Washington, D.C. Retail by the Numbers: Every Store Type
The District has 3,556 independent retail places — 523.7 per 100,000 residents, 0.72× the national rate. Here is what they sell, by count.
Published September 15, 2026 · Useful Economy Research
Washington, D.C. by the numbers
Where the stores are
Washington, D.C. has 3,556 independent retail places, or 523.7 per 100,000 residents — 0.72× the national average of 724.8 and 51st of the 50 states and D.C.
The most common store type is the miscellaneous store (348 places, 9.8% of the District's retail), followed by clothing stores (244).
Retail places by locality label
The source data labels almost every D.C. place simply 'Washington'; the remaining labels are shown for completeness.
| # | City / town | Retail places | Share of state |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Washington | 3,501 | 98.5% |
| 2 | Bolling Afb | 7 | 0.2% |
| 3 | District of Columbia | 6 | 0.2% |
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 Washington, D.C.
The eight largest independent-retail categories in Washington, D.C., with each one's share of the state's 3,556 places.
| # | Store type | Places | Share of state retail |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Miscellaneous Store | 348 | 9.8% |
| 2 | Clothing Store | 244 | 6.9% |
| 3 | Construction Supplies Store | 200 | 5.6% |
| 4 | Furniture and Home Store | 191 | 5.4% |
| 5 | Cosmetics Store | 164 | 4.6% |
| 6 | Shoe Store | 160 | 4.5% |
| 7 | Gift Store | 154 | 4.3% |
| 8 | Print Store | 145 | 4.1% |
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 Washington, D.C. has the most retail stores?
- Washington, with 3,501 independent retail places — 98.5% of Washington, D.C.'s 3,556 total.
- How many independent retail stores are in Washington, D.C.?
- 3,556 shoppable independent retail places, or 523.7 per 100,000 residents (0.72× the U.S. average of 724.8). That ranks Washington, D.C. 51st of 51 for retail density.
- What is the most common type of store in Washington, D.C.?
- The miscellaneous store: 348 places, or 9.8% of the District's retail. Clothing Stores are second at 244.
Related reports
Store types where Washington, D.C. ranks in the top 10
- Bookstores by State: Every State RankedWashington, D.C. ranks #3 per capita (16.2 per 100k)
National retail reports
More states
- Biggest Retail Cities in Vermont: Top 25 Towns Ranked6,835 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
- Biggest Retail Cities in West Virginia: Top 25 Towns Ranked12,281 retail places
- Biggest Retail Cities in Wisconsin: Top 25 Towns Ranked49,031 retail places
- Biggest Retail Cities in Wyoming: Top 25 Towns Ranked5,799 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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