28% of US local businesses have never claimed their Google Business Profile, so nobody at the business can edit the listing, reply to reviews or fix wrong details. More than half of dentists (55.2%) are in that position.
Analysis of 23,164 Google Business Profiles across 54 business categories · Google Business Profiles, September 2026
Key Findings
- 1.28% of US Google Business Profiles are unclaimed, meaning no owner has verified the listing with Google.
- 2.Unclaimed Google Business Profiles have a median of 1 review, against 28 for claimed profiles.
- 3.99.4% of unclaimed Google Business Profiles have no business description, and 64.5% have no website.
- 4.68.5% of church Google Business Profiles are unclaimed, followed by dentists at 55.2% and optometrists at 51.4%.
- 5.Only 4.7% of locksmith Google Business Profiles are unclaimed, followed by pest control companies at 5.5% and beauty stores at 6.7%.
Summary
A dental practice has moved to a new building. On Google Maps, its listing still shows the old address, no hours and a single photo of a street sign. A patient drives to the wrong place, leaves a one-star review, and nobody at the practice ever answers it, because nobody at the practice has control of the listing.
Claiming a Google Business Profile, the free listing that shows a business in Google Search and Maps, is how an owner takes control of it. It is free and takes one verification step, and it is the only way to fix hours, add a website, reply to reviews and upload photos. Until then, the listing shows whatever Google has pieced together, and anyone can suggest edits to it.
28% of local businesses have not claimed their profile, more than one in four. Those listings are thin on almost everything: a median of one review, one photo, and 99.4% with no business description. The categories with the most unclaimed listings are medical and professional services, where trust matters most.
What we measured
On September 23, 2026 we collected 23,164 US Google Business Profiles across 54 business categories, from churches and dentists to locksmiths and HVAC companies, and recorded whether each one has been claimed. We compared claimed and unclaimed profiles on reviews, rating, photos, website, opening hours, description and number of business categories, and calculated the unclaimed share for each category.
A profile is claimed when the business owner has verified it with Google, which lets them edit its details and reply to reviews. An unclaimed profile is one Google created from public information that no owner has taken over. Google shows an "Own this business?" link on unclaimed listings. The median is the middle profile: half are above, half below.
Unclaimed profiles are nearly empty
Every field is less complete on unclaimed listings. 99.4% have no business description, 67.7% have no opening hours and 64.5% have no website. The median unclaimed profile has one photo, against 17 for a claimed profile, and 81.4% have fewer than 10 reviews.
Source: Suff Digital analysis of 23,164 Google Business Profiles across 54 business categories · Google Business Profiles, September 2026
| Profile field | Unclaimed | Claimed |
|---|---|---|
| Median Google reviews | 1 | 28 |
| Fewer than 10 reviews | 81.4% | 33.8% |
| Average star rating | 4.23 | 4.56 |
| Median photos | 1 | 17 |
| Has a website | 35.5% | 82% |
| Lists opening hours | 32.3% | 82.8% |
| Has a description | 0.6% | 79.1% |
| Average business categories | 1.4 | 2.9 |
The description gap is almost total because only an owner can write one: Google cannot fill it in for a listing nobody manages. The same applies to replies, photos from the business and the website link. The unclaimed rating is lower too, 4.23 stars against 4.56, since complaints go unanswered and nobody asks happy customers for reviews.
Medical and professional services leave the most listings unclaimed
68.5% of church profiles are unclaimed, followed by dentists (55.2%), optometrists (51.4%) and medical practices (49.6%). Accountants, lawyers, manufacturers and chiropractors all sit near 47%. A single practice can have several listings, one for the practice and one for each dentist or attorney, and each one needs claiming.
Source: Suff Digital analysis of 23,164 Google Business Profiles across 54 business categories · Google Business Profiles, September 2026
These are the businesses where a patient or client most wants reassurance before booking. An unclaimed dental listing with no description, no hours and unanswered reviews sits next to a claimed competitor with all three, and the choice is easy.
Some trades have claimed almost every listing
The trades split sharply. 40.6% of electricians and 38.6% of plumbers are unclaimed, against 7% of HVAC companies, 5.5% of pest control companies and 4.7% of locksmiths. Other trades sit in between: movers at 34.1%, landscapers at 32.8%, roofers at 21.4%, garage door companies at 14.6% and cleaning services at 12.6%.
Consumer businesses with steady foot traffic are mostly claimed too: only 12% of restaurants, 12.4% of tattoo shops and 8.4% of mattress stores are unclaimed, with hotels at 23.4% and veterinarians at 30%. The businesses that claim their listings are the ones that treat Google Maps as a main source of customers. For an electrician or plumber, that means a competitor in the same trade is often the one who has done it.
What this means for local business owners
Search your business name on Google Maps. If you see "Own this business?" or "Claim this business", the listing is unclaimed and anyone can suggest edits to it. Claim it, verify it, and fill in the basics: opening hours, website, description, business categories and a few real photos.
Check for extra listings too. Listings for individual practitioners, old addresses and duplicates can split your reviews and confuse customers. Claim the ones you can manage, and ask Google to merge or remove the rest.
Once claimed, keep it active: reply to reviews, update hours for holidays and add photos as the business changes. Our local seo packages handle Google Business Profile claiming and cleanup for businesses with several locations or practitioners.
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<p style="font:14px/1.5 system-ui,sans-serif">Source: <a href="https://www.suffdigital.com/resources/data-studies/unclaimed-google-business-profiles">28% of Local Businesses Haven't Claimed Their Google Business Profile - Suff Digital</a></p>
Cite this study
Suff Digital. (2026). 28% of Local Businesses Haven't Claimed Their Google Business Profile. https://www.suffdigital.com/resources/data-studies/unclaimed-google-business-profiles
28% of Local Businesses Haven't Claimed Their Google Business Profile - Suff Digital - https://www.suffdigital.com/resources/data-studies/unclaimed-google-business-profiles