Where totes collect in the county
The California Department of Finance put the county at 2,205,227 residents in July 2024. Most of the industrial floor space sits in the western corner, along I-10, I-15 and SR-60, where Ontario, Fontana, Chino and Rancho Cucamonga meet. CBRE reported industrial vacancy of 5.9% in Inland Empire West in the third quarter of 2026 and 8.7% in Inland Empire East, which is the difference between a market where tenants turn over quickly and one where they stay.
Tenant turnover is what produces a lot of totes in one place: a company vacates, and a pallet of caged 275 and 330 gallon totes is left against the back wall. The warehouse lots page covers how those lots are described.
| Measure | Figure | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Population, July 2024 | 2,205,227 | Department of Finance |
| Industrial vacancy, Inland Empire West, Q3 2026 | 5.9% | CBRE |
| Industrial vacancy, Inland Empire East, Q3 2026 | 8.7% | CBRE |
| Intermodal lifts at BNSF San Bernardino, 2015 | Just over 604,000 | Trains.com |
Farm and field, as well as freight
The county crop report for 2024 credits a 26% increase in animal products, mainly poultry egg production, for that year's rise in crop value. Egg and poultry operations wash and move liquids, which is one reason the county is not only a freight story.
The seven place pages below split the county into the distribution belt, the rail corridor, the East Valley and the High Desert. Start with the one nearest your site.
Reading the county page
The county page is a map of reasons. Freight and warehousing explain the west end and the rail corridor. Aviation and manufacturing explain the High Desert. Egg and poultry production, which the 2024 crop report credits for that year's rise in crop value, explains part of the rest. Choose the place page nearest your site and read the guide it links to for the kind of lot you hold.
Whatever the place, the first job is the same: count the totes, read each plate and write down what each one last held.
Sources for the county
The county figures on this page come from the California Department of Finance, the county's own 2024 crop report, CBRE and a trade report on the BNSF terminal. Each is linked below with the date it was last read, so you can check a number before you rely on it.
Trades named in the public sources
The sources behind this page: awm.sbcounty.gov, dof.ca.gov, read on 2026-11-11. A trade on this list is a reason a site there might buy, sell or clear IBC totes; it does not say any particular firm does.
- Warehousing and distribution
- Air cargo
- Rail intermodal
- Egg and poultry
- Manufacturing
Questions people ask
Which cities in San Bernardino County are covered?
Ontario, Fontana, Chino, Rancho Cucamonga, San Bernardino and Rialto, Redlands and the Victor Valley, with the rest of the county reached through the same request.
Why are there so many totes near the freight yards?
Rail and trucking sites move bulk liquids, and when a tenant leaves, empty totes are often left behind.
Sources. Last reviewed 2026-11-11.