Biggest Retail Cities in Missouri: Top 25 Towns Ranked
Missouri has 48,327 independent retail places spread across 537 towns. St Louis leads with 5,625 — 11.6% of the state. The top 25 towns, and the eight most common store types, by count.
Published September 15, 2026 · Useful Economy Research
Missouri by the numbers
Where the stores are
Missouri has 48,327 independent retail places — 780.0 per 100,000 residents, 1.08× the national average of 724.8 and 16th of the 50 states and D.C. on retail density.
St Louis holds 5,625 of them (11.6% of the state total). Kansas City is second with 3,727 (7.7%). The 25 towns below account for 51.8% of Missouri's retail; 537 towns in the state have at least five places.
The most common store type is the construction supplies store (5,296, 11.0% of the state's retail), followed by miscellaneous stores (3,425).
Top 25 retail towns in Missouri
Independent retail places per city or town, with each town's share of Missouri's 48,327 total. Only towns with at least five places are counted.
| # | City / town | Retail places | Share of state |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | St Louis | 5,625 | 11.6% |
| 2 | Kansas City | 3,727 | 7.7% |
| 3 | Springfield | 2,506 | 5.2% |
| 4 | Columbia | 1,384 | 2.9% |
| 5 | St. Charles | 1,033 | 2.1% |
| 6 | Independence | 907 | 1.9% |
| 7 | Branson | 839 | 1.7% |
| 8 | Joplin | 836 | 1.7% |
| 9 | Chesterfield | 824 | 1.7% |
| 10 | Saint Peters | 761 | 1.6% |
| 11 | Jefferson City | 725 | 1.5% |
| 12 | Cape Girardeau | 663 | 1.4% |
| 13 | St. Joseph | 642 | 1.3% |
| 14 | Fenton | 454 | 0.9% |
| 15 | Florissant | 445 | 0.9% |
| 16 | Blue Springs | 421 | 0.9% |
| 17 | O'Fallon | 402 | 0.8% |
| 18 | Lees Summit | 387 | 0.8% |
| 19 | Lee's Summit | 385 | 0.8% |
| 20 | Ballwin | 365 | 0.8% |
| 21 | Rolla | 362 | 0.7% |
| 22 | Osage Beach | 352 | 0.7% |
| 23 | Wentzville | 334 | 0.7% |
| 24 | Poplar Bluff | 329 | 0.7% |
| 25 | Washington | 328 | 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 Missouri
The eight largest independent-retail categories in Missouri, with each one's share of the state's 48,327 places.
| # | Store type | Places | Share of state retail |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Construction Supplies Store | 5,296 | 11.0% |
| 2 | Miscellaneous Store | 3,425 | 7.1% |
| 3 | Furniture and Home Store | 2,410 | 5.0% |
| 4 | Clothing Store | 2,321 | 4.8% |
| 5 | Print Store | 2,182 | 4.5% |
| 6 | Hardware Store | 2,126 | 4.4% |
| 7 | Electronics Store | 1,593 | 3.3% |
| 8 | Shoe Store | 1,548 | 3.2% |
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 Missouri has the most retail stores?
- St Louis, with 5,625 independent retail places — 11.6% of Missouri's 48,327 total. Kansas City is next with 3,727.
- How many independent retail stores are in Missouri?
- 48,327 shoppable independent retail places, or 780.0 per 100,000 residents (1.08× the U.S. average of 724.8). That ranks Missouri 16th of 51 for retail density.
- What is the most common type of store in Missouri?
- The construction supplies store: 5,296 places, or 11.0% of Missouri's retail. Miscellaneous Stores are second at 3,425.
Related reports
Store types where Missouri ranks in the top 10
- Antique Stores by State: Every State RankedMissouri ranks #6 per capita (21.1 per 100k)
National retail reports
More states
- 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
- Biggest Retail Cities in Montana: Top 25 Towns Ranked10,398 retail places
- Biggest Retail Cities in Nebraska: Top 25 Towns Ranked11,183 retail places
- Biggest Retail Cities in Nevada: Top 25 Towns Ranked20,234 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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