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See how it worksMulti-location brands account for 15% to 39% of restaurants across metros
Within 25 miles of downtown, 39% of restaurants in St. Louis and Charlotte belong to a multi-location brand, compared with 15% in New York. The US and Canada share is 31%. CRE brokers should care because restaurant tenant mix varies substantially by metro.
Share of restaurants in multi-location brands, within 25 miles of downtown. Top six and bottom six shown
Dental practices are the most independent category measured
Among active dental practices in the US and Canada, 96% are not part of a multi-location brand. That compares with 87% across all businesses and 69% among restaurants. Small-business lenders should care because the figures identify a category dominated by independent operators.
Share not part of a multi-location brand, US and Canada
Boston's fitness share is 2.4x the national share
Within 25 miles of downtown Boston, gyms and fitness studios account for 2.8% of local businesses, compared with 1.2% nationally. Boston's 2.4x concentration exceeds San Diego's 1.9x and San Francisco's 1.8x. Agencies should care because local category concentration can guide prospecting and market selection.
Local share of businesses vs national share
Salons lead in share incorporated in 2015 or later
Among salons and barbershops with a known incorporation year, 46% of 60,320 were incorporated in 2015 or later. That compares with 13% of 69,548 medical offices with a known year. Business brokers should care because incorporation-year differences can inform category-level sourcing.
Among records with a known incorporation year
The tables
Every number above comes from these two tables.
By category, US and Canada
| Category | Active | Independent | In 50+ location brands | Incorporated 2015+ (of known) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Restaurants | 946,475 | 69% | 22% | 37% |
| Salons and barbershops | 496,864 | 84% | 9% | 46% |
| Gyms and fitness studios | 173,665 | 89% | 6% | 36% |
| Medical offices | 1,038,706 | 95% | 2% | 13% |
| Dental practices | 282,430 | 96% | 2% | 16% |
| Pet businesses | 217,620 | 92% | 4% | 25% |
| Auto repair shops | 390,619 | 87% | 9% | 19% |
| Retail shops | 1,346,687 | 75% | 18% | 21% |
By metro, all businesses within 25 miles of downtown
| Metro | Active | Independent | Incorporated 2015+ (of known) |
|---|---|---|---|
| New York, NY | 675,778 | 91% | 23% |
| Los Angeles, CA | 561,114 | 92% | 29% |
| Chicago, IL | 258,084 | 88% | 48% |
| Dallas, TX | 234,184 | 86% | 29% |
| Houston, TX | 246,522 | 87% | 28% |
| Washington, DC | 247,273 | 88% | 24% |
| Philadelphia, PA | 233,580 | 88% | 25% |
| Miami, FL | 212,859 | 91% | 22% |
| Atlanta, GA | 197,367 | 89% | 30% |
| Boston, MA | 181,483 | 89% | 18% |
| Phoenix, AZ | 168,129 | 86% | 32% |
| San Francisco, CA | 245,418 | 91% | 31% |
| Detroit, MI | 124,620 | 86% | 14% |
| Seattle, WA | 155,197 | 89% | 30% |
| Minneapolis, MN | 104,343 | 86% | 18% |
| San Diego, CA | 157,219 | 91% | 32% |
| Tampa, FL | 153,059 | 88% | 32% |
| Denver, CO | 167,050 | 88% | 29% |
| St. Louis, MO | 93,062 | 84% | 19% |
| Orlando, FL | 129,704 | 87% | 29% |
| Charlotte, NC | 107,516 | 85% | 31% |
| San Antonio, TX | 89,759 | 84% | 29% |
| Austin, TX | 100,469 | 87% | 30% |
| Las Vegas, NV | 114,037 | 86% | 39% |
| Nashville, TN | 71,589 | 85% | 32% |
Category and metro breakdowns: local business data pages.
About this issue
This is the first issue. From next month, The Main Street Index also reports how each category and metro changed since the previous issue. We do not report openings: our records do not carry a reliable opening date.
How to cite
Resquared, The Main Street Index, October 2026. https://re2.ai/main-street-index/2026-10
Free to quote with a link. Reporters can ask for a custom cut by category or metro.