The U.S. Retail Density Index: Every State Ranked by Independent Retail Per Capita

We counted 2.4 million independent, shoppable retail storefronts across the United States, then ranked all 50 states and D.C. by how many they have per 100,000 residents. The result turns the familiar map upside down.

Published June 8, 2026 · Data updated September 15, 2026 · Useful Economy Research

The headline numbers

2,427,402
shoppable independent retail places counted
across all 50 states + D.C.
724.8
stores per 100,000 residents
national average
Vermont
the densest state in America
1055.7 per 100k — 1.46× the national rate

Bigger isn't denser

Rank states by the raw number of independent stores and you simply re-draw the population map: California (271,352), Texas (196,483) and Florida (175,522) lead because they have the most people. That tells you nothing about how rich local retail actually is in a given place.

Divide by population and the map inverts. The densest retail economies in America are small, often rural states. Vermont tops the list at 1055.7 stores per 100,000 residents — even though, in raw count, it ranks near the very bottom. California, the raw leader, falls to #41 (696.4 per 100k). Texas lands at #44 and Florida at #17.

The pattern is consistent: New England, the Mountain West, and the Upper Midwest run dense with independent storefronts per person, while fast-growing Sun Belt states — where big-box and online retail expanded into newer, car-oriented development — run thin.

Every state ranked, densest to sparsest

Independent shoppable-retail storefronts per 100,000 residents. Population: U.S. Census 2023 estimates.

#StateStores / 100kTotal storesPopulation
1Vermont1,055.76,835647,464
2Wyoming992.95,799584,057
3New Hampshire983.813,7941,402,054
4Maine970.313,5431,395,722
5Montana917.910,3981,132,812
6North Dakota910.37,136783,926
7Hawaii848.312,1741,435,138
8Oregon837.335,4464,233,358
9Alaska835.16,125733,406
10Wisconsin829.549,0315,910,955
11South Dakota810.77,453919,318
12Minnesota809.646,4525,737,915
13Iowa809.225,9513,207,004
14Connecticut789.728,5653,617,176
15Colorado784.346,0985,877,610
16Missouri78048,3276,196,156
17Florida776.3175,52222,610,726
18Tennessee773.255,1027,126,489
19Massachusetts772.254,0687,001,399
20Pennsylvania763.498,94712,961,683
21North Carolina760.882,43410,835,491
22Georgia759.383,74711,029,227
23Kansas752.522,1282,940,546
24Arkansas751.223,0463,067,732
25Rhode Island745.38,1681,095,962
26Michigan740.774,34210,037,261
27Louisiana739.133,8044,573,749
28Idaho729.914,3401,964,726
29South Carolina728.339,1385,373,555
30Illinois726.691,18412,549,689
31New Jersey725.967,4419,290,841
32Mississippi725.521,3282,939,690
33New York719.1140,73219,571,216
34Indiana717.549,2346,862,199
35Kentucky709.432,1084,526,154
36Oklahoma705.928,6164,053,824
37Alabama70536,0175,108,468
38New Mexico70414,8862,114,371
39Ohio700.282,52111,785,935
40Delaware6977,1921,031,890
41California696.4271,35238,965,193
42West Virginia693.812,2811,770,071
43Washington671.852,4847,812,880
44Texas644.1196,48330,503,301
45Virginia64155,8658,715,698
46Nevada633.520,2343,194,176
47Arizona618.545,9647,431,344
48Maryland613.237,8956,180,253
49Utah612.520,9333,417,734
50Nebraska565.311,1831,978,379
51Washington, D.C.523.73,556678,972

Counts exclude grocery, pharmacy, gas/convenience, liquor, cannabis, auto and mall-anchor categories — the goal is shoppable independent retail, not all commerce.

Frequently asked questions

Which U.S. state has the most retail stores per capita?
Vermont has the most independent retail stores per capita, at 1055.7 shoppable storefronts per 100,000 residents — about 1.46 times the national average of 724.8.
Why does California rank so low if it has the most stores?
California has the largest raw count of stores (271,352) simply because it has the most people. Per capita, it ranks #41 of 51 at 696.4 stores per 100,000 residents — close to the national average.
How many independent retail stores are there in the United States?
This study counted 2,427,402 shoppable, independent retail storefronts across all 50 states and Washington, D.C., excluding grocery, pharmacy, fuel, liquor, cannabis, automotive and mall-anchor categories.

Related reports

The densest retail states

All retail reports →

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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