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Ventura County, CA — Fast food Saturation

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. 41 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 — 1.09× the U.S. rate (between 1.09× and 1.11× 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. 20 ZIP cells in this county are withheld, 5 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

In line with the U.S. rate   Ventura County fast food — 109–111% of the U.S. rate

718 fast food are counted in Ventura County — 7.3 per 10,000 people present (residents + daytime workers), 109% 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 10% between 2015 and 2023 (643 → 709). 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 93001 (Ventura), 91362 (Thousand Oaks), 93003 (Ventura) — well above the national rate. On measured density alone, the lowest-density residential ZIPs with a published count are 93012 (Camarillo), 93004 (Ventura), 93033 (Oxnard).

BLS QCEW puts the latest county-wide count (2026 Q1) at 702 establishments, the freshest available signal.

Measured density: Ventura County sits at 109% of the U.S. rate for fast food. 5 ZIPs with population have no published count (each 0–2 businesses), so the true per-capita rate is between 109% and 111% of the U.S. rate. Why. The highest measured density is in 93001 and 91362; the lowest measured density is in 93012 and 93004.

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
718–758
published count; upper bound counts each withheld ZIP cell as 2 (20 cells) (2023)
Per 10,000 present
7.3
residents + daytime workers
U.S. average
6.7
per 10,000 present
County index
1.09×
vs. U.S.
Latest quarter (QCEW)
702
2026 Q1 — county total
Residents
841,297
26 ZIPs with data
Workers
285,173
jobs located in county

Is the area growing?

Population
835,427
Census PEP, July 1 2024
Change since 2020
−1.0%
−8,381 people
Net migration 2024
+269
international +4,158, domestic −3,889
Jobs located here
317,769
LODES 2022, +0.5% since 2019

Ventura County had an estimated 835,427 residents on July 1, 2024 — 1.0% fewer than in 2020 (−8,381). In the latest year it gained 2,356 people: births minus deaths +2,070, international migration +4,158, domestic migration −3,889. Components are published separately and may not sum exactly.

317,769 jobs were located in the county in 2022 (+0.5% since 2019), and 402,417 employed residents lived there (+1.7% 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

No ZIP had a statistically significant increase.

ZIP losing residents
2015–19 → 2020–24
Change
93033 Oxnard
−7.0%

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
89
no paid employees (2024)
Receipts
$7.9M
published gross receipts
Receipts per business
$89K
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 10% since 2015

Number of fast food in Ventura 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.

643
2015
664
2018
652
2020
650
2021
695
2022
709
2023

Highest measured density

ZIP
vs. U.S. average
Index
93001 Ventura
178%
91362 Thousand Oaks
173%
93003 Ventura
152%
93023 Ojai
148%
93030 Oxnard
137%
93010 Camarillo
136%
91360 Thousand Oaks
134%
93021 Moorpark
133%
93041 Port Hueneme
128%
93063 Simi Valley
108%
93060 Santa Paula
100%
93065 Simi Valley
97%
91361 Westlake Village
97%
93036 Oxnard
96%
91377 Oak Park
95%

Lowest measured density

ZIP
vs. U.S. average
Index
93012 Camarillo
34%
93004 Ventura
56%
93033 Oxnard
58%
93035 Oxnard
85%
91320 Newbury Park
87%
93015 Fillmore
89%
91377 Oak Park
95%
93036 Oxnard
96%
91361 Westlake Village
97%
93065 Simi Valley
97%
93060 Santa Paula
100%
93063 Simi Valley
108%
93041 Port Hueneme
128%
93021 Moorpark
133%
91360 Thousand Oaks
134%
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.

ZIPNeighborhoodType ResidentsWorkersFast foodIndex
93042Point Mugu Nawc Employment hub 99405 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.

ZIPNeighborhood ResidentsWorkersFast food Per 10kIndexStatus
93001Ventura 32,02611,831 45 11.9 178% High density
91362Thousand Oaks 35,99623,333 55 11.5 173% High density
93003Ventura 52,90634,074 71 10.2 152% High density
93023Ojai 21,0366,652 24 9.9 148% Above average
93030Oxnard 58,19227,940 66 9.1 137% Above average
93010Camarillo 46,74816,482 50 9.1 136% Above average
91360Thousand Oaks 42,23618,533 46 8.9 134% Above average
93021Moorpark 37,7469,890 38 8.9 133% Above average
93041Port Hueneme 23,2732,696 21 8.5 128% Above average
93063Simi Valley 55,06611,598 44 7.2 108% Above average
93060Santa Paula 34,5015,747 25 6.7 100% Above average
93065Simi Valley 73,53422,854 55 6.5 97% Below average
91361Westlake Village 18,80218,064 18 6.5 97% Below average
93036Oxnard 49,39416,618 37 6.4 96% Below average
91377Oak Park 13,757819 9 6.4 95% Below average
93015Fillmore 19,1912,183 12 5.9 89% Below average
91320Newbury Park 43,47223,516 32 5.8 87% Below average
93035Oxnard 26,8532,776 16 5.7 85% Below average
93033Oxnard 78,7378,090 32 3.9 58% Below average
93004Ventura 30,6982,731 12 3.7 56% Below average
93012Camarillo 35,79116,689 10 2.3 34% Far below average
91319Newbury Park —79 0–2 — — Not published
91358Thousand Oaks —18 0–2 — — Not published
91359Westlake Village —462 0–2 — — Not published
93002Ventura —267 0–2 — — Not published
93006Ventura —90 0–2 — — Not published
93011Camarillo —51 0–2 — — Not published
93016Fillmore —25 0–2 — — Not published
93020Moorpark —580 0–2 — — Not published
93022Oak View 6,078665 0–2 — — Not published
93031Oxnard —89 0–2 — — Not published
93032Oxnard —59 0–2 — — Not published
93034Oxnard —10 0–2 — — Not published
93040Piru 1,799107 0–2 — — Not published
93042Point Mugu Nawc 99405 0–2 — — Not published
93043Port Hueneme Cbc Base 468221 0–2 — — Not published
93044Port Hueneme —192 0–2 — — Not published
93061Santa Paula —26 0–2 — — Not published
93062Simi Valley —113 0–2 — — Not published
93066Somis 2,898659 0–2 — — Not published
93094Simi Valley —18 0–2 — — Not published

Scroll the table sideways to see all columns.

Find an actual space in Ventura

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 Ventura retail space →
Crexi
Free listings + market data
Browse Ventura retail space →
CityFeet
Retail space for lease
Browse Ventura 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 Ventura County and fast food

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 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 702 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 →

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.