rate of 38.5. The index of housing spending per office is 94, where 100 is the U.S. At the U.S. ratio of real estate businesses to household spending, California would have about 62,480, against 66,358 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 293 households, against one for every 414 across the U.S. The official count rose 13.8% from 2019 to 2023, against +15.8% for the U.S.

Which market in California has the highest market score for real estate businesses?

Among 25 scored metro areas in or partly in California, the Merced metro area scores highest, at 79 (high). Among 10 scored small-town markets in or partly in California, the Bishop area scores highest, at 74 (upper middle). Among 55 scored counties in California, Yuba County scores highest, at 85 (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 32 for real estate businesses (lower middle), #48 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 real estate businesses 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.

Real estate agents and brokers51,532 listings
Property management5,517 listings
Mortgage brokers and lenders8,697 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.

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