How Many Board and Care Homes Are in San Diego County? Licensing Data by Area

Families searching for San Diego board and care often ask a simple question: how many of these homes are there, and where are they? The answer matters. It tells you how much choice you really have, which neighborhoods to focus on, and why some areas have openings when others do not.

This guide uses public licensing data from the California Department of Social Services (CDSS) to show how many licensed residential care facilities for the elderly (RCFEs) operate in San Diego County, how many are small 6-bed board and care homes, and how they are spread across the county. It also shows you how to look up the numbers yourself, because they change every month.

How Many San Diego Board and Care Homes Are There?

According to the CDSS Community Care Licensing facility dataset published on the California Health and Human Services Open Data Portal, updated in October 2026, San Diego County has roughly 600 residential care facilities for the elderly listed as licensed. About 450 of them are licensed for 6 or fewer residents, the size most people mean by San Diego board and care.

A closer look at the October 2026 data for San Diego County:

• About 600 licensed RCFEs in total, including a small number of continuing care retirement communities that hold RCFE licenses
• About 450 licensed for 6 or fewer residents, and the large majority of those are licensed for exactly 6
• Roughly 35 licensed for 7 to 15 residents
• Roughly 120 licensed for 16 or more, including about 70 communities licensed for 100 or more
• Total licensed capacity of about 21,000 beds across all RCFEs in the county

For comparison, the statewide data lists about 8,500 licensed RCFEs, and roughly 6,900 of them are licensed for 6 or fewer. An earlier CDSS file from May 2025 listed about 580 licensed RCFEs in San Diego County, so the local count has grown modestly.

These figures are a snapshot. Homes open, close, change owners and change capacity every month. Treat them as a guide to the landscape, not an exact count on the day you search.

Small Homes vs. Large Communities: What the Numbers Mean

In San Diego County, about three out of four licensed RCFEs are small board and care homes, but most of the beds are in large communities. Roughly 450 small homes hold only about 2,700 licensed beds combined, while about 70 large communities hold more than 15,000. That gap shapes what families experience when they search.

What this means for your search:

• Many choices, few beds each. There are hundreds of small homes, but each has only a handful of beds, and most are full at any given moment. Openings come and go quickly.
• Large communities are easier to find. They advertise, rank in search results and have marketing teams. Small homes rarely do.
• Small homes are spread out. Because California treats 6-bed homes as a residential use under Health and Safety Code Section 1569.85, they can operate in nearly any neighborhood.
• Large communities cluster along commercial corridors and in coastal and North County areas.

If you want to understand how size affects staffing and supervision, see our guide to six-bed vs. larger RCFEs. For why small homes can be hard to find online, see board and care near me: finding homes that don’t show up on Google.

Where Are San Diego Board and Care Homes Located?

San Diego board and care homes are spread across the county, but the October 2026 CDSS data shows clear concentrations. The City of San Diego has the most small homes by far, followed by Escondido, Oceanside, Poway, El Cajon, Chula Vista and Vista. Coastal cities have fewer small homes and more large communities.

Approximate counts of licensed RCFEs with 6 or fewer beds, by city in the facility address, from the October 2026 data:

• City of San Diego: about 150
• Escondido: about 60
• Oceanside: about 38
• Poway: about 26
• El Cajon: about 26
• Chula Vista: about 22
• Vista: about 21
• Carlsbad: about 17
• San Marcos: about 15
• La Mesa: about 14
• Santee: about 10
• Spring Valley: about 9
• La Jolla, Lemon Grove, Bonita, Fallbrook and National City: roughly 5 to 7 each

A few smaller communities, such as Encinitas, Bonsall, Valley Center, Ramona, Solana Beach and Imperial Beach, have only one to three small homes each in the data. Note that the dataset lists the mailing city, so unincorporated areas may appear under a nearby city name.

Board and Care Homes by Region of San Diego County

Looking by region, North County inland and the City of San Diego hold the most small board and care homes, East County has a solid base around El Cajon, La Mesa, Santee and Spring Valley, and the South Bay has fewer. Each region has its own mix of prices, home styles and availability.

City of San Diego. Within the city, the October 2026 data shows the most small homes in ZIP codes 92114 (Encanto and nearby southeastern neighborhoods) and 92126 (Mira Mesa), followed by 92139 (Paradise Hills and Bay Terraces), 92154 (Otay Mesa and Nestor), 92119 (San Carlos), 92122 (University City) and 92115 (College Area). Serra Mesa, Del Cerro and Allied Gardens, Clairemont and Linda Vista each have several.

North County inland. Escondido stands out, with about 60 small homes, plus Poway, Vista and San Marcos. See our guides to board and care in Escondido, Poway, Vista and San Marcos.

North County coastal. Oceanside has a good number of small homes; Carlsbad and Encinitas have fewer small homes and more large communities. See Oceanside and Carlsbad.

East County. El Cajon, La Mesa, Santee, Spring Valley and Lemon Grove together have a meaningful cluster. See El Cajon, La Mesa, Santee and Spring Valley.

South Bay. Chula Vista, Bonita and National City have fewer small homes per resident, which can make openings harder to find. See Chula Vista and National City.

How San Diego Compares to Other California Counties

San Diego County has fewer small board and care homes than its population might suggest. In the October 2026 CDSS data, Los Angeles County lists about 1,600 licensed RCFEs with 6 or fewer beds, Orange County about 990, Sacramento County about 590 and Riverside County about 500, compared with about 450 in San Diego County.

Approximate licensed RCFE totals (all sizes) in the same data:

• Los Angeles County: about 1,900
• Orange County: about 1,120
• Sacramento County: about 670
• San Diego County: about 600
• Riverside County: about 580

For San Diego families, the takeaway is practical: small homes here fill quickly, and good ones with openings can be scarce in some neighborhoods. Being flexible about area, for example looking in both Clairemont and Poway, or both La Mesa and El Cajon, often doubles the number of realistic options.

Why the Number of Homes Does Not Equal Available Beds

Hundreds of licensed homes do not mean hundreds of openings. Most San Diego board and care homes are full most of the time, and each home only accepts residents whose needs fit its license, fire clearance, staffing and specialties. On any given week, the number of homes with a suitable open bed for your parent may be small.

Things that narrow the real options:

• Occupancy. A 6-bed home may have one opening a few times a year.
• Care needs. Homes differ in whether they accept dementia, hospice, two-person transfers, insulin, oxygen or bedridden residents.
• Room type. Private rooms are often scarcer than shared rooms.
• Budget. In 2026, board and care homes in San Diego typically cost about $5,500 to $9,500 per month, and only some homes accept rates at the lower end or the Medi-Cal Assisted Living Waiver.
• Location. Families who need a specific neighborhood near a relative have fewer choices.

Our guide to board and care costs across San Diego County explains how prices vary from the coast to inland areas.

How to Look Up Licensed Board and Care Homes Yourself

You can check every licensed San Diego board and care home yourself using two free CDSS tools: the online Care Facility Search, which shows each home’s license status, capacity and inspection reports, and the Community Care Licensing facility dataset on the California Health and Human Services Open Data Portal, which can be downloaded as a spreadsheet.

Using the CDSS Care Facility Search:

1. Go to the CDSS Community Care Licensing website and open the Care Facility Search.
2. Choose “Residential Care for the Elderly” as the facility type.
3. Search by city, ZIP code or county.
4. Open any home to see its license number, licensed capacity, status and administrator.
5. Review inspection reports, complaints and citations for the past several years.

Using the open data download:

1. Visit the California Health and Human Services Open Data Portal and search for “Community Care Licensing Facilities.”
2. Download the file and filter by county (San Diego), facility type (residential elderly) and status (licensed).
3. Sort by capacity to separate small homes from large communities, or by city or ZIP code to see your area.

Before you visit any home, read its inspection history. Our guide to reading RCFE inspection reports in California shows which citations matter most. And if a home does not appear in the CDSS search at all, it may be unlicensed. See our warning signs for unlicensed board and care homes.

What the Licensing Data Cannot Tell You

Licensing data tells you that a home exists, how many residents it is licensed for, and whether it has citations. It cannot tell you whether a home has an opening, how kind the caregivers are, how the food tastes, whether the night caregiver is awake, or whether your parent would feel at home there.

Things you only learn by visiting or through someone who has:

• Current openings and room types
• Staffing on each shift, including overnight
• The home’s real specialties, such as dementia or hospice
• Cleanliness, smells and safety
• How caregivers talk to and engage residents
• Languages spoken, food style and daily rhythm

For example, a family in Mira Mesa might see more than 20 small licensed homes in their ZIP code and assume finding one will be easy. After calls, they may learn only two have an opening that week, and only one accepts residents with dementia who wander. That is why the numbers are a starting point, not an answer.

How Elder Answers Helps

Elder Answers has helped San Diego families for well over a decade navigate hundreds of licensed homes. Our advisors personally visit the board and care homes we recommend, review their licensing history, and track which homes have openings and which needs each one can meet, so you can skip the guesswork.

Our service is free for families because care homes pay us after a resident moves in, and the rate you pay does not change. We share your information only with homes you choose, and urgent moves can often happen within a few days. Contact Elder Answers, start with our guide to board and care homes in San Diego, or browse our San Diego County service areas.

Frequently Asked Questions About San Diego Board and Care Licensing Data

How many board and care homes are in San Diego County?

CDSS licensing data from October 2026 lists roughly 600 licensed residential care facilities for the elderly in San Diego County. About 450 of them are small homes licensed for 6 or fewer residents, which is what most people mean by board and care. Numbers change monthly.

Which San Diego area has the most board and care homes?

The City of San Diego has the most small homes, about 150 in the October 2026 data. Outside the city, Escondido has the most, about 60, followed by Oceanside, Poway, El Cajon, Chula Vista and Vista.

How many beds do San Diego board and care homes have?

Most are licensed for exactly 6 residents. Combined, small homes with 6 or fewer beds hold about 2,700 licensed beds in San Diego County, while large communities with 100 or more residents hold more than 15,000.

Where can I find a list of licensed board and care homes in San Diego?

Use the CDSS Care Facility Search and choose “Residential Care for the Elderly,” then search by city or ZIP code. You can also download the Community Care Licensing facility dataset from the California Health and Human Services Open Data Portal.

Why is it hard to find an opening if there are so many homes?

Each small home has only a few beds and is usually full. Homes also differ in which care needs they accept, room types and price. On any given week, only a handful may have the right bed for your parent.

Are all board and care homes in San Diego licensed?

Any home that provides care and supervision to seniors must be licensed by CDSS as an RCFE. Unlicensed homes do exist in California and are a serious risk. If you cannot find a home in the CDSS Care Facility Search, ask for its license number before you go further.

How often does the CDSS licensing data change?

The open data file is refreshed periodically, and the online Care Facility Search reflects current status. Homes open, close and change capacity throughout the year, so always check a home’s current status before touring.

Does the licensing data show which homes accept dementia or hospice?

Not in the summary dataset. Individual facility records and inspection reports may mention dementia programs or hospice waivers, but the best way to confirm is to ask the home directly or work with a local placement advisor who knows the homes.