California Business by the Numbers: 2026 Company Breakdown
California has 7,660,543 business records in Factur’s directory — the 1st-most of any U.S. state, or 11.8% of the national total. Los Angeles leads its cities with 9.4% of the state’s records, Industrial & mechanical is the largest sector at 27.7%, and California ranks 1st for large employers (500+ employees).
Data as of July 2026. The figures come from Factur’s U.S. business directory, spanning 225 California cities and 11 industry sectors. They count records, not unique companies: one company can have more than one record (see the methodology). Every number links to the browsable list behind it. Journalists and researchers are welcome to cite these figures with a link back to this page.
Key findings
- California ranks 1st nationally with 7,660,543 business records — 11.8% of all 64,799,929 U.S. records in the directory.
- A national-average share of large employers. California is 1st for records of companies with 500+ employees (11,624), with 15.2 per 10,000 records against 14.0 nationally (23rd of 52 states).
- California has more it, communication and financial than the U.S. mix:IT is 0.5% of the state’s records against 0.3% nationally (1.9×); Communication is 3.1% of the state’s records against 2.2% nationally (1.4×); Financial is 5.9% of the state’s records against 5.1% nationally (1.2×).
- Los Angeles is the state’s largest business hub, with 9.4% of all California records.
- Business is concentrated in a few metros: Los Angeles, San Francisco and San Diego together hold 17.8% of the state’s records.
How California ranks nationally
California and its closest neighbours by total business records. Select a state to open its own study.
Top California cities by number of business records
These 10 cities account for 27.4% of all records in California. Select any city to browse its full company list.
California businesses by industry
Every record is classified by its primary industry using NAICS/SIC codes; the shares are of all California records. Select a sector to see those California companies.
What sets California apart
Sectors that make up a bigger share of California’s records than of the U.S. as a whole. A ratio of 2.0× means the sector is twice as common here as nationally. Select a sector to browse it.
California businesses by size
Most records in every state are small businesses. In California, 1.87% of records with a known size have 51 or more employees, against 1.77% nationally. 3,260 records belong to companies with $1 billion or more in revenue.
| Employees | Records | California | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1-50 | 7,434,376 | 98.13% | 98.23% |
| 51-200 | 108,259 | 1.43% | 1.37% |
| 201-1000 | 28,322 | 0.37% | 0.33% |
| 1001-5000 | 3,587 | 0.05% | 0.05% |
| 5001+ | 1,610 | 0.02% | 0.02% |
What the numbers show
California’s 7,660,543 records place it 1st nationally, 11.8% of the U.S. total, and 1st for large employers. Activity clusters in its largest metros — Los Angeles, San Francisco and San Diego alone account for 17.8% of the state’s records — and the state leans toward it, communication and financial compared with the rest of the country. For buyers and sellers, that means the deepest pools of suppliers sit in a handful of cities and sectors; the charts above link straight into each so you can shortlist by capability and region.
Frequently asked questions
How many businesses are in California?
Factur’s directory has 7,660,543 business records for California, the 1st-most of any U.S. state. That counts records rather than unique companies: a company can have more than one record, so the number of distinct businesses is lower.
How many large companies are in California?
11,624 California records belong to companies with 500 or more employees, 1st among U.S. states, or 15.2 per 10,000 records against 14.0 nationally. Large companies often have several records (one per department or location), so this overstates the number of distinct large employers.
Which California city has the most businesses?
Los Angeles has the most, with 9.4% of the state’s records.
What is the largest industry in California?
Industrial & mechanical is the largest sector, at 27.7% of California records. Compared with the U.S. mix, California has proportionally more it, communication and financial.
Where does this data come from?
From Factur’s U.S. business directory as of July 2026, classified by city and by primary industry using NAICS/SIC codes. Every figure on this page links to the list behind it.
Cite this data
Free to use with attribution — please credit Factur and link back to this page.
Factur. (2026). California Business by the Numbers: 2026 Company Breakdown. data.facturmfg.com. https://data.facturmfg.com/insights/california<a href="https://data.facturmfg.com/insights/california">California Business by the Numbers: 2026 Company Breakdown</a> — data by FacturMethodology
Figures count records in Factur’s U.S. business directory as of July 2026, classified by city and primary industry using NAICS/SIC codes. Records cover manufacturers, suppliers and businesses of all sizes. They are not a count of unique companies: one company can have several records (for example one per department or location), and some records are duplicates. That affects large companies most, so treat raw totals as an upper bound and rely on the ranks, shares and comparisons, which it affects much less. These are directory totals, not official census figures. Percentages are computed against the California directory total; size shares use records with a known employee count. Data compiled by Factur, a sales and marketing firm for B2B manufacturers.
Looking for a specific industry in California? Browse the California directory → or contact us for a custom data pull.