Biggest Retail Cities in Louisiana: Top 25 Towns Ranked
Louisiana has 33,804 independent retail places spread across 304 towns. New Orleans leads with 3,544 — 10.5% of the state. The top 25 towns, and the eight most common store types, by count.
Published September 15, 2026 · Useful Economy Research
Louisiana by the numbers
Where the stores are
Louisiana has 33,804 independent retail places — 739.1 per 100,000 residents, 1.02× the national average of 724.8 and 27th of the 50 states and D.C. on retail density.
New Orleans holds 3,544 of them (10.5% of the state total). Baton Rouge is second with 3,178 (9.4%). The 25 towns below account for 67.3% of Louisiana's retail; 304 towns in the state have at least five places.
The most common store type is the construction supplies store (3,682, 10.9% of the state's retail), followed by clothing stores (2,141).
Top 25 retail towns in Louisiana
Independent retail places per city or town, with each town's share of Louisiana's 33,804 total. Only towns with at least five places are counted.
| # | City / town | Retail places | Share of state |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | New Orleans | 3,544 | 10.5% |
| 2 | Baton Rouge | 3,178 | 9.4% |
| 3 | Lafayette | 1,877 | 5.6% |
| 4 | Shreveport | 1,806 | 5.3% |
| 5 | Metairie | 1,396 | 4.1% |
| 6 | Lake Charles | 1,094 | 3.2% |
| 7 | Slidell | 813 | 2.4% |
| 8 | Houma | 778 | 2.3% |
| 9 | Bossier City | 763 | 2.3% |
| 10 | Monroe | 749 | 2.2% |
| 11 | Alexandria | 740 | 2.2% |
| 12 | Covington | 642 | 1.9% |
| 13 | Mandeville | 584 | 1.7% |
| 14 | Kenner | 574 | 1.7% |
| 15 | West Monroe | 549 | 1.6% |
| 16 | Hammond | 490 | 1.4% |
| 17 | Gonzales | 467 | 1.4% |
| 18 | Denham Springs | 452 | 1.3% |
| 19 | New Iberia | 438 | 1.3% |
| 20 | Gretna | 344 | 1.0% |
| 21 | Ruston | 340 | 1.0% |
| 22 | Sulphur | 304 | 0.9% |
| 23 | Harvey | 302 | 0.9% |
| 24 | Thibodaux | 265 | 0.8% |
| 25 | Pineville | 261 | 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 Louisiana
The eight largest independent-retail categories in Louisiana, with each one's share of the state's 33,804 places.
| # | Store type | Places | Share of state retail |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Construction Supplies Store | 3,682 | 10.9% |
| 2 | Clothing Store | 2,141 | 6.3% |
| 3 | Miscellaneous Store | 2,125 | 6.3% |
| 4 | Furniture and Home Store | 1,586 | 4.7% |
| 5 | Hardware Store | 1,400 | 4.1% |
| 6 | Print Store | 1,345 | 4.0% |
| 7 | Shoe Store | 1,242 | 3.7% |
| 8 | Discount Store | 1,210 | 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 Louisiana has the most retail stores?
- New Orleans, with 3,544 independent retail places — 10.5% of Louisiana's 33,804 total. Baton Rouge is next with 3,178.
- How many independent retail stores are in Louisiana?
- 33,804 shoppable independent retail places, or 739.1 per 100,000 residents (1.02× the U.S. average of 724.8). That ranks Louisiana 27th of 51 for retail density.
- What is the most common type of store in Louisiana?
- The construction supplies store: 3,682 places, or 10.9% of Louisiana's retail. Clothing Stores are second at 2,141.
Related reports
National retail reports
More states
- 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 Kentucky: Top 25 Towns Ranked32,108 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
- Biggest Retail Cities in Massachusetts: Top 25 Towns Ranked54,068 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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