Biggest Retail Cities in Vermont: Top 25 Towns Ranked
Vermont has 6,835 independent retail places spread across 167 towns. Burlington leads with 508 — 7.4% of the state. The top 25 towns, and the eight most common store types, by count.
Published September 15, 2026 · Useful Economy Research
Vermont by the numbers
Where the stores are
Vermont has 6,835 independent retail places — 1,055.7 per 100,000 residents, 1.46× the national average of 724.8 and 1st of the 50 states and D.C. on retail density.
Burlington holds 508 of them (7.4% of the state total). South Burlington is second with 335 (4.9%). The 25 towns below account for 60.4% of Vermont's retail; 167 towns in the state have at least five places.
The most common store type is the construction supplies store (779, 11.4% of the state's retail), followed by furniture and home stores (433).
Top 25 retail towns in Vermont
Independent retail places per city or town, with each town's share of Vermont's 6,835 total. Only towns with at least five places are counted.
| # | City / town | Retail places | Share of state |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Burlington | 508 | 7.4% |
| 2 | South Burlington | 335 | 4.9% |
| 3 | Rutland | 334 | 4.9% |
| 4 | Williston | 281 | 4.1% |
| 5 | Brattleboro | 231 | 3.4% |
| 6 | Barre | 208 | 3.0% |
| 7 | Essex Junction | 195 | 2.9% |
| 8 | Saint Albans | 188 | 2.8% |
| 9 | Stowe | 165 | 2.4% |
| 10 | Bennington | 162 | 2.4% |
| 11 | Middlebury | 158 | 2.3% |
| 12 | Montpelier | 156 | 2.3% |
| 13 | Manchester Center | 147 | 2.2% |
| 14 | Colchester | 131 | 1.9% |
| 15 | Newport | 116 | 1.7% |
| 16 | Shelburne | 115 | 1.7% |
| 17 | Milton | 96 | 1.4% |
| 18 | White River Junction | 95 | 1.4% |
| 19 | Saint Johnsbury | 86 | 1.3% |
| 20 | Waitsfield | 80 | 1.2% |
| 21 | Morrisville | 78 | 1.1% |
| 22 | Woodstock | 78 | 1.1% |
| 23 | Ludlow | 64 | 0.9% |
| 24 | Springfield | 62 | 0.9% |
| 25 | Bristol | 61 | 0.9% |
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 Vermont
The eight largest independent-retail categories in Vermont, with each one's share of the state's 6,835 places.
| # | Store type | Places | Share of state retail |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Construction Supplies Store | 779 | 11.4% |
| 2 | Furniture and Home Store | 433 | 6.3% |
| 3 | Clothing Store | 371 | 5.4% |
| 4 | Hardware Store | 308 | 4.5% |
| 5 | Miscellaneous Store | 308 | 4.5% |
| 6 | Gift Store | 289 | 4.2% |
| 7 | Shoe Store | 279 | 4.1% |
| 8 | Print Store | 233 | 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 Vermont has the most retail stores?
- Burlington, with 508 independent retail places — 7.4% of Vermont's 6,835 total. South Burlington is next with 335.
- How many independent retail stores are in Vermont?
- 6,835 shoppable independent retail places, or 1,055.7 per 100,000 residents (1.46× the U.S. average of 724.8). That ranks Vermont 1st of 51 for retail density.
- What is the most common type of store in Vermont?
- The construction supplies store: 779 places, or 11.4% of Vermont's retail. Furniture and Home Stores are second at 433.
Related reports
Store types where Vermont ranks in the top 10
- Furniture Stores by State: Every State RankedVermont ranks #1 per capita (66.9 per 100k)
- Shoe Stores by State: Every State RankedVermont ranks #1 per capita (43.1 per 100k)
- Florists by State: Every State RankedVermont ranks #1 per capita (28.7 per 100k)
- Thrift and Vintage Stores by State: Every State RankedVermont ranks #1 per capita (26.3 per 100k)
- Garden Centers by State: Every State RankedVermont ranks #1 per capita (28.6 per 100k)
- Arts and Crafts Stores by State: Every State RankedVermont ranks #1 per capita (28.4 per 100k)
- Bookstores by State: Every State RankedVermont ranks #1 per capita (20.4 per 100k)
- Music Stores by State: Every State RankedVermont ranks #1 per capita (14.8 per 100k)
National retail reports
More states
- Biggest Retail Cities in Tennessee: Top 25 Towns Ranked55,102 retail places
- Biggest Retail Cities in Texas: Top 25 Towns Ranked196,483 retail places
- Biggest Retail Cities in Utah: Top 25 Towns Ranked20,933 retail places
- Biggest Retail Cities in Virginia: Top 25 Towns Ranked55,865 retail places
- Biggest Retail Cities in Washington: Top 25 Towns Ranked52,484 retail places
- Washington, D.C. Retail by the Numbers: Every Store Type3,556 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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