Home / Limited-service restaurants (fast food) / California / San Diego County, CA

San Diego County, CA — Fast food Saturation

Name: Fast food density by ZIP code in San Diego County, CA
Creator: BizGapMap

How many fast food exist per person present — residents plus daytime workers — by ZIP code, compared with the U.S. average. Establishment data: Census ZBP 2023. Population: ACS 2024 5-year. 166 ZIP codes analyzed.

Includes: Fast food · Quick-service restaurants · Takeout & delivery counters · Pizza delivery · Sandwich & burger chains. Counted together because official statistics use one 722513 code.

Measured density: Above average — 1.15× the U.S. rate (between 1.15× and 1.17× once withheld ZIP cells are counted)

Why a range: Census does not publish a ZIP-by-industry count when that ZIP has 0–2 businesses. 81 ZIP cells in this county are withheld, 26 of them with residents. Each could hold 0, 1, or 2 businesses: counting them all as 0 gives the low end, counting them all as 2 gives the high end — the data cannot say where the truth sits. The density range uses only the populated cells, since ZIPs without residents are excluded from per-person rates. How ranges work

Above the U.S. rate San Diego County fast food — 115–117% of the U.S. rate

3,063 fast food are counted in San Diego County — 7.7 per 10,000 people present (residents + daytime workers), 115% of the U.S. rate of 6.7.

On the comparable ZIP set (ZIPs with a published count in every year), the total has risen 15% between 2015 and 2023 (2,657 → 3,050). That set is smaller than today's county total. 2020–2021 were pandemic-distorted, and Census rounds counts, so small moves are within noise.

Measured supply density is highest in 92054 (Oceanside), 92093 (La Jolla), 92111 (San Diego) — well above the national rate. On measured density alone, the lowest-density residential ZIPs with a published count are 92010 (Carlsbad), 92082 (Valley Center), 91913 (Chula Vista).

BLS QCEW puts the latest county-wide count (2026 Q1) at 3,116 establishments, the freshest available signal.

Measured density: San Diego County sits at 115% of the U.S. rate for fast food. 26 ZIPs with population have no published count (each 0–2 businesses), so the true per-capita rate is between 115% and 117% of the U.S. rate. Why. The highest measured density is in 92054 and 92093; the lowest measured density is in 92010 and 92082.

This is a supply-side read: it counts existing fast food and the people present, not foot traffic, income, rent, or whether locals want more. Treat low density as a question to check, not an answer.

Fast food

3,063–3,225

published count; upper bound counts each withheld ZIP cell as 2 (81 cells) (2023)

Per 10,000 present

7.7

residents + daytime workers

U.S. average

6.7

per 10,000 present

County index

1.15×

vs. U.S.

Latest quarter (QCEW)

3,116

2026 Q1 — county total

Residents

3,282,423

110 ZIPs with data

Workers

1,385,217

jobs located in county

Is the area growing?

Population

3,298,799

Census PEP, July 1 2024

Change since 2020

−0.1%

−2,383 people

Net migration 2024

+292

international +24,226, domestic −23,934

Jobs located here

1,490,975

LODES 2022, +2.8% since 2019

San Diego County had an estimated 3,298,799 residents on July 1, 2024 — 0.1% fewer than in 2020 (−2,383). In the latest year it gained 12,909 people: births minus deaths +12,667, international migration +24,226, domestic migration −23,934. Components are published separately and may not sum exactly.

1,490,975 jobs were located in the county in 2022 (+2.8% since 2019), and 1,505,114 employed residents lived there (+2.6% since 2019). LODES counts wage and salary jobs covered by unemployment insurance plus federal jobs; it excludes the self-employed and military, and counts jobs rather than unique people. 2019→2022 spans the pandemic, so read it as one change, not a trend.

Population and migration say whether the customer base is growing. They do not say whether people want another business of this type. Definitions and limits → · Full county detail →

ZIP gaining residents

2015–19 → 2020–24

Change

92101 San Diego

+25.9%

92108 San Diego

+20.2%

92071 Santee

+3.3%

ZIP losing residents

2015–19 → 2020–24

Change

92140 San Diego

−45.5%

92113 San Diego

−17.5%

92118 Coronado

−16.1%

ACS 5-year estimates for 2015–2019 and 2020–2024. Only ZIPs with at least 2,000 residents in both windows and a change larger than the survey margin of error (90%) are listed — small ZIPs move a lot on paper without a real signal.

Nonemployer businesses (no paid employees)

Nonemployer businesses

521

no paid employees (2024)

Receipts

$40.3M

published gross receipts

Receipts per business

$77K

gross, not profit

Census Nonemployer Statistics counts businesses with no paid employees — a separate universe from the employer establishments counted above; a business is in one or the other, never both. They are not storefronts by definition: many are home-based, mobile, or part-time.

We show them beside the density index, not inside it. In categories such as nail and beauty salons, child care, and pet care, one-person businesses can outnumber employer establishments, so the employer-only count understates how many businesses exist. That is not evidence of higher demand.

Receipts are gross revenue reported for these businesses — not profit, and not the size of the local market. Census publishes this only at county level, so it is not shown on the ZIP map. See methodology.

Saturation map

Each ZIP area is shaded by its density of this business type per person present (residents + workers) vs. the U.S. average. Click any ZIP to zoom to its boundary, see its numbers, and switch to aerial imagery. Individual mapped shops appear as dots at street level — Show locations zooms you in to them (scroll or double-click to zoom).

Basemap:

Under 50% 50–100% 100–150% 150–250% 250%+ 0–2 (not published) / no data ZIP total (dot size) Mapped shop (OpenStreetMap, street level)

Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors, tiles by OpenFreeMap.

White dots are ZIP totals from the official Census count — the bigger the dot, the more fast food in that ZIP. They are aggregated, not individual shops. Turquoise dots are individual locations mapped in OpenStreetMap, shown only at street level; they are crowd-sourced and indicative, may be incomplete, and do not equal the official counts. Only the official ZIP totals feed the saturation index.

Market trend — up 15% since 2015

Number of fast food in San Diego County across 2015–2023, on a consistent set of ZIP codes present in every year — so changes are real, not ZIP-boundary artifacts. 2015/2018 are pre-pandemic baselines; 2020/2021 are COVID-distorted.

2,657

2015

2,910

2018

2,818

2020

2,861

2021

3,014

2022

3,050

2023

Highest measured density

ZIP

vs. U.S. average

Index

92054 Oceanside

268%

92093 La Jolla

242%

92111 San Diego

219%

92109 San Diego

212%

92110 San Diego

207%

92024 Encinitas

206%

92106 San Diego

205%

91950 National City

195%

92025 Escondido

192%

92055 Camp Pendleton

189%

92008 Carlsbad

189%

92014 Del Mar

176%

92104 San Diego

176%

92101 San Diego

174%

92103 San Diego

171%

Lowest measured density

ZIP

vs. U.S. average

Index

92010 Carlsbad

25%

92082 Valley Center

25%

91913 Chula Vista

28%

92114 San Diego

31%

92139 San Diego

34%

92058 Oceanside

40%

92067 Rancho Santa Fe

42%

92119 San Diego

47%

92124 San Diego

47%

92116 San Diego

49%

92040 Lakeside

50%

92129 San Diego

54%

92057 Oceanside

56%

92026 Escondido

62%

92105 San Diego

66%

Low measured density is not evidence of opportunity. A ZIP with few fast food may simply lack foot traffic, retail space, or demand. We rank only residential and mixed ZIPs here; employment hubs and visitor destinations are listed separately below. ZIPs where Census did not publish a count (0–2 businesses) are not ranked: they may be the least served of all, but the data cannot tell 0 from 1 or 2. Verify those locally.

Employment hubs & destinations

These ZIPs have far more workers (or visitors) than residents, so their counts are driven by daytime and visitor demand — not a place to read "shortage" from resident numbers alone.

ZIP	Neighborhood	Type	Residents	Workers	Fast food	Index
92108	San Diego	Employment hub	26,790	54,406	60	167%
92121	San Diego	Destination	3,974	123,633	51	116%
92123	San Diego	Employment hub	33,041	71,211	51	111%
92134	San Diego	Employment hub	290	2,205	0–2	—
92147	San Diego	Employment hub	148	313	0–2	—
92155	San Diego	Employment hub	101	264	0–2	—
92161	San Diego	Destination	29	3,964	0–2	—

Scroll the table sideways to see all columns.

All ZIP codes

Click a column header to sort. Index = fast food per 10,000 people present (residents + 0.5×workers) ÷ the U.S. average. 100% = exactly average.

ZIP	Neighborhood	Residents	Workers	Fast food	Per 10k	Index	Status
92135	San Diego	849	1,192	6	41.5	622%	Very high density
92136	San Diego	4,573	704	10	20.3	304%	Very high density
92145	San Diego	2,349	538	5	19.1	286%	Very high density
92054	Oceanside	38,417	14,957	82	17.9	268%	Very high density
92093	La Jolla	7,167	546	12	16.1	242%	High density
92111	San Diego	45,249	37,056	93	14.6	219%	High density
92109	San Diego	44,820	21,935	79	14.2	212%	High density
92110	San Diego	30,902	32,411	65	13.8	207%	High density
92024	Encinitas	50,617	23,621	86	13.8	206%	High density
92106	San Diego	21,651	10,774	37	13.7	205%	High density
91950	National City	59,891	23,074	93	13.0	195%	High density
92025	Escondido	49,989	23,548	79	12.8	192%	High density
92055	Camp Pendleton	10,831	2,110	15	12.6	189%	High density
92008	Carlsbad	27,955	43,940	63	12.6	189%	High density
92014	Del Mar	13,105	6,069	19	11.8	176%	High density
92104	San Diego	47,410	9,070	61	11.7	176%	High density
92101	San Diego	51,805	77,128	105	11.6	174%	High density
92103	San Diego	34,836	30,239	57	11.4	171%	High density
92108	San Diego	26,790	54,406	60	11.1	167%	High density
91942	La Mesa	41,424	20,503	57	11.0	165%	High density
92115	San Diego	66,264	8,129	73	10.4	156%	High density
92029	Escondido	20,726	19,941	31	10.1	151%	High density
92037	La Jolla	40,717	39,283	59	9.8	147%	Above average
92081	Vista	29,002	22,411	39	9.7	145%	Above average
92069	San Marcos	47,335	16,881	52	9.3	140%	Above average
92173	San Ysidro	27,585	7,622	29	9.2	138%	Above average
91945	Lemon Grove	27,745	6,571	28	9.0	135%	Above average
91915	Chula Vista	35,322	6,432	34	8.8	132%	Above average
92003	Bonsall	5,061	1,255	5	8.8	132%	Above average
92078	San Marcos	53,605	16,140	54	8.8	131%	Above average
91910	Chula Vista	77,123	22,822	77	8.7	130%	Above average
92075	Solana Beach	11,944	15,387	17	8.7	130%	Above average
92113	San Diego	48,215	14,861	48	8.6	129%	Above average
92019	El Cajon	45,351	7,932	42	8.5	128%	Above average
92020	El Cajon	57,842	30,445	62	8.5	127%	Above average
91902	Bonita	17,698	3,059	16	8.3	125%	Above average
92071	Santee	59,590	16,250	55	8.1	122%	Above average
92021	El Cajon	70,501	12,986	62	8.1	121%	Above average
92064	Poway	48,683	34,973	53	8.0	120%	Above average
92083	Vista	38,375	11,217	35	8.0	119%	Above average
92121	San Diego	3,974	123,633	51	7.8	116%	Above average
92128	San Diego	48,992	21,804	46	7.7	115%	Above average
92123	San Diego	33,041	71,211	51	7.4	111%	Above average
91932	Imperial Beach	25,741	2,543	20	7.4	111%	Above average
92107	San Diego	28,827	4,498	23	7.4	111%	Above average
92009	Carlsbad	44,739	15,535	38	7.2	108%	Above average
92056	Oceanside	53,616	20,198	46	7.2	108%	Above average
92126	San Diego	76,059	21,618	62	7.1	107%	Above average
91911	Chula Vista	85,542	21,397	67	7.0	104%	Above average
92102	San Diego	38,901	9,141	30	6.9	103%	Above average
92011	Carlsbad	23,190	13,073	20	6.7	101%	Above average
92118	Coronado	18,929	8,169	15	6.5	98%	Below average
91978	Spring Valley	10,014	1,678	7	6.4	97%	Below average
91941	La Mesa	33,218	6,032	23	6.3	95%	Below average
91901	Alpine	18,197	4,802	13	6.3	95%	Below average
92117	San Diego	52,275	11,535	35	6.0	90%	Below average
92027	Escondido	54,113	6,406	34	5.9	89%	Below average
92084	Vista	49,727	8,164	30	5.6	84%	Below average
92154	San Diego	80,445	23,535	51	5.5	83%	Below average
91914	Chula Vista	16,877	6,952	11	5.4	81%	Below average
92065	Ramona	36,752	4,949	21	5.4	80%	Below average
92130	San Diego	60,768	30,708	40	5.3	79%	Below average
92131	San Diego	35,503	21,633	24	5.2	78%	Below average
92122	San Diego	45,411	25,486	30	5.2	77%	Below average
91977	Spring Valley	61,064	7,111	32	5.0	74%	Below average
92120	San Diego	31,915	13,814	19	4.9	73%	Below average
92007	Cardiff By The Sea	11,100	3,005	6	4.8	71%	Below average
92127	San Diego	50,555	25,038	29	4.6	69%	Below average
92028	Fallbrook	52,227	7,297	25	4.5	67%	Below average
92105	San Diego	71,411	7,460	33	4.4	66%	Below average
92026	Escondido	53,075	4,917	23	4.1	62%	Below average
92057	Oceanside	56,835	4,614	22	3.7	56%	Below average
92129	San Diego	52,965	10,606	21	3.6	54%	Below average
92040	Lakeside	46,216	9,851	17	3.3	50%	Far below average
92116	San Diego	31,843	4,036	11	3.2	49%	Far below average
92124	San Diego	30,474	2,191	10	3.2	47%	Far below average
92119	San Diego	24,456	2,223	8	3.1	47%	Far below average
92067	Rancho Santa Fe	7,938	5,528	3	2.8	42%	Far below average
92058	Oceanside	49,834	5,427	14	2.7	40%	Far below average
92139	San Diego	34,703	1,385	8	2.3	34%	Far below average
92114	San Diego	65,745	3,115	14	2.1	31%	Far below average
91913	Chula Vista	57,721	3,016	11	1.9	28%	Far below average
92082	Valley Center	21,727	4,729	4	1.7	25%	Far below average
92010	Carlsbad	18,489	11,630	4	1.6	25%	Far below average
91903	Alpine	—	32	0–2	—	—	Not published
91905	Boulevard	1,683	70	0–2	—	—	Not published
91906	Campo	3,325	418	0–2	—	—	Not published
91908	Bonita	—	30	0–2	—	—	Not published
91912	Chula Vista	—	27	0–2	—	—	Not published
91916	Descanso	1,710	99	0–2	—	—	Not published
91917	Dulzura	749	8	0–2	—	—	Not published
91921	Chula Vista	—	62	0–2	—	—	Not published
91931	Guatay	494	59	0–2	—	—	Not published
91933	Imperial Beach	—	31	0–2	—	—	Not published
91934	Jacumba	1,200	14	0–2	—	—	Not published
91935	Jamul	9,114	2,186	0–2	—	—	Not published
91943	La Mesa	—	12	0–2	—	—	Not published
91944	La Mesa	—	12	0–2	—	—	Not published
91946	Lemon Grove	—	17	0–2	—	—	Not published
91948	Mount Laguna	93	28	0–2	—	—	Not published
91951	National City	—	96	0–2	—	—	Not published
91962	Pine Valley	2,574	167	0–2	—	—	Not published
91963	Potrero	689	26	0–2	—	—	Not published
91979	Spring Valley	—	12	0–2	—	—	Not published
91980	Tecate	176	216	0–2	—	—	Not published
92004	Borrego Springs	3,007	920	0–2	—	—	Not published
92013	Carlsbad	—	69	0–2	—	—	Not published
92018	Carlsbad	—	166	0–2	—	—	Not published
92022	El Cajon	—	242	0–2	—	—	Not published
92023	Encinitas	—	52	0–2	—	—	Not published
92030	Escondido	—	92	0–2	—	—	Not published
92033	Escondido	—	26	0–2	—	—	Not published
92036	Julian	3,218	764	0–2	—	—	Not published
92038	La Jolla	—	58	0–2	—	—	Not published
92039	La Jolla	—	36	0–2	—	—	Not published
92046	Escondido	—	35	0–2	—	—	Not published
92049	Oceanside	—	29	0–2	—	—	Not published
92052	Oceanside	—	34	0–2	—	—	Not published
92059	Pala	1,362	1,255	0–2	—	—	Not published
92060	Palomar Mountain	619	46	0–2	—	—	Not published
92061	Pauma Valley	1,543	688	0–2	—	—	Not published
92066	Ranchita	290	31	0–2	—	—	Not published
92068	San Luis Rey	—	14	0–2	—	—	Not published
92070	Santa Ysabel	607	282	0–2	—	—	Not published
92072	Santee	—	58	0–2	—	—	Not published
92074	Poway	—	142	0–2	—	—	Not published
92079	San Marcos	—	125	0–2	—	—	Not published
92085	Vista	—	211	0–2	—	—	Not published
92086	Warner Springs	1,406	175	0–2	—	—	Not published
92088	Fallbrook	—	10	0–2	—	—	Not published
92091	Rancho Santa Fe	972	649	0–2	—	—	Not published
92092	La Jolla	528	111	0–2	—	—	Not published
92096	San Marcos	0	27	0–2	—	—	Not published
92112	San Diego	—	238	0–2	—	—	Not published
92132	San Diego	0	35	0–2	—	—	Not published
92134	San Diego	290	2,205	0–2	—	—	Not published
92138	San Diego	—	180	0–2	—	—	Not published
92140	San Diego	2,038	148	0–2	—	—	Not published
92142	San Diego	—	102	0–2	—	—	Not published
92143	San Ysidro	—	85	0–2	—	—	Not published
92147	San Diego	148	313	0–2	—	—	Not published
92150	San Diego	—	99	0–2	—	—	Not published
92152	San Diego	—	295	0–2	—	—	Not published
92155	San Diego	101	264	0–2	—	—	Not published
92159	San Diego	—	14	0–2	—	—	Not published
92160	San Diego	—	16	0–2	—	—	Not published
92161	San Diego	29	3,964	0–2	—	—	Not published
92163	San Diego	—	260	0–2	—	—	Not published
92165	San Diego	—	9	0–2	—	—	Not published
92166	San Diego	—	5	0–2	—	—	Not published
92167	San Diego	—	9	0–2	—	—	Not published
92169	San Diego	—	53	0–2	—	—	Not published
92171	San Diego	—	20	0–2	—	—	Not published
92172	San Diego	—	12	0–2	—	—	Not published
92174	San Diego	—	13	0–2	—	—	Not published
92176	San Diego	—	47	0–2	—	—	Not published
92177	San Diego	—	8	0–2	—	—	Not published
92178	Coronado	—	16	0–2	—	—	Not published
92182	San Diego	0	4,825	6	—	—	Not published
92186	San Diego	—	233	0–2	—	—	Not published
92191	San Diego	—	97	0–2	—	—	Not published
92192	San Diego	—	8	0–2	—	—	Not published
92193	San Diego	—	87	0–2	—	—	Not published
92195	San Diego	—	3	0–2	—	—	Not published
92196	San Diego	—	9	0–2	—	—	Not published
92198	San Diego	—	5	0–2	—	—	Not published

Scroll the table sideways to see all columns.

Find an actual space in San Diego

The numbers above tell you how the market looks. To find a specific storefront, these marketplaces list available retail space for lease.

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Census withholds some ZIP-by-industry cells to protect small businesses. 0–2 means the cell was not published (Census publishes industry counts only at 3+ per ZIP), so the ZIP is left unranked rather than counted as zero. ~ means the count is estimated from the broader industry group and can be off by a business or two.

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Methodology & sources

Establishments. U.S. Census ZIP Code Business Patterns (ZBP 2023), NAICS 722513 — limited-service restaurants. Counts establishments with paid employees. ZBP is published annually with a ~2-year lag.

Fresh county signal. BLS QCEW (quarterly) is newer than ZBP — 2026 Q1 shows 3,116 establishments county-wide for this industry. It cannot be broken down by ZIP.

Population. U.S. Census American Community Survey 2024 5-year ZCTA population (table B01003). Workers are the ZIP's total employment from the same 2023 ZBP file.

Demand ("people present"). Demand comes from residents and daytime workers: residents + 0.5 × workers. This is the single documented assumption in the model and can be tuned.

Index. index = (ZIP establishments ÷ ZIP demand × 10,000) ÷ the U.S. average for this industry (6.67 per 10,000 present). It is a supply-side density measure; it does not capture income, rent, tourism, or whether locals actually want more.

Read the full methodology → · Data sources & vintages →

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BizGapMap — free, no-login small-business saturation reports for major U.S. counties. Built entirely from public U.S. Census, BLS, and IRS data (ZBP 2023, ACS 2024 5-year, PEP 2024, LODES, QCEW, IRS SOI). No forecasts, no revenue guesses — withheld cells are marked, and the few derived counts are labelled as estimates.