State Market Insights
By Category
All Pharmacies
6,195
Retail
4,513
Specialty
324
Hospital
199
LTC
843
MailOrder
64
Wholesale
134
Remote
118
Market Scale
Population
39,356,104
Density (all) /10k
1.57
Density (retail) /10k
1.15
Pharmacy Desert Counties
18
Avg. VigilScale™
54/100
Avg. Enrollment Age
14 yrs
Chain Mix
Solo (1)
1,926
Small Group (2–9)
623
Mid Chain (10–49)
227
Large Chain (50+)
1,026
Mega Chain
2,392
Special Designations
Independent
1,927
Sterile Compounding
153
Tele-Pharmacy
121
Government Owned
148
Non-Profit
155
Correctional
4
Top Chains
WALGREENS
10%
CVS
10%
THRIFTY PAYLESS
8%
California Pharmacy Landscape
🔒 Browse New Pharmacy Openings in California
Search recently enrolled pharmacies and filter by category
California Board of Pharmacy
State Regulator
Visit official state pharmacy board website
CURES
Official Program Information
Prescription Drug Monitoring Program requirements and information
CURES
Clinical Login
Look up patient prescription history before dispensing controlled substances
CURES
Data Submission Portal
Submit prescription dispensing data to state monitoring database
Quick Facts
Key regulatory requirements and practice standards
Pharmacist-Technician Ratio
State regulations require a pharmacist-to-technician ratio of 1:3 (Increased Jan 2026) to maintain safe pharmacy operations.
Continuing Education
Pharmacists must complete 30 hrs biennially (2 law, 1 cultural competency) of continuing education to maintain active licensure.
Technician Requirements
Pharmacy technicians in this state must meet the following requirement: Registration required.
Intern Supervision
Pharmacy intern supervision follows this standard: 1:2.
Remote Pharmacy
Remote pharmacy work and telepharmacy services are governed by these rules: Permitted for clinical/entry.
Vaccine Authority
Pharmacist authority to administer vaccines: Independent (ages 3+).
Regulatory Warnings
Compliance requirements and monitoring obligations
Pharmacist in Charge Notification
When a Pharmacist in Charge (PIC) changes, the pharmacy must notify the state board within the following timeframe: 30 days.
Prescription Monitoring Reporting
Prescription Monitoring Program (PMP) reporting requirements: Next business day (CURES).
PMP Query Requirements
Before dispensing controlled substances, pharmacists must check the Prescription Monitoring Program: Mandatory every 6 months.
Board Inspection Focus
State pharmacy board inspections frequently focus on: Non-resident PICs must hold a CA license as of July 2026..
Top Cities by Pharmacy Count
Largest pharmacy markets in California
LOS ANGELES
307 pharmacies
SAN DIEGO
197 pharmacies
SAN FRANCISCO
147 pharmacies
SAN JOSE
129 pharmacies
SACRAMENTO
129 pharmacies
BAKERSFIELD
109 pharmacies
FRESNO
94 pharmacies
GLENDALE
77 pharmacies
RIVERSIDE
72 pharmacies
ANAHEIM
71 pharmacies
LONG BEACH
67 pharmacies
OAKLAND
54 pharmacies
IRVINE
52 pharmacies
GARDEN GROVE
51 pharmacies
TORRANCE
50 pharmacies
STOCKTON
50 pharmacies
BURBANK
49 pharmacies
SANTA ANA
47 pharmacies
WESTMINSTER
46 pharmacies
VAN NUYS
42 pharmacies
MODESTO
42 pharmacies
PASADENA
41 pharmacies
CORONA
41 pharmacies
NORTH HOLLYWOOD
36 pharmacies
ROSEVILLE
35 pharmacies
SANTA ROSA
35 pharmacies
ORANGE
33 pharmacies
LANCASTER
33 pharmacies
CHULA VISTA
32 pharmacies
HUNTINGTON BEACH
32 pharmacies
VISALIA
31 pharmacies
SAN BERNARDINO
31 pharmacies
OXNARD
31 pharmacies
EL CAJON
31 pharmacies
OCEANSIDE
31 pharmacies
THOUSAND OAKS
29 pharmacies
SIMI VALLEY
28 pharmacies
TEMECULA
28 pharmacies
REDDING
27 pharmacies
SANTA MONICA
27 pharmacies
ELK GROVE
27 pharmacies
MURRIETA
26 pharmacies
VENTURA
26 pharmacies
FOUNTAIN VALLEY
26 pharmacies
ESCONDIDO
26 pharmacies
TARZANA
25 pharmacies
ALHAMBRA
25 pharmacies
NORTHRIDGE
24 pharmacies
WHITTIER
24 pharmacies
PALMDALE
24 pharmacies
POMONA
24 pharmacies
BEVERLY HILLS
24 pharmacies
SHERMAN OAKS
23 pharmacies
VICTORVILLE
23 pharmacies
HAYWARD
23 pharmacies
FONTANA
23 pharmacies
ONTARIO
22 pharmacies
Browse by County
All counties sorted by pharmacy count
Los Angeles County
9,936,690 pop · 1,207 retail · 1.21 density
Orange County
3,175,227 pop · 437 retail · 1.38 density
San Diego County
3,289,701 pop · 333 retail · 1.01 density
Riverside County
2,429,487 pop · 266 retail · 1.09 density
San Bernardino CountyPharmacy Desert
2,180,563 pop · 205 retail · 0.94 density
Santa Clara County
1,916,831 pop · 197 retail · 1.03 density
Sacramento County
1,579,211 pop · 181 retail · 1.15 density
Alameda CountyPharmacy Desert
1,663,823 pop · 155 retail · 0.93 density
Ventura County
842,009 pop · 115 retail · 1.37 density
Kern County
906,883 pop · 117 retail · 1.29 density
Fresno County
1,008,280 pop · 123 retail · 1.22 density
San Francisco County
851,036 pop · 117 retail · 1.37 density
Contra Costa CountyPharmacy Desert
1,162,648 pop · 112 retail · 0.96 density
San Joaquin CountyPharmacy Desert
779,445 pop · 71 retail · 0.91 density
San Mateo CountyPharmacy Desert
754,250 pop · 71 retail · 0.94 density
Sonoma County
488,436 pop · 65 retail · 1.33 density
Placer County
406,608 pop · 60 retail · 1.48 density
Stanislaus CountyPharmacy Desert
552,063 pop · 52 retail · 0.94 density
Tulare CountyPharmacy Desert
473,446 pop · 47 retail · 0.99 density
Santa Barbara County
445,213 pop · 47 retail · 1.06 density
Solano CountyPharmacy Desert
450,995 pop · 42 retail · 0.93 density
Monterey County
437,609 pop · 44 retail · 1.01 density
San Luis Obispo County
281,712 pop · 38 retail · 1.35 density
Butte County
213,605 pop · 28 retail · 1.31 density
Marin County
260,485 pop · 29 retail · 1.11 density
Santa Cruz County
268,571 pop · 31 retail · 1.15 density
Shasta County
181,852 pop · 25 retail · 1.37 density
Imperial County
179,578 pop · 23 retail · 1.28 density
El Dorado County
191,713 pop · 29 retail · 1.51 density
Merced CountyPharmacy Desert
282,290 pop · 28 retail · 0.99 density
Yolo County
217,141 pop · 27 retail · 1.24 density
Kings County
152,515 pop · 19 retail · 1.25 density
Humboldt County
136,132 pop · 14 retail · 1.03 density
Sutter County
99,101 pop · 18 retail · 1.82 density
Madera County
157,243 pop · 20 retail · 1.27 density
Napa County
137,384 pop · 18 retail · 1.31 density
Yuba County
81,705 pop · 10 retail · 1.22 density
Mendocino County
91,145 pop · 12 retail · 1.32 density
Nevada CountyPharmacy Desert
102,322 pop · 10 retail · 0.98 density
Tehama County
65,484 pop · 8 retail · 1.22 density
Amador County
40,577 pop · 8 retail · 1.97 density
Lake CountyPharmacy Desert
68,024 pop · 5 retail · 0.74 density
San Benito County
64,753 pop · 7 retail · 1.08 density
Tuolumne County
54,993 pop · 6 retail · 1.09 density
Siskiyou County
44,049 pop · 5 retail · 1.14 density
Del Norte County
27,462 pop · 7 retail · 2.55 density
Lassen County
31,873 pop · 5 retail · 1.57 density
Calaveras County
45,674 pop · 5 retail · 1.09 density
Inyo County
18,829 pop · 3 retail · 1.59 density
Glenn County
28,657 pop · 4 retail · 1.40 density
Mono County
13,219 pop · 2 retail · 1.51 density
Trinity CountyPharmacy Desert
15,889 pop · 1 retail · 0.63 density
Colusa CountyPharmacy Desert
21,811 pop · 1 retail · 0.46 density
Mariposa CountyPharmacy Desert
17,130 pop · 1 retail · 0.58 density
Modoc CountyPharmacy Desert
8,651 pop · 0 retail · 0.00 density
Plumas CountyPharmacy Desert
19,650 pop · 1 retail · 0.51 density
Alpine CountyPharmacy Desert
1,515 pop · 0 retail · 0.00 density
Sierra CountyPharmacy Desert
2,916 pop · 0 retail · 0.00 density
* Pharmacy Desert: fewer than 1 retail pharmacy per 10,000 residents, based on 2026 NPI and ROPA billing data.