Biggest Retail Cities in Illinois: Top 25 Towns Ranked
Illinois has 91,184 independent retail places spread across 845 towns. Chicago leads with 15,251 — 16.7% of the state. The top 25 towns, and the eight most common store types, by count.
Published September 15, 2026 · Useful Economy Research
Illinois by the numbers
Where the stores are
Illinois has 91,184 independent retail places — 726.6 per 100,000 residents, 1.0× the national average of 724.8 and 30th of the 50 states and D.C. on retail density.
Chicago holds 15,251 of them (16.7% of the state total). Rockford is second with 1,491 (1.6%). The 25 towns below account for 38.2% of Illinois's retail; 845 towns in the state have at least five places.
The most common store type is the construction supplies store (10,120, 11.1% of the state's retail), followed by miscellaneous stores (5,935).
Top 25 retail towns in Illinois
Independent retail places per city or town, with each town's share of Illinois's 91,184 total. Only towns with at least five places are counted.
| # | City / town | Retail places | Share of state |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chicago | 15,251 | 16.7% |
| 2 | Rockford | 1,491 | 1.6% |
| 3 | Springfield | 1,389 | 1.5% |
| 4 | Naperville | 1,336 | 1.5% |
| 5 | Aurora | 1,221 | 1.3% |
| 6 | Peoria | 1,175 | 1.3% |
| 7 | Schaumburg | 1,165 | 1.3% |
| 8 | Champaign | 889 | 1.0% |
| 9 | Joliet | 864 | 0.9% |
| 10 | Bloomington | 838 | 0.9% |
| 11 | Orland Park | 771 | 0.8% |
| 12 | Arlington Heights | 707 | 0.8% |
| 13 | Skokie | 696 | 0.8% |
| 14 | Elgin | 674 | 0.7% |
| 15 | Decatur | 660 | 0.7% |
| 16 | Northbrook | 616 | 0.7% |
| 17 | Evanston | 614 | 0.7% |
| 18 | Crystal Lake | 583 | 0.6% |
| 19 | Elk Grove Village | 569 | 0.6% |
| 20 | Gurnee | 566 | 0.6% |
| 21 | Lombard | 560 | 0.6% |
| 22 | Downers Grove | 554 | 0.6% |
| 23 | Saint Charles | 548 | 0.6% |
| 24 | Quincy | 530 | 0.6% |
| 25 | Belleville | 520 | 0.6% |
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 Illinois
The eight largest independent-retail categories in Illinois, with each one's share of the state's 91,184 places.
| # | Store type | Places | Share of state retail |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Construction Supplies Store | 10,120 | 11.1% |
| 2 | Miscellaneous Store | 5,935 | 6.5% |
| 3 | Furniture and Home Store | 4,956 | 5.4% |
| 4 | Clothing Store | 4,917 | 5.4% |
| 5 | Print Store | 4,526 | 5.0% |
| 6 | Electronics Store | 3,439 | 3.8% |
| 7 | Cosmetics Store | 3,194 | 3.5% |
| 8 | Hardware Store | 3,088 | 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 Illinois has the most retail stores?
- Chicago, with 15,251 independent retail places — 16.7% of Illinois's 91,184 total. Rockford is next with 1,491.
- How many independent retail stores are in Illinois?
- 91,184 shoppable independent retail places, or 726.6 per 100,000 residents (1.0× the U.S. average of 724.8). That ranks Illinois 30th of 51 for retail density.
- What is the most common type of store in Illinois?
- The construction supplies store: 10,120 places, or 11.1% of Illinois's retail. Miscellaneous Stores are second at 5,935.
Related reports
National retail reports
More states
- Biggest Retail Cities in Georgia: Top 25 Towns Ranked83,747 retail places
- Biggest Retail Cities in Hawaii: Top 25 Towns Ranked12,174 retail places
- Biggest Retail Cities in Idaho: Top 25 Towns Ranked14,340 retail places
- Biggest Retail Cities in Indiana: Top 25 Towns Ranked49,234 retail places
- Biggest Retail Cities in Iowa: Top 25 Towns Ranked25,951 retail places
- Biggest Retail Cities in Kansas: Top 25 Towns Ranked22,128 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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