Monterey vs. Burbank: why one location outperforms
LivWell patient location performance comparison · prepared by MedWest Realty
On paper, Burbank sits in a far larger, better-connected market than Monterey. In practice, the Monterey location draws 7.5x more patients. This comparison lays out what actually differs between the two locations — and why the difference isn't distance or demographics, but market saturation and geographic isolation.
| Factor | Monterey (best) | Burbank (worst) | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|---|
| Patients served (last data pull) | 577 | 77 | 7.5x more patients |
| Share drawn from cities mapped above | 88% | 75% | Monterey's draw is more concentrated in a tight regional cluster; Burbank's is thinner and more scattered |
| Avg. distance traveled (weighted, mapped cities) | 6.8 mi | 5.1 mi | Not a differentiator — Burbank patients travel about as far or less |
| Hospitals covering the region | 4 | 6+ | Burbank's 6+ sit within a few miles of each other in a saturated market; Monterey's 4 are spread across the whole Peninsula/Salinas Valley, with the nearest true alternative over an hour away |
| Freeway / highway access | Limited (CA-1, CA-68 only) | Excellent (I-5, SR-134, SR-170) | Double-edged: Monterey's isolation limits patient alternatives; Burbank's connectivity makes it easy for patients to go elsewhere |
| Medical office market | Supply-constrained, boutique, low vacancy | ~24-26% office vacancy (Tri-Cities) | Burbank submarket is oversupplied and easy for competitors to enter |
| Est. market penetration | ~0.4% | ~0.01% | Monterey captures roughly 30-40x more of its local population, estimated |
Patients travel about as far to reach Burbank (5.1 mi weighted average) as they do to reach Monterey (6.8 mi). Distance isn't what's holding Burbank back.
Monterey's clinic is one of only a handful of options across an entire region — just 4 hospitals cover the whole Monterey Peninsula and Salinas Valley (and the southernmost of those, in King City, is nearly an hour away), with no serious alternative beyond that. Burbank sits inside the Los Angeles basin, surrounded by 6+ hospitals in the immediate area and dozens more (Kaiser, Cedars-Sinai, UCLA-affiliated systems) a short drive away. Patients there have far less reason to stay loyal to any single location.
Burbank benefits from excellent freeway access (I-5, SR-134, SR-170) — but that same connectivity makes it just as easy for patients to drive to a competing provider. Monterey's more limited access (CA-1, CA-68, no direct Interstate) works in the location's favor once patients are already in the region: there's simply less competition to drive to.
Monterey County (median household income ~$97,200, median age 35.5) and Burbank (~$85,500–97,000 depending on source, median age 40.1) are broadly comparable. This isn't primarily an income or age story — it's a competitive-density story.
A small but notable share of Monterey-area patients list permanent addresses in Texas, Georgia, Arizona, and Tennessee — consistent with Carmel and Pebble Beach's profile as a wealthy second-home market. No equivalent pattern shows up in the Burbank patient list.
Monterey Peninsula's medical office stock is boutique and supply-constrained. Burbank sits in the Tri-Cities office submarket (Burbank/Glendale/Pasadena), running roughly 24–26% vacancy across asset classes — a market that makes it easy for competing providers and space to enter.