Biggest Retail Cities in Iowa: Top 25 Towns Ranked
Iowa has 25,951 independent retail places spread across 409 towns. Des Moines leads with 1,743 — 6.7% of the state. The top 25 towns, and the eight most common store types, by count.
Published September 15, 2026 · Useful Economy Research
Iowa by the numbers
Where the stores are
Iowa has 25,951 independent retail places — 809.2 per 100,000 residents, 1.12× the national average of 724.8 and 13th of the 50 states and D.C. on retail density.
Des Moines holds 1,743 of them (6.7% of the state total). Cedar Rapids is second with 1,316 (5.1%). The 25 towns below account for 51.0% of Iowa's retail; 409 towns in the state have at least five places.
The most common store type is the construction supplies store (3,408, 13.1% of the state's retail), followed by miscellaneous stores (1,684).
Top 25 retail towns in Iowa
Independent retail places per city or town, with each town's share of Iowa's 25,951 total. Only towns with at least five places are counted.
| # | City / town | Retail places | Share of state |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Des Moines | 1,743 | 6.7% |
| 2 | Cedar Rapids | 1,316 | 5.1% |
| 3 | Davenport | 1,122 | 4.3% |
| 4 | West Des Moines | 876 | 3.4% |
| 5 | Sioux City | 847 | 3.3% |
| 6 | Dubuque | 761 | 2.9% |
| 7 | Waterloo | 563 | 2.2% |
| 8 | Ames | 561 | 2.2% |
| 9 | Iowa City | 555 | 2.1% |
| 10 | Ankeny | 453 | 1.7% |
| 11 | Cedar Falls | 448 | 1.7% |
| 12 | Coralville | 393 | 1.5% |
| 13 | Urbandale | 386 | 1.5% |
| 14 | Mason City | 385 | 1.5% |
| 15 | Council Bluffs | 304 | 1.2% |
| 16 | Marion | 301 | 1.2% |
| 17 | Fort Dodge | 293 | 1.1% |
| 18 | Bettendorf | 265 | 1.0% |
| 19 | Clinton | 252 | 1.0% |
| 20 | Marshalltown | 245 | 0.9% |
| 21 | Ottumwa | 243 | 0.9% |
| 22 | Muscatine | 242 | 0.9% |
| 23 | Burlington | 240 | 0.9% |
| 24 | Clive | 236 | 0.9% |
| 25 | Altoona | 204 | 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 Iowa
The eight largest independent-retail categories in Iowa, with each one's share of the state's 25,951 places.
| # | Store type | Places | Share of state retail |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Construction Supplies Store | 3,408 | 13.1% |
| 2 | Miscellaneous Store | 1,684 | 6.5% |
| 3 | Clothing Store | 1,186 | 4.6% |
| 4 | Hardware Store | 1,185 | 4.6% |
| 5 | Furniture and Home Store | 1,153 | 4.4% |
| 6 | Shoe Store | 1,034 | 4.0% |
| 7 | Print Store | 1,005 | 3.9% |
| 8 | Gift Store | 882 | 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 Iowa has the most retail stores?
- Des Moines, with 1,743 independent retail places — 6.7% of Iowa's 25,951 total. Cedar Rapids is next with 1,316.
- How many independent retail stores are in Iowa?
- 25,951 shoppable independent retail places, or 809.2 per 100,000 residents (1.12× the U.S. average of 724.8). That ranks Iowa 13th of 51 for retail density.
- What is the most common type of store in Iowa?
- The construction supplies store: 3,408 places, or 13.1% of Iowa's retail. Miscellaneous Stores are second at 1,684.
Related reports
Store types where Iowa ranks in the top 10
- Garden Centers by State: Every State RankedIowa ranks #3 per capita (23.6 per 100k)
- Antique Stores by State: Every State RankedIowa ranks #4 per capita (22 per 100k)
- Shoe Stores by State: Every State RankedIowa ranks #6 per capita (32.2 per 100k)
- Hardware Stores by State: Every State RankedIowa ranks #9 per capita (37 per 100k)
- Thrift and Vintage Stores by State: Every State RankedIowa ranks #10 per capita (19.1 per 100k)
National retail reports
More states
- Biggest Retail Cities in Idaho: Top 25 Towns Ranked14,340 retail places
- Biggest Retail Cities in Illinois: Top 25 Towns Ranked91,184 retail places
- Biggest Retail Cities in Indiana: Top 25 Towns Ranked49,234 retail places
- Biggest Retail Cities in Kansas: Top 25 Towns Ranked22,128 retail places
- Biggest Retail Cities in Kentucky: Top 25 Towns Ranked32,108 retail places
- Biggest Retail Cities in Louisiana: Top 25 Towns Ranked33,804 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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