Biggest Retail Cities in Kentucky: Top 25 Towns Ranked
Kentucky has 32,108 independent retail places spread across 373 towns. Louisville leads with 5,473 — 17.0% of the state. The top 25 towns, and the eight most common store types, by count.
Published September 15, 2026 · Useful Economy Research
Kentucky by the numbers
Where the stores are
Kentucky has 32,108 independent retail places — 709.4 per 100,000 residents, 0.98× the national average of 724.8 and 35th of the 50 states and D.C. on retail density.
Louisville holds 5,473 of them (17.0% of the state total). Lexington is second with 2,967 (9.2%). The 25 towns below account for 58.4% of Kentucky's retail; 373 towns in the state have at least five places.
The most common store type is the construction supplies store (3,431, 10.7% of the state's retail), followed by miscellaneous stores (1,757).
Top 25 retail towns in Kentucky
Independent retail places per city or town, with each town's share of Kentucky's 32,108 total. Only towns with at least five places are counted.
| # | City / town | Retail places | Share of state |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Louisville | 5,473 | 17.0% |
| 2 | Lexington | 2,967 | 9.2% |
| 3 | Bowling Green | 1,018 | 3.2% |
| 4 | Paducah | 941 | 2.9% |
| 5 | Owensboro | 769 | 2.4% |
| 6 | Florence | 681 | 2.1% |
| 7 | Elizabethtown | 608 | 1.9% |
| 8 | Richmond | 527 | 1.6% |
| 9 | Somerset | 511 | 1.6% |
| 10 | Ashland | 489 | 1.5% |
| 11 | London | 411 | 1.3% |
| 12 | Nicholasville | 400 | 1.2% |
| 13 | Frankfort | 379 | 1.2% |
| 14 | Glasgow | 357 | 1.1% |
| 15 | Hopkinsville | 340 | 1.1% |
| 16 | Murray | 340 | 1.1% |
| 17 | Winchester | 301 | 0.9% |
| 18 | Henderson | 297 | 0.9% |
| 19 | Georgetown | 295 | 0.9% |
| 20 | Corbin | 292 | 0.9% |
| 21 | Pikeville | 284 | 0.9% |
| 22 | Madisonville | 273 | 0.9% |
| 23 | Bardstown | 266 | 0.8% |
| 24 | Danville | 262 | 0.8% |
| 25 | Covington | 258 | 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 Kentucky
The eight largest independent-retail categories in Kentucky, with each one's share of the state's 32,108 places.
| # | Store type | Places | Share of state retail |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Construction Supplies Store | 3,431 | 10.7% |
| 2 | Miscellaneous Store | 1,757 | 5.5% |
| 3 | Clothing Store | 1,714 | 5.3% |
| 4 | Furniture and Home Store | 1,705 | 5.3% |
| 5 | Print Store | 1,587 | 4.9% |
| 6 | Shoe Store | 1,284 | 4.0% |
| 7 | Hardware Store | 1,276 | 4.0% |
| 8 | Discount Store | 1,267 | 3.9% |
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 Kentucky has the most retail stores?
- Louisville, with 5,473 independent retail places — 17.0% of Kentucky's 32,108 total. Lexington is next with 2,967.
- How many independent retail stores are in Kentucky?
- 32,108 shoppable independent retail places, or 709.4 per 100,000 residents (0.98× the U.S. average of 724.8). That ranks Kentucky 35th of 51 for retail density.
- What is the most common type of store in Kentucky?
- The construction supplies store: 3,431 places, or 10.7% of Kentucky's retail. Miscellaneous Stores are second at 1,757.
Related reports
Store types where Kentucky ranks in the top 10
- Florists by State: Every State RankedKentucky ranks #6 per capita (22.3 per 100k)
National retail reports
More states
- 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
- Biggest Retail Cities in Louisiana: Top 25 Towns Ranked33,804 retail places
- Biggest Retail Cities in Maine: Top 25 Towns Ranked13,543 retail places
- Biggest Retail Cities in Maryland: Top 25 Towns Ranked37,895 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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