Inland Empire - Commercial Real Estate

Inland Empire - Southern California Map

Map Outline of the Inland Empire in Southern California

Land Availability and E-Commerce are the Dominant Drivers for Continued Industrial Real Estate Growth in the Inland Empire

The Inland Empire Region is one of the most dynamic and fastest growing areas in the United States.  This page will give you an overview of the region and insights into the commercial real estate market dynamics in this rapidly expanding area of Southern California.

The University of California Riverside, School of Business Center for Economic Forecasting and Development presented its 2020 annual Economic Outlook Forecast for 2021.  The forecast report in summary outlined that  the COVID-19 induced recession is now behind us and the economy is rebounding but  the road to recovery is not exactly clear due to the variabilities with the virus, but the good news is the damage to the economy appears to be situational and not permanent in nature. 

In terms of business and commercial real estate sectors the report pointed out that  “Business hotels, restaurants, airlines, and leisure and recreation firms will all lag the recovery for obvious reasons.  Retail is far and away the biggest flashpoint. That sector has been struggling with oversupply even as the internet continues to wrestle market share away from traditional brick and mortar stores. The non-store share of retail sales went from 14.7% in January to 17.4% in July, and it’s unlikely to give much of that back. ”    These depressed sectors do not represent an amount greater than 5% total GDP and there has been compensating spending that may offset that weakness. 

Industrial, Single Family Housing and Multi Unit Housing appear to be relatively unaffected and in fact appear to be beneficiaries of the current crisis.

The Inland Empire represent an area of over 27,000 square miles and for years has been very attractive to both commercial developers and individuals because the land is inexpensive and the housing prices are low compared to adjacent Los Angeles County and Orange County markets.   With the expansion of e-commerce, now greatly enhanced by COVID-19 restrictions, and the current “work at home environment” these factors have helped drive the demand for homes and Industrial Warehouse space in the Inland Empire.  

The Inland Empire has an extremely favorable outlook from most research sources you choose to review in terms of Top Industrial markets.  Inland has been in the Top 5 for new Industrial construction and deliveries for several years and this construction activity also makes up a large part of the economic drivers (the construction industry) in Southern California.

Inland Empire - The Distribution Hub for The Western United States

The Inland Empire is Southern California’s major distribution hub for imported products from Asia for the Western United States.    The ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles have convenient drive times to the Inland Empire.  The Port of Los Angeles is the nation’s leading port followed by Long Beach with a combined market share of over 32% of the United States container volume (source largest.org).  

The availability of land, favorable Industrial Warehouse sale and lease rates, proximity to the nations largest ports and a well established infrastructure make the Inland Empire an ideal location for warehousing and distribution operations. 

*Estimated Lease Rates and Statistics for Inland Empire Table, Orange County and Los Angeles Counties (Q-3 2020)

markets

sector

AVG. asking Lease rates

Vacancy Rate

Total Market SF

Est. Under const.

Inland Empire Metro

Industrial

$0.70 - $0.80 PSF/MO/NNN

2.5% - 3.5%

570 Million SF

14 Million SF

Inland Empire Metro

Office

$1.55 - $2.11 PSF/MO/FSG

9% - 12%

26 Million SF

0

Inland Empire Metro

Retail

$1.47 - $2.00 PSF/MO/NNN

9% - 13%

110 Million SF

120,000 SF

Orange County

Industrial

$.95 - $1.10 PSF/MO/NNN

1.3% - 2.0%

260 Million SF

770,000 SF

Orange County

Office

$2.80 - $3.00 PSF/MO/FSG

11% - 12%

105 Million SF

1.3 Million SF

Orange County

Retail

$1.95 - $2.95 PSF/MO/NNN

4% - 6%

87 Million SF

100,000 SF

Greater Los Angeles

Industrial

$.91 - $1.10 NNN/PSF/ MO

2% - 3%

1 + Billion SF

4.5 Million SF

Greater Los Angeles

Office

$3.00 - $3.65 FSG/PSF/ MO

14% - 16%

230 Million SF

7 Million SF

Greater Los Angeles

Retail

$2.75 - $2.95 NNN/PSF/ MO

6% - 7%

130 Million SF

1.5 Million SF

* For general information only. All information has been obtained from surveys and sources believed to be reliable but the information is not guaranteed and should not be used for investment decisions, always consult experienced and qualified advisors prior to making any investment decision or change pertaining to any aspect of commercial real estate..   Each major metro is made up of sub markets and various property sub categories  and lease rates vary by individual property location, condition, amenities, asset class and regulatory and zoning requirements.   

Inland Empire Statistics at a Glance Table

inland empire Statistical Items

data

State Located In

California

Geographical Area

Southern California - Inland

Counties Included

  • San Bernardino
  • Riverside

Land Area

  • 20,057 Square Miles - San Bernardino County
  • 7,303 Square Miles - Riverside County
  • 27,360 Square miles Combined

Population

(2019)

  • 2.035M Riverside County
  • 2.180M San Bernardino County
  • 4.215M Combined

Population Ranking

Ranked # 13 - U.S. Metro Statistical Area

5 Largest Cities Riverside County

  • Riverside
  • Corona
  • Moreno Valley
  • Temecula
  • Murrieta

5 Largest Cities San Bernardino County

  • Ontario
  • San Bernardino
  • Rancho Cucamonga
  • Fontana
  • Victorville

Inland Empire Major Industries

  • Logistics
  • Manufacturing
  • Health Care
  • Construction
  • Professional Services

Largest Employers in the Inland Empire Region

  • County of San Bernardino
  • County of Riverside
  • Stater Brothers Markets
  • University of California Riverside
  • Kaiser Permanente
  • Amazon
  • Loma Linda University
  • U.S. Military and Civilian Contractors

Major Colleges and Universities

  • University of California at Riverside
  • California State University San Bernardino

Gross Domestic Product

(2019)

$187 Billion Combined

Inland Empire Housing Units - Single Family

(2020)

  • 716,000 San Bernardino County
  • 833,600 Riverside County
  • 1,549,000 Combined

Average Home Prices in the Inland Empire

(Q-4 2020)

  • $441,000 Riverside County
  • $357,000 San Bernardino County

Population Count for Major Cities in the Inland Empire

Riverside County:

  • Riverside – 325,731
    Moreno Valley – 205,475
    Corona – 161,296
    Temecula – 117,478
    Murrieta – 114,638
    Hemet – 87,934
    Palm Springs – 48,914
    Cathedral City – 54,857
    Rancho Mirage – 18,935
    Perris – 84,777
  • Indio – 92,325

San Bernardino County:

Fontana – 207,460
Rancho Cucamonga – 177,567
Ontario – 170,373
Victorville – 124,938
Rialto – 102,862
Hesperia – 94,285
Highland – 53,104
Colton – 52,154
Redlands – 71,413
Yucaipa – 54,428

Major Zip Codes in the Inland Empire

Riverside County:

Riverside – 92501, 92502, 92503, 92504, 92505, 92506, 92507, 92508, 92509, 92513, 92514, 92515, 92516, 92517, 92518, 92519, 92521

Moreno Valley – 92551, 92552, 92553, 92554, 92555, 92556, 92557, 92558, 92559, 92560, 92561, 92562, 92563

Corona – 92879, 92880, 92881, 92882, 92883

Temecula – 92589, 92590, 92591, 92592, 92593

Murrieta – 92562, 92563, 92564, 92565

Hemet – 92543, 92544, 92545, 92546, 92547

Palm Springs – 92262, 92263, 92264, 92292

Cathedral City – 92234, 92235

Rancho Mirage – 92270, 92271, 92272

Perris – 92570, 92571, 92572, 92599

San Bernardino County:

San Bernardino – 92401, 92402, 92403, 92404, 92405, 92406, 92407, 92408, 92410, 92411, 92412, 92413, 92415, 92418, 92423, 92424

Fontana – 92335, 92336, 92337, 92338, 92339, 92331, 92332, 92334

Rancho Cucamonga – 91701, 91729, 91730, 91737, 91739

Ontario – 91758, 91761, 91762, 91764, 91758

Victorville – 92392, 92393, 92394, 92395

Rialto – 92376, 92377

Hesperia – 92345, 92344, 92340

Highland – 92346

Colton – 92324, 92322

Redlands – 92373, 92374, 92375

Yucaipa – 92399, 92397, 92398