Biggest Retail Cities in Colorado: Top 25 Towns Ranked
Colorado has 46,098 independent retail places spread across 247 towns. Denver leads with 6,927 — 15.0% of the state. The top 25 towns, and the eight most common store types, by count.
Published September 15, 2026 · Useful Economy Research
Colorado by the numbers
Where the stores are
Colorado has 46,098 independent retail places — 784.3 per 100,000 residents, 1.08× the national average of 724.8 and 15th of the 50 states and D.C. on retail density.
Denver holds 6,927 of them (15.0% of the state total). Colorado Springs is second with 4,641 (10.1%). The 25 towns below account for 70.0% of Colorado's retail; 247 towns in the state have at least five places.
The most common store type is the construction supplies store (6,421, 13.9% of the state's retail), followed by miscellaneous stores (3,241).
Top 25 retail towns in Colorado
Independent retail places per city or town, with each town's share of Colorado's 46,098 total. Only towns with at least five places are counted.
| # | City / town | Retail places | Share of state |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Denver | 6,927 | 15.0% |
| 2 | Colorado Springs | 4,641 | 10.1% |
| 3 | Aurora | 1,997 | 4.3% |
| 4 | Fort Collins | 1,818 | 3.9% |
| 5 | Boulder | 1,579 | 3.4% |
| 6 | Littleton | 1,336 | 2.9% |
| 7 | Lakewood | 1,280 | 2.8% |
| 8 | Grand Junction | 1,146 | 2.5% |
| 9 | Pueblo | 1,047 | 2.3% |
| 10 | Loveland | 1,018 | 2.2% |
| 11 | Longmont | 985 | 2.1% |
| 12 | Englewood | 927 | 2.0% |
| 13 | Greeley | 825 | 1.8% |
| 14 | Centennial | 743 | 1.6% |
| 15 | Arvada | 691 | 1.5% |
| 16 | Castle Rock | 661 | 1.4% |
| 17 | Durango | 638 | 1.4% |
| 18 | Parker | 633 | 1.4% |
| 19 | Broomfield | 616 | 1.3% |
| 20 | Westminster | 610 | 1.3% |
| 21 | Thornton | 482 | 1.0% |
| 22 | Wheat Ridge | 438 | 1.0% |
| 23 | Golden | 426 | 0.9% |
| 24 | Aspen | 422 | 0.9% |
| 25 | Montrose | 390 | 0.8% |
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 Colorado
The eight largest independent-retail categories in Colorado, with each one's share of the state's 46,098 places.
| # | Store type | Places | Share of state retail |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Construction Supplies Store | 6,421 | 13.9% |
| 2 | Miscellaneous Store | 3,241 | 7.0% |
| 3 | Clothing Store | 2,755 | 6.0% |
| 4 | Furniture and Home Store | 2,318 | 5.0% |
| 5 | Print Store | 1,664 | 3.6% |
| 6 | Electronics Store | 1,591 | 3.5% |
| 7 | Shoe Store | 1,570 | 3.4% |
| 8 | Sporting Goods Retail | 1,562 | 3.4% |
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 Colorado has the most retail stores?
- Denver, with 6,927 independent retail places — 15.0% of Colorado's 46,098 total. Colorado Springs is next with 4,641.
- How many independent retail stores are in Colorado?
- 46,098 shoppable independent retail places, or 784.3 per 100,000 residents (1.08× the U.S. average of 724.8). That ranks Colorado 15th of 51 for retail density.
- What is the most common type of store in Colorado?
- The construction supplies store: 6,421 places, or 13.9% of Colorado's retail. Miscellaneous Stores are second at 3,241.
Related reports
Store types where Colorado ranks in the top 10
- Bike Shops by State: Every State RankedColorado ranks #2 per capita (12.1 per 100k)
- Sporting Goods Stores by State: Every State RankedColorado ranks #6 per capita (26.6 per 100k)
- Pet Stores by State: Every State RankedColorado ranks #8 per capita (25.5 per 100k)
National retail reports
More states
- 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 California: Top 25 Towns Ranked271,352 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
- Biggest Retail Cities in Florida: Top 25 Towns Ranked175,522 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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