Biggest Retail Cities in California: Top 25 Towns Ranked
California has 271,352 independent retail places spread across 963 towns. Los Angeles leads with 21,667 — 8.0% of the state. The top 25 towns, and the eight most common store types, by count.
Published September 15, 2026 · Useful Economy Research
California by the numbers
Where the stores are
California has 271,352 independent retail places — 696.4 per 100,000 residents, 0.96× the national average of 724.8 and 41st of the 50 states and D.C. on retail density.
Los Angeles holds 21,667 of them (8.0% of the state total). San Diego is second with 8,617 (3.2%). The 25 towns below account for 33.6% of California's retail; 963 towns in the state have at least five places.
The most common store type is the construction supplies store (23,867, 8.8% of the state's retail), followed by clothing stores (19,351).
Top 25 retail towns in California
Independent retail places per city or town, with each town's share of California's 271,352 total. Only towns with at least five places are counted.
| # | City / town | Retail places | Share of state |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Los Angeles | 21,667 | 8.0% |
| 2 | San Diego | 8,617 | 3.2% |
| 3 | San Francisco | 8,577 | 3.2% |
| 4 | San Jose | 5,432 | 2.0% |
| 5 | Sacramento | 4,583 | 1.7% |
| 6 | Fresno | 3,616 | 1.3% |
| 7 | Anaheim | 2,738 | 1.0% |
| 8 | Bakersfield | 2,687 | 1.0% |
| 9 | Long Beach | 2,639 | 1.0% |
| 10 | Riverside | 2,599 | 1.0% |
| 11 | Santa Ana | 2,553 | 0.9% |
| 12 | Oakland | 2,453 | 0.9% |
| 13 | Irvine | 2,298 | 0.8% |
| 14 | Costa Mesa | 2,071 | 0.8% |
| 15 | Torrance | 2,070 | 0.8% |
| 16 | Santa Rosa | 1,841 | 0.7% |
| 17 | Pasadena | 1,810 | 0.7% |
| 18 | Huntington Beach | 1,799 | 0.7% |
| 19 | Orange | 1,732 | 0.6% |
| 20 | Glendale | 1,621 | 0.6% |
| 21 | Stockton | 1,601 | 0.6% |
| 22 | Ontario | 1,599 | 0.6% |
| 23 | Santa Monica | 1,589 | 0.6% |
| 24 | Modesto | 1,500 | 0.6% |
| 25 | Santa Barbara | 1,464 | 0.5% |
Counts use the city/town label on each place, so boroughs, villages and unincorporated areas appear separately from their parent city.
Most common store types in California
The eight largest independent-retail categories in California, with each one's share of the state's 271,352 places.
| # | Store type | Places | Share of state retail |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Construction Supplies Store | 23,867 | 8.8% |
| 2 | Clothing Store | 19,351 | 7.1% |
| 3 | Miscellaneous Store | 18,337 | 6.8% |
| 4 | Furniture and Home Store | 15,292 | 5.6% |
| 5 | Cosmetics Store | 12,476 | 4.6% |
| 6 | Print Store | 11,854 | 4.4% |
| 7 | Electronics Store | 10,665 | 3.9% |
| 8 | Jewelry Store | 9,876 | 3.6% |
Each place is counted once under its primary retail category. Grocery, pharmacy, fuel, liquor, cannabis, automotive and mall categories are excluded.
Frequently asked questions
- Which city in California has the most retail stores?
- Los Angeles, with 21,667 independent retail places — 8.0% of California's 271,352 total. San Diego is next with 8,617.
- How many independent retail stores are in California?
- 271,352 shoppable independent retail places, or 696.4 per 100,000 residents (0.96× the U.S. average of 724.8). That ranks California 41st of 51 for retail density.
- What is the most common type of store in California?
- The construction supplies store: 23,867 places, or 8.8% of California's retail. Clothing Stores are second at 19,351.
Related reports
Store types where California ranks in the top 10
- Clothing Stores by State: Every State RankedCalifornia ranks #6 per capita (49.7 per 100k)
- Bike Shops by State: Every State RankedCalifornia ranks #9 per capita (8 per 100k)
- Jewelry Stores by State: Every State RankedCalifornia ranks #10 per capita (25.3 per 100k)
National retail reports
More states
- Biggest Retail Cities in Alaska: Top 25 Towns Ranked6,125 retail places
- Biggest Retail Cities in Arizona: Top 25 Towns Ranked45,964 retail places
- Biggest Retail Cities in Arkansas: Top 25 Towns Ranked23,046 retail places
- Biggest Retail Cities in Colorado: Top 25 Towns Ranked46,098 retail places
- Biggest Retail Cities in Connecticut: Top 25 Towns Ranked28,565 retail places
- Biggest Retail Cities in Delaware: Top 25 Towns Ranked7,192 retail places
Data & method
- Source: Foursquare Open Source Places (U.S. slice, Apache-2.0), counted by Useful Economy. Population: U.S. Census Bureau Vintage 2023 estimates (July 1, 2023).
- What counts as retail: an open place carrying a Retail category label. Grocery and other food retail, pharmacies, convenience stores and fuel, liquor, cannabis, tobacco and vape, automotive, gun and hunting, adult, betting, fireworks, markets and shopping malls are excluded, so the counts describe shoppable independent storefronts rather than all commerce.
- Counting rule: each place is counted once, under its primary retail category and the city/town label on its address. Town tables include only towns with at least five places. Per-100k figures divide by state population; city populations are not used.
- Generated: September 15, 2026. Figures refresh when the source data is re-counted.
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