Biggest Retail Cities in Ohio: Top 25 Towns Ranked
Ohio has 82,521 independent retail places spread across 820 towns. Columbus leads with 5,707 — 6.9% of the state. The top 25 towns, and the eight most common store types, by count.
Published September 15, 2026 · Useful Economy Research
Ohio by the numbers
Where the stores are
Ohio has 82,521 independent retail places — 700.2 per 100,000 residents, 0.97× the national average of 724.8 and 39th of the 50 states and D.C. on retail density.
Columbus holds 5,707 of them (6.9% of the state total). Cincinnati is second with 5,342 (6.5%). The 25 towns below account for 38.5% of Ohio's retail; 820 towns in the state have at least five places.
The most common store type is the construction supplies store (9,339, 11.3% of the state's retail), followed by miscellaneous stores (5,267).
Top 25 retail towns in Ohio
Independent retail places per city or town, with each town's share of Ohio's 82,521 total. Only towns with at least five places are counted.
| # | City / town | Retail places | Share of state |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Columbus | 5,707 | 6.9% |
| 2 | Cincinnati | 5,342 | 6.5% |
| 3 | Cleveland | 3,183 | 3.9% |
| 4 | Dayton | 2,304 | 2.8% |
| 5 | Toledo | 1,912 | 2.3% |
| 6 | Akron | 1,552 | 1.9% |
| 7 | Canton | 1,173 | 1.4% |
| 8 | Youngstown | 959 | 1.2% |
| 9 | Lima | 723 | 0.9% |
| 10 | Dublin | 664 | 0.8% |
| 11 | Mentor | 652 | 0.8% |
| 12 | Springfield | 609 | 0.7% |
| 13 | West Chester | 603 | 0.7% |
| 14 | Mansfield | 600 | 0.7% |
| 15 | Medina | 575 | 0.7% |
| 16 | Findlay | 563 | 0.7% |
| 17 | Westerville | 548 | 0.7% |
| 18 | Lancaster | 524 | 0.6% |
| 19 | Strongsville | 523 | 0.6% |
| 20 | Zanesville | 517 | 0.6% |
| 21 | Beavercreek | 511 | 0.6% |
| 22 | Hamilton | 511 | 0.6% |
| 23 | Sandusky | 506 | 0.6% |
| 24 | Chillicothe | 504 | 0.6% |
| 25 | Wooster | 483 | 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 Ohio
The eight largest independent-retail categories in Ohio, with each one's share of the state's 82,521 places.
| # | Store type | Places | Share of state retail |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Construction Supplies Store | 9,339 | 11.3% |
| 2 | Miscellaneous Store | 5,267 | 6.4% |
| 3 | Furniture and Home Store | 4,192 | 5.1% |
| 4 | Clothing Store | 3,931 | 4.8% |
| 5 | Print Store | 3,773 | 4.6% |
| 6 | Hardware Store | 3,360 | 4.1% |
| 7 | Electronics Store | 3,017 | 3.7% |
| 8 | Shoe Store | 2,834 | 3.4% |
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 Ohio has the most retail stores?
- Columbus, with 5,707 independent retail places — 6.9% of Ohio's 82,521 total. Cincinnati is next with 5,342.
- How many independent retail stores are in Ohio?
- 82,521 shoppable independent retail places, or 700.2 per 100,000 residents (0.97× the U.S. average of 724.8). That ranks Ohio 39th of 51 for retail density.
- What is the most common type of store in Ohio?
- The construction supplies store: 9,339 places, or 11.3% of Ohio's retail. Miscellaneous Stores are second at 5,267.
Related reports
National retail reports
More states
- 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 North Dakota: Top 25 Towns Ranked7,136 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
- Biggest Retail Cities in Pennsylvania: Top 25 Towns Ranked98,947 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.
Find independent stores near you
Useful Economy indexes products from independent local retailers across the country. Search by what you want, or browse by city.
Start browsing →