Biggest Retail Cities in Wisconsin: Top 25 Towns Ranked
Wisconsin has 49,031 independent retail places spread across 593 towns. Milwaukee leads with 3,545 — 7.2% of the state. The top 25 towns, and the eight most common store types, by count.
Published September 15, 2026 · Useful Economy Research
Wisconsin by the numbers
Where the stores are
Wisconsin has 49,031 independent retail places — 829.5 per 100,000 residents, 1.14× the national average of 724.8 and 10th of the 50 states and D.C. on retail density.
Milwaukee holds 3,545 of them (7.2% of the state total). Madison is second with 2,378 (4.8%). The 25 towns below account for 41.2% of Wisconsin's retail; 593 towns in the state have at least five places.
The most common store type is the construction supplies store (5,804, 11.8% of the state's retail), followed by miscellaneous stores (3,673).
Top 25 retail towns in Wisconsin
Independent retail places per city or town, with each town's share of Wisconsin's 49,031 total. Only towns with at least five places are counted.
| # | City / town | Retail places | Share of state |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Milwaukee | 3,545 | 7.2% |
| 2 | Madison | 2,378 | 4.8% |
| 3 | Green Bay | 1,669 | 3.4% |
| 4 | Appleton | 1,402 | 2.9% |
| 5 | Eau Claire | 891 | 1.8% |
| 6 | Brookfield | 813 | 1.7% |
| 7 | Waukesha | 785 | 1.6% |
| 8 | Kenosha | 761 | 1.6% |
| 9 | Oshkosh | 749 | 1.5% |
| 10 | Janesville | 725 | 1.5% |
| 11 | La Crosse | 643 | 1.3% |
| 12 | Wausau | 641 | 1.3% |
| 13 | Racine | 626 | 1.3% |
| 14 | Sheboygan | 545 | 1.1% |
| 15 | West Bend | 436 | 0.9% |
| 16 | Wauwatosa | 433 | 0.9% |
| 17 | West Allis | 407 | 0.8% |
| 18 | Manitowoc | 377 | 0.8% |
| 19 | Neenah | 365 | 0.7% |
| 20 | Stevens Point | 360 | 0.7% |
| 21 | New Berlin | 352 | 0.7% |
| 22 | Menomonee Falls | 339 | 0.7% |
| 23 | Lake Geneva | 327 | 0.7% |
| 24 | Wisconsin Rapids | 326 | 0.7% |
| 25 | Hudson | 324 | 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 Wisconsin
The eight largest independent-retail categories in Wisconsin, with each one's share of the state's 49,031 places.
| # | Store type | Places | Share of state retail |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Construction Supplies Store | 5,804 | 11.8% |
| 2 | Miscellaneous Store | 3,673 | 7.5% |
| 3 | Furniture and Home Store | 2,333 | 4.8% |
| 4 | Clothing Store | 2,166 | 4.4% |
| 5 | Print Store | 2,048 | 4.2% |
| 6 | Hardware Store | 2,000 | 4.1% |
| 7 | Gift Store | 1,807 | 3.7% |
| 8 | Shoe Store | 1,754 | 3.6% |
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 Wisconsin has the most retail stores?
- Milwaukee, with 3,545 independent retail places — 7.2% of Wisconsin's 49,031 total. Madison is next with 2,378.
- How many independent retail stores are in Wisconsin?
- 49,031 shoppable independent retail places, or 829.5 per 100,000 residents (1.14× the U.S. average of 724.8). That ranks Wisconsin 10th of 51 for retail density.
- What is the most common type of store in Wisconsin?
- The construction supplies store: 5,804 places, or 11.8% of Wisconsin's retail. Miscellaneous Stores are second at 3,673.
Related reports
Store types where Wisconsin ranks in the top 10
- Gift Shops by State: Every State RankedWisconsin ranks #8 per capita (30.6 per 100k)
- Thrift and Vintage Stores by State: Every State RankedWisconsin ranks #9 per capita (20.1 per 100k)
- Shoe Stores by State: Every State RankedWisconsin ranks #10 per capita (29.7 per 100k)
- Antique Stores by State: Every State RankedWisconsin ranks #10 per capita (18.6 per 100k)
- Garden Centers by State: Every State RankedWisconsin ranks #10 per capita (18 per 100k)
- Arts and Crafts Stores by State: Every State RankedWisconsin ranks #10 per capita (17.8 per 100k)
- Bike Shops by State: Every State RankedWisconsin ranks #10 per capita (7.8 per 100k)
National retail reports
More states
- 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
- Biggest Retail Cities in West Virginia: Top 25 Towns Ranked12,281 retail places
- Biggest Retail Cities in Wyoming: Top 25 Towns Ranked5,799 retail places
- Biggest Retail Cities in Alabama: Top 25 Towns Ranked36,017 retail places
- Biggest Retail Cities in Alaska: Top 25 Towns Ranked6,125 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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