Local SEO benchmarks · 2026
The State of Local SEO
What it actually takes to rank in the Google Map Pack — from a live audit of 636 businesses across 48 industries in 13 markets. Real numbers, updated as we scrape more.
Headline numbers
The Map Pack, by the numbers
Finding 1
Reviews are the price of entry — and it swings wildly by trade
Across every market we audited, the median business in the top 3 has 112 reviews. But the bar depends entirely on your trade: a top-3 insurance agents carries a median of 1188 reviews, while landscapers break in with as few as 14. Chasing a generic "get more reviews" number is a mistake — you need YOUR trade's real threshold.
The data
Reviews it takes to reach the top 3, by industry
| Industry | Median top-3 reviews | Reviews to compete | Avg rating | Markets |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Insurance Agents | 1188 | 504 | 4.93★ | 1 |
| Junk Removal | 765 | 906 | 5★ | 1 |
| Optometrists | 558 | 353 | 4.75★ | 2 |
| Auto Repair | 486 | 480 | 4.79★ | 2 |
| Window Cleaning | 472 | 360 | 4.93★ | 1 |
| HVAC Contractors | 445 | 266 | 4.9★ | 2 |
| Veterinarians | 411 | 384 | 3.9★ | 1 |
| Cosmetic Dentists | 310 | 366 | 4.9★ | 1 |
| Orthodontists | 279 | 332 | 4.97★ | 1 |
| Plumbers | 255 | 201 | 4.92★ | 6 |
| Yoga Studios | 250 | 288 | 4.87★ | 1 |
| Chiropractors | 246 | 264 | 4.9★ | 1 |
| Tree Service | 223 | 28 | 4.93★ | 1 |
| Physical Therapists | 199 | 144 | 4.93★ | 1 |
| Home Cleaning Services | 163 | 125 | 4.87★ | 1 |
| Wedding Photographers | 163 | 135 | 5★ | 1 |
| Auto Detailing | 148 | 128 | 4.6★ | 1 |
| Plastic Surgeons | 140 | 130 | 4.87★ | 3 |
| Movers | 135 | 1022 | 4.63★ | 1 |
| DUI Lawyers | 127 | 224 | 4.9★ | 2 |
| Estate Planning Lawyers | 122 | 52 | 5★ | 1 |
| Real Estate Agents | 120 | 71 | 5★ | 1 |
| Dermatologists | 112 | 179 | 4.77★ | 1 |
| Garage Door Repair | 112 | 213 | 4.93★ | 1 |
| Med Spas | 98 | 171 | 4.93★ | 1 |
| Towing Services | 90 | 85 | 3.8★ | 1 |
| Personal Injury Lawyers | 89 | 179 | 4.97★ | 2 |
| Bathroom Remodeling | 86 | 38 | 4.9★ | 1 |
| Mortgage Brokers | 86 | 147 | 5★ | 1 |
| Pest Control | 86 | 117 | 4.87★ | 1 |
| Roofers | 86 | 84 | 4.87★ | 5 |
| Bankruptcy Lawyers | 85 | 176 | 4.13★ | 1 |
| HVAC | 84 | 86 | 4.83★ | 2 |
| Kitchen Remodeling | 80 | 69 | 4.9★ | 1 |
| Locksmiths | 77 | 93 | 4.87★ | 1 |
| Electricians | 70 | 69 | 4.91★ | 3 |
| Family Lawyers | 67 | 45 | 4.53★ | 1 |
| Body Shop | 57 | 86 | 4.87★ | 1 |
| CPAs | 40 | 40 | 5★ | 1 |
| Pool Service | 37 | 44 | 4.87★ | 1 |
| Auto Glass Repair | 35 | 58 | 4★ | 1 |
| Handyman Services | 34 | 48 | 4.97★ | 1 |
| Carpet Cleaning | 25 | 129 | 4.97★ | 1 |
| Foundation Repair | 25 | 270 | 5★ | 1 |
| Solar Installers | 25 | 106 | 4.95★ | 1 |
| Painters | 19 | 40 | 4.77★ | 1 |
| Flooring Contractors | 15 | 58 | 4.8★ | 1 |
| Landscapers | 14 | 85 | 4.9★ | 1 |
"Reviews to compete" = the 75th-percentile review count of the top 10 — a realistic bar to break into the pack. Some rows are single-market samples; the dataset grows as we audit more.
Finding 2
The rating floor is brutal — 4.83★ median
The median top-3 business rates 4.83★. In practice, dip below ~4.7 and you're effectively invisible in the pack no matter how many reviews you have. Rating recency and velocity matter as much as the raw star average — a steady stream of fresh reviews beats a big stale pile.
Methodology
Built from live Google Maps audits — not estimates
We audit the live Map Pack top 10 for local-service searches across US markets. Every figure on this page is computed directly from that data and refreshes automatically as we audit more — so it only gets sharper.
Your move
See where YOU stand against these benchmarks
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