Biggest Retail Cities in New Hampshire: Top 25 Towns Ranked
New Hampshire has 13,794 independent retail places spread across 208 towns. Manchester leads with 987 — 7.2% of the state. The top 25 towns, and the eight most common store types, by count.
Published September 15, 2026 · Useful Economy Research
New Hampshire by the numbers
Where the stores are
New Hampshire has 13,794 independent retail places — 983.8 per 100,000 residents, 1.36× the national average of 724.8 and 3rd of the 50 states and D.C. on retail density.
Manchester holds 987 of them (7.2% of the state total). Nashua is second with 898 (6.5%). The 25 towns below account for 56.3% of New Hampshire's retail; 208 towns in the state have at least five places.
The most common store type is the construction supplies store (1,601, 11.6% of the state's retail), followed by miscellaneous stores (795).
Top 25 retail towns in New Hampshire
Independent retail places per city or town, with each town's share of New Hampshire's 13,794 total. Only towns with at least five places are counted.
| # | City / town | Retail places | Share of state |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Manchester | 987 | 7.2% |
| 2 | Nashua | 898 | 6.5% |
| 3 | Portsmouth | 655 | 4.7% |
| 4 | Salem | 560 | 4.1% |
| 5 | Concord | 556 | 4.0% |
| 6 | Keene | 309 | 2.2% |
| 7 | Dover | 301 | 2.2% |
| 8 | Merrimack | 299 | 2.2% |
| 9 | Rochester | 285 | 2.1% |
| 10 | North Conway | 236 | 1.7% |
| 11 | Bedford | 226 | 1.6% |
| 12 | Derry | 225 | 1.6% |
| 13 | Laconia | 209 | 1.5% |
| 14 | Londonderry | 200 | 1.4% |
| 15 | Hudson | 188 | 1.4% |
| 16 | Milford | 178 | 1.3% |
| 17 | Exeter | 176 | 1.3% |
| 18 | Plaistow | 173 | 1.3% |
| 19 | Amherst | 165 | 1.2% |
| 20 | Hooksett | 165 | 1.2% |
| 21 | Littleton | 160 | 1.2% |
| 22 | Seabrook | 160 | 1.2% |
| 23 | Claremont | 158 | 1.1% |
| 24 | West Lebanon | 152 | 1.1% |
| 25 | Tilton | 148 | 1.1% |
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 New Hampshire
The eight largest independent-retail categories in New Hampshire, with each one's share of the state's 13,794 places.
| # | Store type | Places | Share of state retail |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Construction Supplies Store | 1,601 | 11.6% |
| 2 | Miscellaneous Store | 795 | 5.8% |
| 3 | Furniture and Home Store | 737 | 5.3% |
| 4 | Clothing Store | 728 | 5.3% |
| 5 | Print Store | 610 | 4.4% |
| 6 | Hardware Store | 554 | 4.0% |
| 7 | Shoe Store | 547 | 4.0% |
| 8 | Gift Store | 536 | 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 New Hampshire has the most retail stores?
- Manchester, with 987 independent retail places — 7.2% of New Hampshire's 13,794 total. Nashua is next with 898.
- How many independent retail stores are in New Hampshire?
- 13,794 shoppable independent retail places, or 983.8 per 100,000 residents (1.36× the U.S. average of 724.8). That ranks New Hampshire 3rd of 51 for retail density.
- What is the most common type of store in New Hampshire?
- The construction supplies store: 1,601 places, or 11.6% of New Hampshire's retail. Miscellaneous Stores are second at 795.
Related reports
Store types where New Hampshire ranks in the top 10
- Furniture Stores by State: Every State RankedNew Hampshire ranks #2 per capita (52.6 per 100k)
- Shoe Stores by State: Every State RankedNew Hampshire ranks #2 per capita (39 per 100k)
- Pet Stores by State: Every State RankedNew Hampshire ranks #2 per capita (31.1 per 100k)
- Florists by State: Every State RankedNew Hampshire ranks #3 per capita (24.8 per 100k)
- Antique Stores by State: Every State RankedNew Hampshire ranks #3 per capita (29.3 per 100k)
- Toy Stores by State: Every State RankedNew Hampshire ranks #3 per capita (6.9 per 100k)
- Clothing Stores by State: Every State RankedNew Hampshire ranks #4 per capita (51.9 per 100k)
- Thrift and Vintage Stores by State: Every State RankedNew Hampshire ranks #4 per capita (21.9 per 100k)
National retail reports
More states
- 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
- Biggest Retail Cities in New Jersey: Top 25 Towns Ranked67,441 retail places
- Biggest Retail Cities in New Mexico: Top 25 Towns Ranked14,886 retail places
- Biggest Retail Cities in New York: Top 25 Towns Ranked140,732 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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