32.4% of US local businesses with Google reviews show a perfect 5.0 rating, and the average is 4.5 stars. Ratings are so bunched at the top that a 4.5 is simply typical, and a rating below 4 puts a business among the lowest 14.5%.
Analysis of 18,526 rated Google Business Profiles across 54 business categories · Google Business Profiles, September 2026
Key Findings
- 1.32.4% of US local businesses with Google reviews show a perfect 5.0-star rating.
- 2.The average Google rating for a local business is 4.5 stars and the median is 4.8, and 69.3% of rated local businesses have 4.5 stars or more.
- 3.14.5% of local businesses with Google reviews are rated below 4 stars, and 4% are rated below 3.
- 4.58% of local businesses with 1 to 9 Google reviews show a perfect 5.0, against 11.3% of businesses with 100 or more reviews.
- 5.Beauty stores average 3.9 stars on Google, the lowest of 54 local business categories, while med spas average 4.82, the highest.
Summary
A customer compares three dentists on Google Maps: 4.8 stars, 4.7 stars and 4.9 stars. All three look excellent, so the stars decide nothing, and the customer looks at something else: how many reviews each has, how recent they are, and whether anyone replies.
That is what Google ratings look like across local businesses. The star rating is the average of every review a business has received, shown next to its name in Google Search and Maps, and for most businesses it sits in a narrow band near the top. Knowing where that band is tells an owner whether their rating is an asset, a neutral fact or a problem.
32.4% of local businesses with Google reviews show a perfect 5.0, the average is 4.5 stars and the median is 4.8. A 4.5 rating sounds strong, but it is roughly what the typical business has. Below 4 stars is where a rating starts to hurt: only 14.5% of rated businesses fall there, so a low score stands out next to competitors rated 4.7 or 4.8.
What we measured
On September 23, 2026 we analysed 23,164 US Google Business Profiles across 54 business categories and recorded the star rating shown on each. 4,638 profiles had no reviews and so no rating, which left 18,526 rated profiles. We report the average, the median and the spread of ratings, the same figures by number of reviews and by category, and a repeat of the analysis for businesses with at least 10 reviews, where a single review cannot swing the score.
A Google Business Profile is the free listing that shows a business's reviews, rating, hours and contact details in Google Search and Maps. The star rating runs from 1 to 5 and is the average of all the business's Google reviews. The median is the middle business: half are rated higher, half lower. A profile is claimed when the owner has verified it with Google.
A third of rated businesses show a perfect 5.0
Most perfect scores belong to businesses with only a few reviews. 58% of businesses with 1 to 9 reviews show 5.0 stars, against 28% of those with 10 to 49 reviews and 11.3% of those with 100 or more. As reviews add up, a rating settles a little below perfect and stays there.
Source: Suff Digital analysis of 18,526 rated Google Business Profiles across 54 business categories · Google Business Profiles, September 2026
| Lifetime Google reviews | Average rating | Perfect 5.0 |
|---|---|---|
| 1 to 9 | 4.37 | 58% |
| 10 to 49 | 4.54 | 28% |
| 50 to 99 | 4.59 | 17.6% |
| 100 or more | 4.57 | 11.3% |
Businesses with few reviews also have the lowest average, 4.37 stars, because on a short list of reviews a single unhappy customer pulls the rating down sharply. A rating just under 5 built on a hundred reviews says more about a business than a perfect score from a handful of customers.
Most local businesses rate 4.5 stars or higher
69.3% of rated local businesses have 4.5 stars or more. Only 14.5% fall below 4 stars, and 4% fall below 3. Among businesses with at least 10 reviews, the average rises to 4.56 stars, 10.9% sit below 4 and 19.3% hold a perfect 5.0.
Source: Suff Digital analysis of 18,526 rated Google Business Profiles across 54 business categories · Google Business Profiles, September 2026
Ownership shows up here too. Claimed profiles average 4.56 stars, against 4.23 for unclaimed profiles. An owner who manages the listing can reply to complaints and ask happy customers for reviews, and both keep a rating up.
Beauty stores and hotels rate lowest, med spas highest
Category explains much of the spread. Beauty stores average 3.9 stars and 43.4% of them sit below 4; hotels average 4.01 and car washes 4.03. At the other end, appointment-based personal services rate highest: med spas at 4.82, tattoo shops at 4.79, chiropractors at 4.76 and yoga studios at 4.75.
Source: Suff Digital analysis of 18,526 rated Google Business Profiles across 54 business categories · Google Business Profiles, September 2026
| Category | Average rating | Below 4 stars |
|---|---|---|
| Beauty store | 3.9 | 43.4% |
| Hotel | 4.01 | 39.7% |
| Car wash | 4.03 | 36.8% |
| Medical practice | 4.18 | 30.8% |
| Restaurant | 4.2 | 28.8% |
| Electronics store | 4.21 | 28% |
| Photographer | 4.7 | 7.1% |
| Orthodontist | 4.72 | 5.6% |
| Yoga studio | 4.75 | 3.7% |
| Chiropractor | 4.76 | 5.5% |
| Tattoo shop | 4.79 | 2.1% |
| Med spa | 4.82 | 3.4% |
The pattern follows the kind of visit. Hotels, car washes and stores serve many one-off customers whose expectations vary and who have little personal connection to staff. Med spas, tattoo artists and chiropractors see customers by appointment, often repeatedly, and those customers choose them deliberately. The gap between the lowest and highest category averages is almost a full star.
What this means for local business owners
Benchmark against your category, not against all businesses. A 4.3 rating is below average for a chiropractor but above average for a hotel or restaurant. Look at the ratings of the businesses that appear next to you on Google Maps and aim to match or beat them.
If your rating is under 4 stars, you are in the lowest 14.5% and it shows. The way out is steady new reviews from satisfied customers, which lift the average over time, and calm replies to the complaints so readers see your side. Claim your profile if you have not, because unclaimed profiles average 4.23 stars.
Do not worry about losing a perfect 5.0: only 11.3% of businesses with 100 or more reviews keep one. Volume and recency are the better goals. Our reputation management services help local businesses build steady review volume and answer the reviews that pull a rating down.
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<p style="font:14px/1.5 system-ui,sans-serif">Source: <a href="https://www.suffdigital.com/resources/data-studies/average-google-star-rating-local-business">32.4% of Local Businesses With Google Reviews Have a Perfect 5-Star Rating - Suff Digital</a></p>
Cite this study
Suff Digital. (2026). 32.4% of Local Businesses With Google Reviews Have a Perfect 5-Star Rating. https://www.suffdigital.com/resources/data-studies/average-google-star-rating-local-business
32.4% of Local Businesses With Google Reviews Have a Perfect 5-Star Rating - Suff Digital - https://www.suffdigital.com/resources/data-studies/average-google-star-rating-local-business
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