Biggest Retail Cities in New Jersey: Top 25 Towns Ranked
New Jersey has 67,441 independent retail places spread across 615 towns. Jersey City leads with 1,341 — 2.0% of the state. The top 25 towns, and the eight most common store types, by count.
Published September 15, 2026 · Useful Economy Research
New Jersey by the numbers
Where the stores are
New Jersey has 67,441 independent retail places — 725.9 per 100,000 residents, 1.0× the national average of 724.8 and 31st of the 50 states and D.C. on retail density.
Jersey City holds 1,341 of them (2.0% of the state total). Newark is second with 1,216 (1.8%). The 25 towns below account for 25.0% of New Jersey's retail; 615 towns in the state have at least five places.
The most common store type is the construction supplies store (7,559, 11.2% of the state's retail), followed by miscellaneous stores (4,492).
Top 25 retail towns in New Jersey
Independent retail places per city or town, with each town's share of New Jersey's 67,441 total. Only towns with at least five places are counted.
| # | City / town | Retail places | Share of state |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jersey City | 1,341 | 2.0% |
| 2 | Newark | 1,216 | 1.8% |
| 3 | Paramus | 1,106 | 1.6% |
| 4 | Toms River | 963 | 1.4% |
| 5 | Edison | 935 | 1.4% |
| 6 | Cherry Hill | 915 | 1.4% |
| 7 | Elizabeth | 785 | 1.2% |
| 8 | Wayne | 724 | 1.1% |
| 9 | Paterson | 695 | 1.0% |
| 10 | Freehold | 682 | 1.0% |
| 11 | Trenton | 682 | 1.0% |
| 12 | Clifton | 631 | 0.9% |
| 13 | Hackensack | 549 | 0.8% |
| 14 | Princeton | 529 | 0.8% |
| 15 | Lakewood | 528 | 0.8% |
| 16 | Vineland | 513 | 0.8% |
| 17 | Brick Township | 486 | 0.7% |
| 18 | Union | 486 | 0.7% |
| 19 | Hoboken | 479 | 0.7% |
| 20 | Atlantic City | 452 | 0.7% |
| 21 | East Brunswick | 452 | 0.7% |
| 22 | Montclair | 444 | 0.7% |
| 23 | Fairfield | 436 | 0.6% |
| 24 | Rockaway | 428 | 0.6% |
| 25 | Bridgewater | 417 | 0.6% |
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 Jersey
The eight largest independent-retail categories in New Jersey, with each one's share of the state's 67,441 places.
| # | Store type | Places | Share of state retail |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Construction Supplies Store | 7,559 | 11.2% |
| 2 | Miscellaneous Store | 4,492 | 6.7% |
| 3 | Clothing Store | 4,201 | 6.2% |
| 4 | Furniture and Home Store | 3,785 | 5.6% |
| 5 | Cosmetics Store | 2,941 | 4.4% |
| 6 | Print Store | 2,841 | 4.2% |
| 7 | Electronics Store | 2,575 | 3.8% |
| 8 | Jewelry Store | 2,435 | 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 New Jersey has the most retail stores?
- Jersey City, with 1,341 independent retail places — 2.0% of New Jersey's 67,441 total. Newark is next with 1,216.
- How many independent retail stores are in New Jersey?
- 67,441 shoppable independent retail places, or 725.9 per 100,000 residents (1.0× the U.S. average of 724.8). That ranks New Jersey 31st of 51 for retail density.
- What is the most common type of store in New Jersey?
- The construction supplies store: 7,559 places, or 11.2% of New Jersey's retail. Miscellaneous Stores are second at 4,492.
Related reports
Store types where New Jersey ranks in the top 10
- Jewelry Stores by State: Every State RankedNew Jersey ranks #7 per capita (26.2 per 100k)
- Toy Stores by State: Every State RankedNew Jersey ranks #7 per capita (6.4 per 100k)
National retail reports
More states
- 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 Hampshire: Top 25 Towns Ranked13,794 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
- Biggest Retail Cities in North Carolina: Top 25 Towns Ranked82,434 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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