Biggest Retail Cities in North Dakota: Top 25 Towns Ranked
North Dakota has 7,136 independent retail places spread across 109 towns. Fargo leads with 1,388 — 19.5% of the state. The top 25 towns, and the eight most common store types, by count.
Published September 15, 2026 · Useful Economy Research
North Dakota by the numbers
Where the stores are
North Dakota has 7,136 independent retail places — 910.3 per 100,000 residents, 1.26× the national average of 724.8 and 6th of the 50 states and D.C. on retail density.
Fargo holds 1,388 of them (19.5% of the state total). Bismarck is second with 1,001 (14.0%). The 25 towns below account for 80.5% of North Dakota's retail; 109 towns in the state have at least five places.
The most common store type is the construction supplies store (910, 12.8% of the state's retail), followed by miscellaneous stores (499).
Top 25 retail towns in North Dakota
Independent retail places per city or town, with each town's share of North Dakota's 7,136 total. Only towns with at least five places are counted.
| # | City / town | Retail places | Share of state |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Fargo | 1,388 | 19.5% |
| 2 | Bismarck | 1,001 | 14.0% |
| 3 | Grand Forks | 661 | 9.3% |
| 4 | Minot | 646 | 9.1% |
| 5 | Dickinson | 319 | 4.5% |
| 6 | Williston | 285 | 4.0% |
| 7 | West Fargo | 257 | 3.6% |
| 8 | Jamestown | 186 | 2.6% |
| 9 | Mandan | 181 | 2.5% |
| 10 | Devils Lake | 128 | 1.8% |
| 11 | Wahpeton | 81 | 1.1% |
| 12 | Valley City | 72 | 1.0% |
| 13 | Grafton | 61 | 0.9% |
| 14 | Watford City | 53 | 0.7% |
| 15 | Carrington | 48 | 0.7% |
| 16 | Rugby | 45 | 0.6% |
| 17 | Bottineau | 44 | 0.6% |
| 18 | Langdon | 43 | 0.6% |
| 19 | Harvey | 42 | 0.6% |
| 20 | Beulah | 37 | 0.5% |
| 21 | Stanley | 37 | 0.5% |
| 22 | Oakes | 36 | 0.5% |
| 23 | Cavalier | 34 | 0.5% |
| 24 | Casselton | 33 | 0.5% |
| 25 | Lisbon | 30 | 0.4% |
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 Dakota
The eight largest independent-retail categories in North Dakota, with each one's share of the state's 7,136 places.
| # | Store type | Places | Share of state retail |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Construction Supplies Store | 910 | 12.8% |
| 2 | Miscellaneous Store | 499 | 7.0% |
| 3 | Hardware Store | 485 | 6.8% |
| 4 | Clothing Store | 388 | 5.4% |
| 5 | Furniture and Home Store | 325 | 4.6% |
| 6 | Print Store | 248 | 3.5% |
| 7 | Shoe Store | 238 | 3.3% |
| 8 | Electronics Store | 219 | 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 Dakota has the most retail stores?
- Fargo, with 1,388 independent retail places — 19.5% of North Dakota's 7,136 total. Bismarck is next with 1,001.
- How many independent retail stores are in North Dakota?
- 7,136 shoppable independent retail places, or 910.3 per 100,000 residents (1.26× the U.S. average of 724.8). That ranks North Dakota 6th of 51 for retail density.
- What is the most common type of store in North Dakota?
- The construction supplies store: 910 places, or 12.8% of North Dakota's retail. Miscellaneous Stores are second at 499.
Related reports
Store types where North Dakota ranks in the top 10
- Hardware Stores by State: Every State RankedNorth Dakota ranks #1 per capita (61.9 per 100k)
- Garden Centers by State: Every State RankedNorth Dakota ranks #4 per capita (22.8 per 100k)
- Thrift and Vintage Stores by State: Every State RankedNorth Dakota ranks #5 per capita (21.6 per 100k)
- Clothing Stores by State: Every State RankedNorth Dakota ranks #7 per capita (49.5 per 100k)
- Shoe Stores by State: Every State RankedNorth Dakota ranks #8 per capita (30.4 per 100k)
- Florists by State: Every State RankedNorth Dakota ranks #10 per capita (21.2 per 100k)
National retail reports
More states
- 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
- Biggest Retail Cities in Ohio: Top 25 Towns Ranked82,521 retail places
- Biggest Retail Cities in Oklahoma: Top 25 Towns Ranked28,616 retail places
- Biggest Retail Cities in Oregon: Top 25 Towns Ranked35,446 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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