Biggest Retail Cities in Massachusetts: Top 25 Towns Ranked
Massachusetts has 54,068 independent retail places spread across 423 towns. Boston leads with 3,586 — 6.6% of the state. The top 25 towns, and the eight most common store types, by count.
Published September 15, 2026 · Useful Economy Research
Massachusetts by the numbers
Where the stores are
Massachusetts has 54,068 independent retail places — 772.2 per 100,000 residents, 1.07× the national average of 724.8 and 19th of the 50 states and D.C. on retail density.
Boston holds 3,586 of them (6.6% of the state total). Worcester is second with 1,050 (1.9%). The 25 towns below account for 31.4% of Massachusetts's retail; 423 towns in the state have at least five places.
The most common store type is the construction supplies store (7,012, 13.0% of the state's retail), followed by clothing stores (3,316).
Top 25 retail towns in Massachusetts
Independent retail places per city or town, with each town's share of Massachusetts's 54,068 total. Only towns with at least five places are counted.
| # | City / town | Retail places | Share of state |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Boston | 3,586 | 6.6% |
| 2 | Worcester | 1,050 | 1.9% |
| 3 | Cambridge | 869 | 1.6% |
| 4 | Springfield | 733 | 1.4% |
| 5 | Natick | 640 | 1.2% |
| 6 | Framingham | 629 | 1.2% |
| 7 | New Bedford | 589 | 1.1% |
| 8 | Plymouth | 570 | 1.1% |
| 9 | Fall River | 567 | 1.0% |
| 10 | Brockton | 563 | 1.0% |
| 11 | Burlington | 554 | 1.0% |
| 12 | Peabody | 540 | 1.0% |
| 13 | Waltham | 531 | 1.0% |
| 14 | Hyannis | 528 | 1.0% |
| 15 | Braintree | 505 | 0.9% |
| 16 | Woburn | 501 | 0.9% |
| 17 | Lowell | 494 | 0.9% |
| 18 | Somerville | 485 | 0.9% |
| 19 | Marlborough | 482 | 0.9% |
| 20 | Salem | 449 | 0.8% |
| 21 | Pittsfield | 435 | 0.8% |
| 22 | Quincy | 434 | 0.8% |
| 23 | Nantucket | 423 | 0.8% |
| 24 | Newton | 406 | 0.8% |
| 25 | Leominster | 401 | 0.7% |
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 Massachusetts
The eight largest independent-retail categories in Massachusetts, with each one's share of the state's 54,068 places.
| # | Store type | Places | Share of state retail |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Construction Supplies Store | 7,012 | 13.0% |
| 2 | Clothing Store | 3,316 | 6.1% |
| 3 | Miscellaneous Store | 3,179 | 5.9% |
| 4 | Furniture and Home Store | 2,898 | 5.4% |
| 5 | Print Store | 2,150 | 4.0% |
| 6 | Gift Store | 1,934 | 3.6% |
| 7 | Electronics Store | 1,913 | 3.5% |
| 8 | Hardware Store | 1,884 | 3.5% |
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 Massachusetts has the most retail stores?
- Boston, with 3,586 independent retail places — 6.6% of Massachusetts's 54,068 total. Worcester is next with 1,050.
- How many independent retail stores are in Massachusetts?
- 54,068 shoppable independent retail places, or 772.2 per 100,000 residents (1.07× the U.S. average of 724.8). That ranks Massachusetts 19th of 51 for retail density.
- What is the most common type of store in Massachusetts?
- The construction supplies store: 7,012 places, or 13.0% of Massachusetts's retail. Clothing Stores are second at 3,316.
Related reports
Store types where Massachusetts ranks in the top 10
- Music Stores by State: Every State RankedMassachusetts ranks #5 per capita (9.2 per 100k)
- Bookstores by State: Every State RankedMassachusetts ranks #8 per capita (11.6 per 100k)
- Clothing Stores by State: Every State RankedMassachusetts ranks #9 per capita (47.4 per 100k)
- Jewelry Stores by State: Every State RankedMassachusetts ranks #9 per capita (25.6 per 100k)
- Toy Stores by State: Every State RankedMassachusetts ranks #10 per capita (5.9 per 100k)
National retail reports
More states
- 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
- Biggest Retail Cities in Michigan: Top 25 Towns Ranked74,342 retail places
- Biggest Retail Cities in Minnesota: Top 25 Towns Ranked46,452 retail places
- Biggest Retail Cities in Mississippi: Top 25 Towns Ranked21,328 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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