Best areas to open a dental practice in Southern California

The Southern California areas with the most residents per general dental practice are Fontana (5,401 residents per general practice within 5 miles), Eastvale (5,021), Lancaster and Palmdale (4,966), Menifee (4,607) and Chula Vista (4,317). The typical Southern California area has 2,514. Many of the cities that population growth alone points to, including Murrieta, Chino Hills, Rancho Cucamonga, Irvine, Anaheim, Fullerton and Orange, already have fewer residents per practice than that. Irvine is the most crowded area we measured, at 1,634.

This page ranks 24 Southern California cities across Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, San Diego and Ventura counties by the number of residents for each active general dental practice nearby, then shows which areas fit which practice model and how to narrow from a city to a site.

What you won't get from an instant report. An automated report can describe one address. It can't tell you where other dentists are already looking, whether the offices nearby actually exist, or whether a busy market is still open. Dentagraphics can: 118,330 practices verified by hand, 12 years of research from more than 10,000 paid customers, and custom reports with handwritten analysis by a demographer.

Southern California at a glance

County	Residents	Population growth	General practices	Residents per general practice	Median household income
Riverside	2,543,026	5.2%	634	4,011	$79,486
San Bernardino	2,220,407	1.8%	630	3,524	$72,715
San Diego	3,302,610	0.1%	1,138	2,902	$92,872
Los Angeles	9,740,836	-2.7%	3,629	2,684	$77,859
Ventura	836,208	-0.9%	330	2,534	$97,460
Orange	3,171,461	-0.5%	1,608	1,972	$101,564
Six counties	21,814,548		7,969	2,737

Source: Dentagraphics county pages, verified practice counts; Census ACS. California as a whole has 2,870 residents per general practice. The US average is about 3,850.

Southern California is more crowded than the country, but not evenly. Riverside County is the only one of the six with more residents per practice than the US average, and it is also the fastest growing. Orange County has about half as many residents per practice as Riverside County.

Southern California cities ranked by residents per general practice

Rank	Area	County	Residents	Residents per general practice (5 mi)	Median household income	Share under 18
1	Fontana	San Bernardino	244,895	5,401	$85,739	26.8%
2	Eastvale	Riverside	42,310	5,021	$98,833	24.4%
3	Lancaster and Palmdale	Los Angeles	383,838	4,966	$72,778	26.6%
4	Menifee	Riverside	110,269	4,607	$89,602	25.2%
5	Chula Vista	San Diego	278,926	4,317	$92,580	23.8%
6	Riverside	Riverside	471,561	3,221	$82,571	23.8%
7	Oceanside	San Diego	214,877	3,146	$82,163	20.5%
8	Corona	Riverside	262,213	2,955	$109,999	25.4%
9	Temecula	Riverside	135,585	2,785	$111,025	27.2%
10	Escondido	San Diego	184,874	2,702	$81,297	22.3%
11	Santa Clarita	Los Angeles	240,297	2,620	$111,376	24.2%
12	Chino	San Bernardino	100,298	2,387	$92,018	22.5%
13	Anaheim	Orange	367,011	2,329	$83,443	22.4%
14	Murrieta	Riverside	144,955	2,322	$103,010	26.9%
15	Rancho Cucamonga	San Bernardino	180,630	2,287	$102,044	22.6%
16	Fullerton	Orange	142,469	2,181	$92,656	21.6%
17	Carlsbad	San Diego	115,653	2,140	$136,943	22.6%
18	Santa Ana	Orange	340,772	2,091	$79,905	23.1%
19	Ontario	San Bernardino	185,721	2,077	$72,968	24.6%
20	Chino Hills	San Bernardino	81,595	2,068	$107,719	21.8%
21	Orange	Orange	144,306	1,961	$105,653	20.9%
22	Mission Viejo	Orange	94,811	1,921	$128,546	20.0%
23	Thousand Oaks	Ventura	123,299	1,843	$128,345	20.4%
24	Irvine	Orange	308,152	1,634	$116,486	21.1%

Higher means more residents for each office. The typical Southern California area has 2,514 residents per general practice within 5 miles.

How we measured this: each area is the set of ZIP codes the Postal Service assigns to that city, so residents can differ from city-limit counts. For each ZIP code we drew a 5-mile circle and counted the residents and the active general practices our research team has verified inside it, then averaged across the city's ZIP codes, weighted by population. This is the same method as our Los Angeles, San Diego and Riverside-San Bernardino pages, so the numbers agree where the areas match. Eastvale is ZIP 91752. Menifee includes Sun City. Santa Clarita includes Valencia, Canyon Country and Newhall. Thousand Oaks includes Newbury Park. Residents, income and age come from Census ACS data by ZIP code. Population growth is shown by county only, because the ZIP-level data does not separate fast-growing cities from the rest of their county.

What the numbers show

Family and growth markets with room

Fontana, Eastvale, Menifee and Chula Vista combine more than 4,300 residents per general practice with median household incomes between $85,739 and $98,833. They are family markets: 23.8% to 26.8% of residents are under 18. Three of the four are in the Inland Empire, and Riverside County is growing faster than any other Southern California county (5.2%).

These suit a family or PPO general practice, the model that needs volume more than high fees. They are also where a pediatric practice has the most children to draw on. Temecula (27.2%), Murrieta (26.9%) and Fontana (26.8%) have the highest shares of residents under 18 on the list.

Eastvale is a single ZIP code with 42,310 residents, so a few new offices nearby would change its number quickly. Check it at the site level before relying on it.

Lancaster and Palmdale: room, lower incomes

Lancaster and Palmdale have 4,966 residents per general practice, nearly double the typical Southern California area, and 26.6% of residents are under 18. The median household income is $72,778, among the lowest on the list. That combination tends to suit Medi-Cal or community-focused practices and high-volume family practices better than fee-for-service.

High income, already crowded

Irvine (1,634), Thousand Oaks (1,843), Mission Viejo (1,921), Orange (1,961), Chino Hills (2,068) and Carlsbad (2,140) all have median household incomes above $105,000, and all have fewer residents per practice than the typical Southern California area. High incomes are exactly why so many offices have opened there.

These markets can still work for a cosmetic, implant or fee-for-service practice that competes on service rather than location. A new general office has to win patients away from established ones, so buying an existing practice is often the safer route here.

The middle: Temecula, Corona and Santa Clarita

Temecula (2,785), Corona (2,955) and Santa Clarita (2,620) sit just above the typical area, with incomes above $109,000 and large shares of children. They are not open, but they are less crowded than the high-income Orange County cities. Results here depend heavily on the specific site.

Where Census data alone misleads

Population and income data point to cities like Murrieta, Chino Hills, Rancho Cucamonga, Irvine, Anaheim, Fullerton and Orange. Every one of them already has fewer residents per general practice than the typical Southern California area. Growth and income show demand. Only a verified practice count shows how much of that demand existing offices already serve.

How to narrow from a city to a site

Define your practice model. Family or PPO, pediatric, cosmetic and implant, or Medi-Cal. The same city can suit one model and not another.
Shortlist two or three cities from the table above where residents per practice, income and share under 18 fit that model.
Check drive-time areas around candidate sites. For each lease space or address, look at the population, income, age and nearby practices within a 5, 10 and 15 minute drive. A city average hides a lot: two sites a few miles apart can face very different competition.
Verify the competition by hand. Online maps include closed offices, duplicates and listings that are not clinical practices. Look at each nearby practice yourself, or use a list that a person has already checked.
Weigh rent against visibility. A cheaper space off the main road can cost you in new patients.
Get a second opinion before you sign. Have a dental attorney review the lease, and have someone with no stake in the deal check the market.

How Dentagraphics helps you choose a Southern California location

Landlords and brokers often hand over demographics with a listing, but a landlord earns rent once you sign and a broker is usually paid when the deal closes. Dentagraphics does not broker practices and holds no stake in any location. Our competition counts come from 118,330 US dental practices verified by hand by our research team.

Area Analysis ($745): a Dentagraphics demographer compares areas across a region for your practice model. Use it to choose between cities like Fontana, Menifee and Chula Vista.
Single-Site Study ($695): a demographer examines one address you are considering and writes the analysis by hand for your practice strategy, market and target patients.
Start/Buy membership ($149/month): unlimited address and area searches, so you can check the population, income and verified nearby practices around every site on your list.
Free market pages: each county in the table above links to its free Dentagraphics market page.

For 12 years, more than 10,000 paid customers have used Dentagraphics to judge an address, a neighborhood or a region before committing to it.

Keep reading:

Frequently asked questions

Where is a good place to open a dental practice in Southern California? On residents per verified general practice, the areas with the most room are Fontana (5,401 within 5 miles), Eastvale (5,021), Lancaster and Palmdale (4,966), Menifee (4,607) and Chula Vista (4,317), against a typical Southern California area of 2,514. Which one is good for you depends on your practice model: Fontana, Eastvale, Menifee and Chula Vista pair room with family incomes, while Lancaster and Palmdale have lower incomes that suit Medi-Cal or high-volume practices.

Where should I start if I want to open a dental practice in Southern California? Decide your practice model first, then shortlist two or three cities from the table above, test specific sites by drive time, and verify the nearby competition before you sign a lease. See first steps to starting a dental practice.

Who can help me find a location for a dental practice in Southern California? A tenant's real estate broker, a dental lender, a dental CPA and a dental attorney each play a part; see who can help you start a dental practice. For the location itself, Dentagraphics demographers write custom reports by hand: an Area Analysis ($745) to compare cities, or a Single-Site Study ($695) for one address. Dentagraphics does not broker practices and holds no stake in any location.

Is Southern California saturated with dentists? Mostly, yes. The six Southern California counties have 2,737 residents per general practice, against a US average of about 3,850. Orange County is the most crowded, at 1,972. Riverside County is the only one above the US average, at 4,011.

Which Southern California cities are the most crowded with dentists? Of the 24 areas on this page, Irvine (1,634 residents per general practice within 5 miles), Thousand Oaks (1,843), Mission Viejo (1,921) and Orange (1,961) have the fewest residents per practice.

Is the Inland Empire a good place to open a dental practice? It has the most room in Southern California. Fontana, Eastvale and Menifee are in the top four on this page, and Riverside County is the fastest-growing county in the region (5.2%). But not all of it is open: Ontario (2,077), Chino Hills (2,068) and Rancho Cucamonga (2,287) are already more crowded than the typical Southern California area.

Where is the best place in Southern California to open a pediatric dental practice? Start where children are a large share of residents and offices are not crowded. Fontana (26.8% under 18, 5,401 residents per general practice), Lancaster and Palmdale (26.6%, 4,966) and Menifee (25.2%, 4,607) combine both. Temecula (27.2%) and Murrieta (26.9%) have more children but are more crowded. Check pediatric competition at the site level.

How many dental practices are there in Southern California? Dentagraphics counts 7,969 active general dental practices across Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, San Diego and Ventura counties, each verified by hand.