The No. 1 Business on Google Maps Has a Median of 101 Reviews vs 39 at Position 20

Search Google for "plumber" in any US city and the first thing you see is a map with three businesses under it. Those three get most of the calls. The next seventeen sit behind a "more places" link that most people never open.

That box is the map pack, and for a local business it is the most valuable spot on Google. What separates the three businesses in it from the rest is partly out of an owner's hands, such as the distance from the searcher, and partly within them. Reviews, photos and a website are all parts of a Google Business Profile, the free listing behind every Google Maps result, that an owner can build up.

The number one business has a median of 101 Google reviews, against 39 at position 20, and the map pack as a whole has 79 against 47 for ranks 4 to 20. The businesses at the top also post more photos and are more likely to link a website. Star ratings, by contrast, are nearly flat across the list: almost everyone near the top is rated well, and what differs is how much of a record they show.

On September 23, 2026 we analyzed Google Maps results for 20 local services, such as plumber, dentist and personal injury lawyer, in 79 US cities, once with "near me" and once without: 3,160 searches in all. For every business ranked 1 to 20, 61,885 listings, we recorded the number of Google reviews, the star rating, the number of photos shown on Google Maps and whether the listing links a website.

The map pack is the group of three businesses Google shows with a map at the top of local search results. Ranks 4 to 20 are the businesses that follow on Google Maps. The median is the middle business: half have more, half have fewer. Among 20 listings three are in the map pack, so a group of listings with no advantage would land there about 15% of the time. The photo edge for a service compares how often listings with 100 or more photos make the map pack with how often listings with fewer do. A business is claimed when its owner has verified the listing with Google.

The median number of reviews drops almost every step down the list: 101 at number one, 77 at number two, 66 at number three, 60 at number four, and 39 at position 20. Taken as a group, map pack businesses have a median of 79 reviews against 47 for ranks 4 to 20. Averages point the same way, 319 reviews in the map pack against 261 for ranks 4 to 20, with the number one business averaging 350.

Photos follow the same curve. Map pack businesses have a median of 24 photos against 17 for ranks 4 to 20, and the number one business has 29 against 15 at position 10. Reviews and photos both reflect how actively a business manages its Google Business Profile, and the businesses that manage it best are the ones at the top.

The size of the gap depends on the service. In personal injury searches, the map pack has a median of 109 reviews against 37 for lawyers ranked 4 to 20, 2.9 times as many. HVAC companies (2.4x), plumbers (2.3x) and house cleaning services (2.2x) show the same pattern. In these trades, few businesses collect reviews steadily, so the ones that do stand out. The table sets the three profile signals side by side for the services measured on all three.

Chiropractors stand out on every signal: map pack chiropractors have twice the reviews of those below them, link a website 9.1 points more often, and chiropractors with 100 or more photos make the map pack 1.76 times as often as those with fewer. Personal injury lawyers lead on reviews and come second on photos. In professional services such as chiropractic, legal and dental care, few competitors build out their profiles fully, so a well-reviewed, well-photographed profile stands out. Electricians sit at the other end, with small gaps on all three signals.

A gap of 0.06 stars is too small for a searcher to notice. Almost everyone near the top of Google Maps has a strong rating: 4.1% of map pack businesses are rated under 4 stars, against 6.1% of businesses ranked 4 to 20.

What separates them is volume. 4% of map pack businesses have zero reviews, against 8.5% of businesses ranked 4 to 20. A near-perfect rating from a handful of customers does less than a good rating from a hundred. For a business owner, the lesson is to keep reviews coming, not to chase a flawless score.

Of the 51,706 businesses ranked 1 to 20 that link a website, 15.9% are in the top three. Of the 10,179 without one, 12.3% are, so businesses with a website get there 1.3 times as often. Seen from the top, 86.8% of map pack businesses link a website against 83% of businesses ranked 4 to 20, and the share falls steadily down the list, from 87.8% at first place to 81.1% at 20th.

The same pattern holds for claimed listings: 91.4% of map pack businesses are claimed, against 88.1% at ranks 4 to 20. Both are signs of a business that manages its Google presence. A website gives Google a second source that confirms what the business does and where, and gives customers somewhere to check the business before they call.

The website gap is widest where many businesses still have no site. In auto repair, 76.2% of map pack shops link a website against 63.9% of shops ranked 4 to 20, a gap of 12.3 points, the largest of 20 services. Chiropractors (9.1 points), accountants (85% against 77.3%) and house cleaning services (87.1% against 79.5%) follow. In personal injury law, where 99.2% of map pack firms link a website, a site is simply expected. In HVAC and electrical searches, about a quarter of businesses in the top three have no website, the same share as further down, so other signals decide those rankings.

That is below the 15% a listing would get with no advantage at all, and it is the only photo group that falls short. Every group with 10 or more photos sits above the line: 15.8% for 10 to 24 photos, 16.7% for 25 to 49, 17.3% for 50 to 99 and 18.3% for 100 to 249.

The gain levels off after 100. Listings with 250 or more photos make the map pack 16.9% of the time, slightly below the 100 to 249 group. Taken together, listings with 100 or more photos reach the map pack 17.7% of the time, against 14.8% for listings with fewer, 1.2 times as often. The practical target is clear: get well past ten photos, then keep adding new ones, rather than chasing a huge total.

Restaurants are the exception on all three signals. Map pack restaurants have a median of 498 reviews against 612 further down, 84.8% link a website against 89.9% of restaurants ranked 4 to 20, and a photo-rich restaurant listing makes the map pack less often than one with fewer photos, a photo edge of 0.88x.

The reason is saturation. In a city almost every restaurant already has hundreds of reviews, and the median restaurant in the map pack already has 362 photos, so neither count separates one listing from another. When everyone has plenty, Google leans on distance and relevance to choose the three it shows, and a complete profile with a menu, photos and recent reviews counts for more than the totals.

Check the three businesses in your own map pack today. Search for your main service in your city and note each one's review count, photo count and whether it links a website, then compare them with your own listing. In legal, plumbing and HVAC, where the map pack has more than twice the reviews of the rest, closing that gap is a realistic goal for a business that asks for reviews steadily.

Work on the signals in order of the gap. Ask every customer for a review with a direct link after each finished job, and reply to the reviews you get. If your listing has fewer than 10 photos, add real photos of your storefront or vehicles, your team and your finished work, then add a few each month. If it has no website, link one with your services, service area, contact details and hours, using the same business name, address and phone number as your profile. In categories where everyone already has hundreds of reviews, such as restaurants, a complete, accurate profile matters more than the totals.

Distance and relevance decide the order within the pack, so keep your primary category and hours correct as well. Our local seo packages combine review programs, photo management and profile work for businesses competing for Google's map pack.

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