ReplyProof analyzed 3,844 local businesses across 13 U.S. cities and 15 industries. The average rating is 4.79 stars. 11 of 15 verticals average above 4.8. The median business has 334 reviews. 2.4% have no website listed.
The real differentiator is profile activity: who responds to reviews, who posts, who looks alive.
Methodology: Data collected via Google Places API (New), March through April 2026. 3,844 businesses across 13 cities and 15 industry categories. Top results per category per city, sorted by review count ascending. Review counts, star ratings, and website presence captured at time of survey.
18 pages of original research, charts, and industry breakdowns. Takes 10 seconds.
Your download is starting. Check your Downloads folder.
Download again →| Industry | Count | Avg Reviews | Median Reviews | Avg Rating | % No Website |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Restaurant | 260 | 3,879.6 | 2,346 | 4.54 | 0% |
| Dentist | 260 | 782 | 670 | 4.82 | 1.2% |
| HVAC | 259 | 2,002.7 | 597 | 4.85 | 3.1% |
| Plumber | 254 | 1,442.1 | 516 | 4.84 | 1.6% |
| Veterinarian | 260 | 604.9 | 499 | 4.61 | 0.8% |
| Hair Salon | 260 | 478.4 | 321 | 4.85 | 0.4% |
| Auto Repair | 260 | 433.5 | 319 | 4.71 | 13.1% |
| Gym / Fitness | 260 | 544.9 | 295 | 4.45 | 0.8% |
| Law Firm | 260 | 660.9 | 283 | 4.84 | 0.8% |
| Chiropractor | 260 | 308.2 | 262 | 4.91 | 0.8% |
| Med Spa | 260 | 337.1 | 237 | 4.89 | 0.8% |
| Cleaning Service | 232 | 311.6 | 212 | 4.85 | 1.3% |
| Roofing | 259 | 308 | 195 | 4.87 | 1.5% |
| Electrician | 242 | 430.2 | 122 | 4.88 | 9.5% |
| Real Estate | 258 | 252 | 116 | 4.91 | 0.4% |
Restaurants have the highest review volume and the lowest average rating of any vertical. That combination means more visible complaints, read by more people, with a lower baseline to absorb the damage. Only 5% of restaurants respond to reviews (BrightLocal 2024). The 95% that stay silent are letting their worst guest experiences define their Google profile permanently.
83% of patients use Google reviews to choose a dentist. The median practice has 670 reviews and a 4.82 star average. Dental practices also face HIPAA constraints: you cannot confirm someone is a patient or reference their treatment in a public response. That's why most practices default to silence. But prospective patients interpret no reply as confirmation of the complaint, which makes a carefully worded response far less risky than saying nothing.
HVAC companies have the 3rd highest review volume. The gap between mean (2,002.7) and median (597) shows a few dominant players pulling up the average while most shops sit at moderate counts. When someone's AC dies in July, they call whoever looks most responsive. An active profile with recent responses wins that 2 PM Saturday emergency call over a higher-rated competitor who looks abandoned.
Plumbers have the 2nd highest average review count. Homeowners dealing with a burst pipe or a sewage backup are choosing under stress, which means they default to whoever looks most trustworthy in the search results. A string of unanswered complaints about pricing or no-shows sends them to the next listing before they ever read your five-star reviews.
Pet owners are emotionally invested in their vet choice in a way that makes reviews hit differently than in other verticals. A complaint about a misdiagnosis or a lack of empathy during a difficult visit carries outsized emotional weight for the next pet owner reading it. With a median of 499 reviews, most vet practices have enough volume that the occasional negative review is visible to every new client searching.
Hair salons have consistently high ratings (4.85 stars) but the median review count of 321 means there isn't much buffer. A bad color job or a stylist who didn't listen generates a review that carries disproportionate weight in a smaller profile. Salon clients are loyal once earned but choosy before the first visit, and an unanswered complaint about results is often the last thing they read before booking elsewhere.
13.1% of auto repair shops have no website at all. That's 10x the rate of dentists (1.2%). For those shops, their Google Business Profile isn't just important; it is the entire online presence. When 63% of car owners already worry about being overcharged (Consumer Reports 2024), an unanswered complaint about surprise billing confirms exactly what they feared before they ever call.
Gyms have the lowest average rating after restaurants at 4.45 stars. Membership billing complaints, cleanliness issues, and overcrowding are the most common negative themes. These reviews compound because gym members often search for alternatives while still paying their current membership, making every unanswered complaint both a potential cancellation and a lost acquisition at the same time.
Law firms face unique ethical constraints under ABA Model Rule 1.6: you cannot confirm or deny that someone is a client, reference case details, or dispute claims publicly. That makes review responses feel legally risky, so most firms say nothing at all. But 82% of people who contacted an attorney relied on reviews first (FindLaw 2024). The firms that respond carefully and professionally stand out in a category where almost nobody else does.
Chiropractors tie for the highest average rating at 4.91 stars. Patients choosing a chiropractor are entrusting someone with their spine, which makes the decision feel high-stakes even for routine care. They read reviews with particular scrutiny, looking for patterns in complaints about technique, results, or high-pressure sales. A few unanswered concerns can shift perception more than a dozen positive reviews.
Med spas have the highest average rating (4.89 stars) of any vertical. When every competitor has near-perfect ratings, the star count stops being a differentiator. The deciding factor becomes how you handle the occasional negative review about results, bedside manner, or pricing. HIPAA applies to med spas just as it does to any healthcare provider, which means responses must avoid confirming treatments while still showing empathy and professionalism.
Cleaning services enter people's homes. Trust is non-negotiable, and reviews are where that trust gets built before the first visit. A complaint about a missed appointment, a broken item, or inconsistent quality without a response sends a signal that the business doesn't take accountability seriously. In a category where switching costs are low, one unanswered review can lose a client who would have stayed for years.
Roofing is a high-ticket, high-trust purchase. Homeowners are handing someone $15,000 or more based partly on what strangers said online. With a median of 195 reviews, most contractors have enough visible history that prospects are reading closely. A complaint about timeline delays, cleanup, or hidden costs without any response reads as confirmation that it's how the company operates.
9.5% of electricians have no website, the second highest rate after auto repair. Customers searching for emergency electrical work need someone they can trust to show up and not overcharge. With fewer reviews than most service verticals, each one carries more weight, and an unanswered negative stands out faster against a thinner review history.
Real estate agents have the lowest median review count (116) of any vertical, making each review disproportionately important. With so few reviews, every single one sits near the top of a thin profile and shapes the entire impression. Agents who respond professionally to even one critical review differentiate themselves from the majority who have sparse, unmanaged profiles.
| City | Businesses | Avg Reviews | Median Reviews | Avg Rating | % No Website |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Austin | 297 | 1,072.9 | 488 | 4.8 | 1.3% |
| Houston | 300 | 1,104.2 | 443 | 4.78 | 0.7% |
| Tampa | 295 | 1,080 | 438 | 4.8 | 2% |
| Charlotte | 300 | 913.4 | 420 | 4.82 | 1.3% |
| Phoenix | 298 | 1,005.8 | 404 | 4.78 | 1% |
| Atlanta | 291 | 1,076.9 | 400 | 4.8 | 1% |
| Nashville | 288 | 837.4 | 366 | 4.82 | 2.4% |
| Chicago | 295 | 878.1 | 298 | 4.77 | 1.4% |
| Denver | 300 | 712.8 | 281 | 4.76 | 3% |
| Miami | 294 | 859.1 | 276 | 4.82 | 2.4% |
| Los Angeles | 296 | 779.2 | 235 | 4.75 | 8.1% |
| Fort Collins | 296 | 469.5 | 212 | 4.76 | 2.7% |
| Boulder | 294 | 346.8 | 141 | 4.76 | 3.4% |
The data tells the same story across every industry and every city we surveyed. Most local businesses have decent ratings. Most have a reasonable number of reviews. The star rating is not the problem.
The problem is activity. The businesses that respond to every review, post regularly, and keep their profile updated look professional and engaged. The businesses that don't look abandoned. Potential customers can see the difference in seconds.
When two businesses have similar ratings and similar review counts, the one that responds wins. Every time. That's not a theory. That's what 88% of consumers say when asked directly (BrightLocal 2024). And it's consistent with what we see in the data: the differentiator is not the score on the scoreboard. It's whether anyone is playing the game.
We built this report because we manage Google Business Profiles for a living. ReplyProof responds to every Google review, publishes weekly posts, uploads photos, and sends monthly performance reports for local businesses across the country.
$200/month. Cancel anytime. Your profile stays active so Google shows you to more people. replyproof.co · (720) 507-8056