Which state's retail is most concentrated in one city?

Nevada's, where Las Vegas alone accounts for 57.7% of the state's independent retail storefronts.

Which state has the most spread-out retail?

New Jersey's retail is the most distributed: its largest retail city, Jersey City, holds only 2.0% of the state total.

One Big City or Spread Out? U.S. Retail Concentration by State

In some states, most independent retail sits in a single dominant city. In others it's scattered across dozens of small towns. We measured the gap.

Published June 8, 2026 · Useful Economy Research

The extremes

57.7%

of Nevada's retail is in Las Vegas

the most concentrated state

2.0%

of New Jersey's retail is in Jersey City

the most spread-out state

Why this matters

A state can have plenty of stores yet feel like a retail desert outside one hub. Nevada is the starkest case: 57.7% of all its independent storefronts sit in Las Vegas alone. Shop elsewhere in the state and the options thin out fast.

At the other end, New Jersey's retail is remarkably distributed — its largest city, Jersey City, holds just 2.0% of the state total. Local shopping there is a small-town, many-main-streets affair rather than a single-downtown one.

Retail concentration, most to least centralized

Share of each state's independent retail located in its single largest retail city.

#	State	Largest retail city	% of state's retail	State total
1	Nevada	Las Vegas	57.7%	20,234
2	Hawaii	Honolulu	36.4%	12,174
3	Alaska	Anchorage	36.1%	6,125
4	New Mexico	Albuquerque	33.9%	14,886
5	Nebraska	Omaha	24.5%	11,183
6	South Dakota	Sioux Falls	23.9%	7,453
7	Oregon	Portland	23.0%	35,446
8	Delaware	Wilmington	21.7%	7,192
9	Arizona	Phoenix	20.4%	45,964
10	North Dakota	Fargo	19.5%	7,136
11	New York	New York	18.7%	140,732
12	Oklahoma	Oklahoma City	18.1%	28,616
13	Idaho	Boise	17.6%	14,340
14	Kentucky	Louisville	17.0%	32,108
15	Illinois	Chicago	16.7%	91,184
16	Montana	Billings	15.6%	10,398
17	Utah	Salt Lake City	15.3%	20,933
18	Colorado	Denver	15.0%	46,098
19	Rhode Island	Providence	14.8%	8,168
20	Wyoming	Cheyenne	14.8%	5,799
21	Indiana	Indianapolis	13.8%	49,234
22	Kansas	Wichita	13.2%	22,128
23	Washington	Seattle	12.7%	52,484
24	Texas	Houston	11.6%	196,483
25	Missouri	St Louis	11.6%	48,327
26	Georgia	Atlanta	11.2%	83,747
27	Tennessee	Nashville	10.6%	55,102
28	Minnesota	Minneapolis	10.6%	46,452
29	Maryland	Baltimore	10.5%	37,895
30	Louisiana	New Orleans	10.5%	33,804
31	Arkansas	Little Rock	9.8%	23,046
32	Pennsylvania	Philadelphia	8.6%	98,947
33	North Carolina	Charlotte	8.5%	82,434
34	Alabama	Birmingham	8.3%	36,017
35	California	Los Angeles	8.0%	271,352
36	Vermont	Burlington	7.4%	6,835
37	Wisconsin	Milwaukee	7.2%	49,031
38	New Hampshire	Manchester	7.2%	13,794
39	South Carolina	Columbia	7.1%	39,138
40	Maine	Portland	7.1%	13,543
41	West Virginia	Charleston	7.0%	12,281
42	Ohio	Columbus	6.9%	82,521
43	Florida	Miami	6.7%	175,522
44	Iowa	Des Moines	6.7%	25,951
45	Massachusetts	Boston	6.6%	54,068
46	Mississippi	Jackson	5.9%	21,328
47	Virginia	Richmond	5.8%	55,865
48	Connecticut	Stamford	4.1%	28,565
49	Michigan	Grand Rapids	3.8%	74,342
50	New Jersey	Jersey City	2.0%	67,441

Based on city/town labels in the source data; multi-borough cities (e.g. New York vs. Brooklyn) may be listed separately, which understates a few large metros.

Frequently asked questions

Which state's retail is most concentrated in one city?: Nevada's, where Las Vegas alone accounts for 57.7% of the state's independent retail storefronts.
Which state has the most spread-out retail?: New Jersey's retail is the most distributed: its largest retail city, Jersey City, holds only 2.0% of the state total.

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Data source: Foursquare Open Source Places (US slice), analyzed by Useful Economy. Population: U.S. Census 2023 estimates.