Biggest Retail Cities in North Carolina: Top 25 Towns Ranked
North Carolina has 82,434 independent retail places spread across 588 towns. Charlotte leads with 6,987 — 8.5% of the state. The top 25 towns, and the eight most common store types, by count.
Published September 15, 2026 · Useful Economy Research
North Carolina by the numbers
Where the stores are
North Carolina has 82,434 independent retail places — 760.8 per 100,000 residents, 1.05× the national average of 724.8 and 21st of the 50 states and D.C. on retail density.
Charlotte holds 6,987 of them (8.5% of the state total). Raleigh is second with 5,067 (6.1%). The 25 towns below account for 49.4% of North Carolina's retail; 588 towns in the state have at least five places.
The most common store type is the construction supplies store (8,944, 10.8% of the state's retail), followed by miscellaneous stores (5,549).
Top 25 retail towns in North Carolina
Independent retail places per city or town, with each town's share of North Carolina's 82,434 total. Only towns with at least five places are counted.
| # | City / town | Retail places | Share of state |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Charlotte | 6,987 | 8.5% |
| 2 | Raleigh | 5,067 | 6.1% |
| 3 | Greensboro | 3,259 | 4.0% |
| 4 | Wilmington | 2,569 | 3.1% |
| 5 | Winston-Salem | 2,243 | 2.7% |
| 6 | Durham | 2,077 | 2.5% |
| 7 | Asheville | 2,063 | 2.5% |
| 8 | Fayetteville | 1,931 | 2.3% |
| 9 | High Point | 1,331 | 1.6% |
| 10 | Cary | 1,196 | 1.5% |
| 11 | Concord | 1,196 | 1.5% |
| 12 | Hickory | 1,173 | 1.4% |
| 13 | Greenville | 1,028 | 1.2% |
| 14 | Burlington | 898 | 1.1% |
| 15 | Gastonia | 872 | 1.1% |
| 16 | Mooresville | 863 | 1.0% |
| 17 | Jacksonville | 845 | 1.0% |
| 18 | Hendersonville | 724 | 0.9% |
| 19 | Goldsboro | 676 | 0.8% |
| 20 | Monroe | 672 | 0.8% |
| 21 | Salisbury | 640 | 0.8% |
| 22 | Matthews | 611 | 0.7% |
| 23 | New Bern | 611 | 0.7% |
| 24 | Statesville | 606 | 0.7% |
| 25 | Rocky Mount | 585 | 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 North Carolina
The eight largest independent-retail categories in North Carolina, with each one's share of the state's 82,434 places.
| # | Store type | Places | Share of state retail |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Construction Supplies Store | 8,944 | 10.8% |
| 2 | Miscellaneous Store | 5,549 | 6.7% |
| 3 | Furniture and Home Store | 5,329 | 6.5% |
| 4 | Clothing Store | 4,372 | 5.3% |
| 5 | Print Store | 3,549 | 4.3% |
| 6 | Hardware Store | 2,907 | 3.5% |
| 7 | Shoe Store | 2,857 | 3.5% |
| 8 | Gift Store | 2,566 | 3.1% |
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 North Carolina has the most retail stores?
- Charlotte, with 6,987 independent retail places — 8.5% of North Carolina's 82,434 total. Raleigh is next with 5,067.
- How many independent retail stores are in North Carolina?
- 82,434 shoppable independent retail places, or 760.8 per 100,000 residents (1.05× the U.S. average of 724.8). That ranks North Carolina 21st of 51 for retail density.
- What is the most common type of store in North Carolina?
- The construction supplies store: 8,944 places, or 10.8% of North Carolina's retail. Miscellaneous Stores are second at 5,549.
Related reports
Store types where North Carolina ranks in the top 10
- Furniture Stores by State: Every State RankedNorth Carolina ranks #4 per capita (49.2 per 100k)
- Thrift and Vintage Stores by State: Every State RankedNorth Carolina ranks #7 per capita (20.6 per 100k)
National retail reports
More states
- 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
- Biggest Retail Cities in North Dakota: Top 25 Towns Ranked7,136 retail places
- Biggest Retail Cities in Ohio: Top 25 Towns Ranked82,521 retail places
- Biggest Retail Cities in Oklahoma: Top 25 Towns Ranked28,616 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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