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Sonoma County, CA — Restaurants Saturation

How many restaurants 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. 42 ZIP codes analyzed.

Includes: Sit-down restaurants with table service. Counted together because official statistics use one 722511 code.

Measured density: Above average — 1.37× the U.S. rate (between 1.37× and 1.42× 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. 18 ZIP cells in this county are withheld, 9 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   Sonoma County restaurants — 137–142% of the U.S. rate

502 restaurants are counted in Sonoma County — 8.8 per 10,000 people present (residents + daytime workers), 137% of the U.S. rate of 6.4.

On the comparable ZIP set (ZIPs with a published count in every year), the total has stayed roughly flat between 2015 and 2023 (507 → 496).

Measured supply density is highest in 94931 (Cotati), 94952 (Petaluma), 95448 (Healdsburg) — well above the national rate. On measured density alone, the lowest-density residential ZIPs with a published count are 95407 (Santa Rosa), 95403 (Santa Rosa), 95436 (Forestville).

BLS QCEW puts the latest county-wide count (2026 Q1) at 495 establishments, the freshest available signal.

Measured density: Sonoma County sits at 137% of the U.S. rate for restaurants. 9 ZIPs with population have no published count (each 0–2 businesses), so the true per-capita rate is between 137% and 142% of the U.S. rate. Why. The highest measured density is in 94931 and 94952; the lowest measured density is in 95407 and 95403.

This is a supply-side read: it counts existing restaurants 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.

Restaurants
502–538
published count; upper bound counts each withheld ZIP cell as 2 (18 cells) (2023)
Per 10,000 present
8.8
residents + daytime workers
U.S. average
6.4
per 10,000 present
County index
1.37×
vs. U.S.
Latest quarter (QCEW)
495
2026 Q1 — county total
Residents
485,213
33 ZIPs with data
Workers
174,040
jobs located in county

Is the area growing?

Population
485,375
Census PEP, July 1 2024
Change since 2020
−0.6%
−3,126 people
Net migration 2024
+2,143
international +2,349, domestic −206
Jobs located here
200,181
LODES 2022, −2.4% since 2019

Sonoma County had an estimated 485,375 residents on July 1, 2024 — 0.6% fewer than in 2020 (−3,126). In the latest year it gained 2,009 people: births minus deaths −153, international migration +2,349, domestic migration −206. Components are published separately and may not sum exactly.

200,181 jobs were located in the county in 2022 (−2.4% since 2019), and 217,815 employed residents lived there (−1.1% 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
94928 Rohnert Park
+5.7%
ZIP losing residents
2015–19 → 2020–24
Change
95492 Windsor
−6.3%

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
45
no paid employees (2024)
Receipts
$3.2M
published gross receipts
Receipts per business
$72K
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 restaurants 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 — down 2% since 2015

Number of restaurants in Sonoma 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.

507
2015
531
2018
497
2020
492
2021
487
2022
496
2023

Highest measured density

ZIP
vs. U.S. average
Index
94931 Cotati
336%
94952 Petaluma
232%
95448 Healdsburg
190%
95401 Santa Rosa
174%
95476 Sonoma
157%
95472 Sebastopol
148%
95405 Santa Rosa
129%
95404 Santa Rosa
129%
95492 Windsor
126%
95425 Cloverdale
117%
94928 Rohnert Park
117%
95409 Santa Rosa
104%
94954 Petaluma
99%
95436 Forestville
77%
95403 Santa Rosa
77%

Lowest measured density

ZIP
vs. U.S. average
Index
95407 Santa Rosa
74%
95403 Santa Rosa
77%
95436 Forestville
77%
94954 Petaluma
99%
95409 Santa Rosa
104%
94928 Rohnert Park
117%
95425 Cloverdale
117%
95492 Windsor
126%
95404 Santa Rosa
129%
95405 Santa Rosa
129%
95472 Sebastopol
148%
95476 Sonoma
157%
95401 Santa Rosa
174%
95448 Healdsburg
190%
94952 Petaluma
232%
Low measured density is not evidence of opportunity. A ZIP with few restaurants 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.

ZIPNeighborhoodType ResidentsWorkersRestaurantsIndex
94922Bodega Employment hub 642 0–2 —

Scroll the table sideways to see all columns.

All ZIP codes

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

ZIPNeighborhood ResidentsWorkersRestaurants Per 10kIndexStatus
95444Graton 625224 3 40.7 637% Very high density
94923Bodega Bay 1,483599 5 28.1 439% Very high density
95462Monte Rio 1,058207 3 25.8 404% Very high density
94931Cotati 9,4873,390 24 21.5 336% Very high density
95446Guerneville 4,6071,055 11 21.4 335% Very high density
95465Occidental 1,203516 3 20.5 321% Very high density
95452Kenwood 1,762522 3 14.8 232% High density
94952Petaluma 33,78514,859 61 14.8 232% High density
95442Glen Ellen 3,449745 5 13.1 205% High density
95441Geyserville 1,6481,515 3 12.5 195% High density
95448Healdsburg 16,0778,991 25 12.2 190% High density
95401Santa Rosa 36,86116,043 50 11.1 174% High density
95476Sonoma 35,19613,154 42 10.1 157% High density
95472Sebastopol 28,7478,016 31 9.5 148% Above average
95405Santa Rosa 22,7447,784 22 8.3 129% Above average
95404Santa Rosa 37,0118,679 34 8.2 129% Above average
95492Windsor 27,4297,163 25 8.1 126% Above average
95425Cloverdale 10,9782,064 9 7.5 117% Above average
94928Rohnert Park 46,82913,276 40 7.5 117% Above average
95409Santa Rosa 25,6162,801 18 6.7 104% Above average
94954Petaluma 37,57416,331 29 6.3 99% Below average
95436Forestville 5,821590 3 4.9 77% Below average
95403Santa Rosa 45,80627,022 29 4.9 77% Below average
95407Santa Rosa 42,03617,188 24 4.7 74% Below average
94922Bodega 642 0–2 — — Not published
94927Rohnert Park —23 0–2 — — Not published
94951Penngrove 3,294554 0–2 — — Not published
94953Petaluma —115 0–2 — — Not published
94972Valley Ford 028 0–2 — — Not published
94975Petaluma —49 0–2 — — Not published
95402Santa Rosa —262 0–2 — — Not published
95406Santa Rosa —214 0–2 — — Not published
95412Annapolis 33112 0–2 — — Not published
95416Boyes Hot Springs —37 0–2 — — Not published
95419Camp Meeker 15226 0–2 — — Not published
95421Cazadero 1,570178 0–2 — — Not published
95430Duncans Mills 099 0–2 — — Not published
95431Eldridge 4358 0–2 — — Not published
95439Fulton 486152 0–2 — — Not published
95450Jenner 224171 0–2 — — Not published
95473Sebastopol —51 0–2 — — Not published
95497The Sea Ranch 1,275113 0–2 — — Not published

Scroll the table sideways to see all columns.

Find an actual space in Santa Rosa

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

LoopNet
Largest commercial marketplace
Browse Santa Rosa retail space →
Crexi
Free listings + market data
Browse Santa Rosa retail space →
CityFeet
Retail space for lease
Browse Santa Rosa retail space →

Open vacancy data (actual empty units) is only published by some cities; where it exists we show it directly. Listings above are third-party.

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.

Follow Sonoma County and restaurants

When a data vintage changes or a section of this report is revised, we post it to a public update feed. No email address, no account, no tracking — and nothing is sent unless something actually changed.

Subscribe to updates (RSS) How these numbers are built →

Methodology & sources

Establishments. U.S. Census ZIP Code Business Patterns (ZBP 2023), NAICS 722511 — full-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 495 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 (6.39 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 →

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.