Average Google Review Rating by Industry (2026 Benchmarks)

You check your Google Business Profile and see a 4.3 star rating. Is that good? It depends entirely on your industry.

In this guide, you will learn:

• The average Google star rating for 30+ industries
• What rating you need to be competitive in your specific market
• Why some industries naturally have higher or lower ratings
• How to use these benchmarks to set realistic goals

Want to see how your reviews stack up? Run a free Google Maps rank check for your main keyword. It needs no signup, scans 7 neighborhoods, and lists the top competitors for that search with each one's star rating and review count.

Average Google Review Ratings by Industry

These benchmarks come from ReplyOnTheFly's own Google Maps scan data. Every rank scan we run records up to the top 20 businesses Google Maps shows at each search point, with each one's primary Google category, star rating and review count. From March 11 to October 15, 2026, that was 8,520 scans for 401 businesses, covering 1,469 search terms and 149,224 search points. We counted each business once, at its most recent rating, left out our own customers and listings with no reviews, and grouped Google's categories into industries. That leaves 67,969 rated listings, about a quarter of them in the US. Veterinary clinics, optometrists, car washes and tattoo shops are left out because each had fewer than 50 listings.

These are the businesses that show up in Google Maps searches, so they lean toward established, visible profiles, which is also the competition a searcher compares you with. In the tables, a median rating of 5.0 means at least half the listings in that row show a perfect 5.0.

US listings track the full sample closely. The 17,295 US listings average 4.58, and the six largest US industry groups (dentists, restaurants, hair and beauty salons, barbers, nail salons and bars) land within 0.06 stars of the numbers below. Three ran clearly lower in the US: coffee shops (4.29), fast food (4.03) and medical practices (4.28).

Home Services

Home service businesses rate near the top on Google, with averages from 4.66 (roofing) to 4.81 (plumbing and electricians). The reason is straightforward: these are relationship-based businesses where the customer interacts directly with the service provider. A plumber who fixes your leak and cleans up after themselves earns a 5-star review naturally.

These businesses also tend to have modest review counts. The median listing in these rows has between 10 and 57 reviews, so one bad review moves the average more than it would for a restaurant, where the median listing has 216.

Healthcare and Wellness

Healthcare runs from the highest average in this guide, chiropractic at 4.93, down to hospitals at 4.31. Chiropractors, physical therapists and dental offices rate high because patients choose them voluntarily and build ongoing relationships. Hospitals have the lowest average in the healthcare group, and 26% of hospital listings sit below 4.0. People visit hospitals during stressful, often involuntary situations, and the experience involves long waits, high costs, and emotional distress.

If you run a dental practice and have a 4.3, you are below your industry average of 4.69, and at least half of dental listings show 4.9 or higher. If you run a hospital with a 4.3, you are right at the hospital average of 4.31.

Food and Hospitality

Restaurants average 4.50, close to the 4.56 average across all listings. Hotels average 4.08, the lowest in this group, and 39% of hotel listings sit below 4.0. Volume and variability play a part. A restaurant might serve hundreds of customers per week, and it only takes a few bad experiences to pull down the average. Hotels face similar challenges with high guest turnover and varying expectations.

The standout in this group is fast food. It averages 4.28, more than a fifth of a star below full-service restaurants at 4.50, and 27% of fast food listings sit below 4.0, against 6% of restaurants. Coffee shops land level with restaurants at 4.50.

For restaurant-specific guidance, see our restaurant review response templates.

Professional Services

Professional services have high ratings but low review counts: averages run from 4.58 to 4.80, and the median listing in these rows has just 8 to 28 reviews. The nature of these businesses means fewer total clients, but stronger individual relationships. An accountant who handles your taxes well for years is likely to leave a positive review when asked.

The lower review counts mean that every single review carries significant weight. One 1-star review on a law firm with 15 total reviews drops the average noticeably. This is why responding to every review is critical in professional services.

Automotive and Retail

Auto repair shops (4.57) and car dealerships (4.51) land close together. The real story in this group is convenience retail: gas stations average 4.17, and convenience stores average 3.92, the lowest row in this guide, with half of their listings below 4.0. These are places people often pick for location rather than loyalty, which is the selection effect described below.

Want to see where you show up on Google Maps? Our Local Rank Tracker scans your Google Maps position across up to 30 real neighborhoods per location. The benchmark tables in this post come from the same scans.

Beauty and Personal Care

Barbers and hair salons rank high because of the personal relationship between provider and client. People return to the same barber or stylist for years and are loyal advocates. The flip side is that a bad haircut or botched color is deeply personal, so negative reviews in this category tend to be more emotionally charged. Nail salons are the exception in this group: they average 4.50, and 14% of nail salon listings sit below 4.0.

Why Some Industries Rate Higher Than Others

Three factors help explain the variation across industries.

Relationship depth

Industries where customers build long-term relationships (dentist, barber, accountant) have higher ratings than those with transactional interactions (fast food, hotel). People are more forgiving and more likely to leave positive reviews for providers they know personally.

Complexity of the experience

A coffee shop has one job: make a good drink. A hospital has to coordinate dozens of staff, manage patient expectations, handle insurance, maintain sterile environments, and deliver life-altering outcomes. More complexity means more potential failure points and more opportunities for negative reviews.

Selection bias

In some industries, customers choose their provider carefully (dentist, attorney) and are predisposed to be satisfied. In others, the choice is driven by convenience or necessity (nearest gas station, emergency room), which leads to less satisfied customers on average. In our data, gas stations average 4.17 and convenience stores 3.92.

How to Use These Benchmarks

Knowing the average for your industry is useful. Here is how to act on it.

Compare against local competitors, not national averages

Broad averages like the ones above are a starting point, but your real competition is local. Search your primary keywords on Google Maps and note the ratings of the top five results. That is your true benchmark. If the top five plumbers in your city all have 4.7+ and you have 4.3, you have a specific gap to close.

Our guide on how to track your Google Maps ranking shows you how to see exactly where you stand.

Set a target that is above average, not perfect

A perfect 5.0 is common, but it often sits on very few reviews. In our sample, 24.7% of listings showed a 5.0. Those listings had a median of 10 reviews, and 48.4% had fewer than 10, while listings below 5.0 had a median of 131. Separately, Northwestern's Spiegel Research Center found that across product categories, purchase likelihood typically peaks at ratings in the 4.0 to 4.7 range, then begins to decrease as ratings approach 5.0. So the goal is a high rating backed by real review volume. A few 3 and 4-star reviews mixed in with your 5-stars are part of what a real rating looks like.

Focus on consistency, not one-time pushes

Your rating is a trailing indicator of your service quality. Instead of chasing a specific number, focus on the habits that produce good reviews: deliver consistent service, ask for reviews at the right time, and respond to every review you receive.

For a detailed playbook on moving your rating up, see our guide on how to improve your Google star rating.

Working out what it takes to move your own average? The free review calculator tells you exactly how many 5-star reviews you need to reach a target rating, with a realistic timeline.

The Rating Threshold That Matters Most: 4.0

Across every industry, the most critical threshold is 4.0 stars. Here is why.

BrightLocal's 2026 Local Consumer Review Survey found that 68% of consumers will not use a business with fewer than 4 stars, up from 55% in 2025. That means dropping from 4.1 to 3.9 does not just lower your number slightly. It removes you from consideration for two thirds of potential customers.

The bar is also moving up. In the same survey, 31% of consumers said they will only use a business rated 4.5 or higher, nearly double the 17% who said so in 2025. Clearing 4.0 keeps you in the game, but most of the listings in our sample are already well past it: 69.1% sit at 4.5 or higher.

Very few sit below 4.0: fewer than 1 in 10 listings in our sample (9.4%). If you are sitting at 3.8 or 3.9, getting above 4.0 should be your top priority. Even a small improvement at this threshold has an outsized impact on customer acquisition.

Ratings also play a part in where you show up. Google's own guidance on local ranking names relevance, distance, and popularity as the main factors, and says: "More reviews and positive ratings can help your business's local ranking." In Whitespark's 2026 Local Search Ranking Factors, an annual survey of local SEO practitioners, high numerical Google ratings (4 to 5 stars) rank #6 of 187 factors for the local pack and Maps, and #1 of 120 conversion factors. Low numerical ratings of Google reviews (1 to 2 stars) rank #4 of 42 negative ranking factors. Ratings are one signal among many, so keep optimizing the rest of your Google Business Profile and the other local SEO ranking factors too.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a good Google review rating for a business?

A good Google review rating is one at or above the average for your industry and your local competitors. Across 67,969 Google Maps listings we measured in 2026, the average was 4.56 stars and about 7 in 10 listings sat at 4.5 or higher. Industry changes the bar: dental offices average 4.69 and restaurants 4.50, so a 4.5 is on par for a restaurant but below average for a dental office. As a floor, BrightLocal's 2026 survey found that 68% of consumers will only use a business with four or more stars. Compare your rating against your specific industry benchmark and your direct local competitors to understand where you stand.

Is a 4.0 Google rating bad?

A 4.0 rating is not bad, but it is the lower end of the trust range. BrightLocal's 2026 survey shows that 68% of consumers will only use a business with 4 or more stars, and 31% will only use businesses rated 4.5 or higher. At exactly 4.0, you are just clearing the first bar. It is also low next to other businesses: across 67,969 Google Maps listings we measured in 2026, the average was 4.56 and fewer than 1 in 10 (9.4%) sat below 4.0. Industry still matters. For hotels, which average 4.08, a 4.0 is close to typical. For restaurants (4.50) or hospitals (4.31), it is below average. The key is how you compare to local competitors, not the absolute number.

Does the number of reviews matter more than the star rating?

Both matter, but for different reasons. Star rating acts as a filter: BrightLocal's 2026 survey found that 68% of consumers will only use a business with four or more stars. Review count acts as a credibility signal since a 4.8 rating from 5 reviews is less convincing than a 4.5 from 200. For local SEO, Google's own help page on local ranking says that more reviews and positive ratings can help your business's local ranking. The ideal combination is a rating at or above your industry average with a review count that matches or exceeds your top local competitors.

What is the average Google review rating across all businesses?

Across 67,969 Google Maps listings we measured between March and October 2026, the average Google review rating was 4.56 stars and the median was 4.7. An older study, SOCi's State of Google Reviews, put the average at 4.11 stars as of July 2022, up from 3.74 in January 2015, based on 31,326 Google profiles of multi-location brands. The two studies measured different groups of businesses, so compare them with care, but both show Google ratings running high. The overall average also hides a wide spread by industry: in our data, chiropractors average 4.93 and convenience stores 3.92.

Which industries have the highest and lowest Google ratings?

Among the 36 industry groups in our 2026 benchmark of 67,969 Google Maps listings, chiropractors had the highest average rating at 4.93, followed by physical therapy at 4.86 and plumbers and electricians at 4.81. The lowest were convenience stores at 3.92, hotels at 4.08 and gas stations at 4.17. Half of the convenience store listings sat below 4.0. The full tables cover every group.

Is a perfect 5.0 Google rating a good thing?

A 5.0 is fine, but it says more when real review volume backs it up. In our sample of 67,969 Google Maps listings, about 1 in 4 (24.7%) showed a perfect 5.0. Those listings had a median of 10 reviews, and 48.4% had fewer than 10, while listings below 5.0 had a median of 131. Separately, Northwestern's Spiegel Research Center found that across product categories, purchase likelihood typically peaks at ratings in the 4.0 to 4.7 range, then begins to decrease as ratings approach 5.0. And BrightLocal's 2026 survey found that just 10% of consumers will only use businesses with a five-star rating. Aim for a high rating backed by a steady flow of reviews.

How can I improve my Google star rating?

The most effective ways to improve your rating are asking satisfied customers for reviews at the point of peak satisfaction, resolving issues raised in negative reviews, and responding to every review (a free review response generator can write the first draft). The star effect of a reply is small; the bigger payoff is the next customer, since BrightLocal's 2026 survey found that 80% of consumers say they're likely to use a business that responds to all of its reviews. Avoid the temptation to buy or incentivize reviews. Google says it blocked or removed over 292 million policy-violating reviews in 2025, so read its review policies before you run any review campaign. Focus on consistent service quality and making the review process easy for happy customers.

Should I worry if my rating drops below the industry average?

Yes, a below-average rating puts you at a competitive disadvantage in your market. Consumers compare businesses within the same category. If the average dental office in your area has 4.6 stars and you have 4.1, potential patients are choosing your competitors. Check your recent reviews for patterns, respond to negative feedback professionally, and implement changes based on the criticism. The review calculator shows exactly how many 5-star reviews you need to reach a target rating, with a timeline.

Why did my Google rating drop without any new negative reviews?

Google removes reviews that its filters flag as spam or policy violations, and losing a few 5-star reviews can lower your average overnight. We tracked 1,087 Google Business Profiles with ten or more reviews for ten weeks. 100 of them saw their displayed rating fall. 87 had received a new low-star review, but 49 had also lost a four- or five-star review, and 13 had no new low review at all. If your rating moved but your review count went down instead of up, removals are the likely cause. A tool that scans your review history daily, like ReplyOnTheFly's removed review tracking, alerts you when a review disappears and keeps a record of what was lost.

How many consumers actually read Google reviews?

Nearly all of them. BrightLocal's 2026 Local Consumer Review Survey found that 97% of consumers read reviews for local businesses, and 49% trust online reviews as much as personal recommendations. Your star rating is usually the first thing a potential customer evaluates, since it appears directly in Google Search and Maps results before anyone reads a single review.

Conclusion

Your Google star rating does not exist in a vacuum. A 4.3 can be above average or well below it depending on what industry you are in and what your local competitors have. The benchmarks in this guide give you the context to evaluate where you actually stand.

Key Takeaways:

• Across 67,969 Google Maps listings we measured in 2026, the average rating was 4.56 and the median was 4.7
• Chiropractic (4.93), physical therapy (4.86), and plumbing and electricians (4.81) average highest; convenience stores (3.92), hotels (4.08), and gas stations (4.17) average lowest
• About 7 in 10 listings sit at 4.5 or higher, and fewer than 1 in 10 sit below 4.0
• The critical threshold is 4.0 stars: 68% of consumers will only use a business with four or more stars
• Consumer expectations are rising: 31% now will only use a business rated 4.5 or higher, up from 17% in 2025
• Always compare against local competitors in your specific category, not broad averages
• A perfect 5.0 often rests on few reviews (a median of 10), and in product research, purchase likelihood peaks at ratings of 4.0 to 4.7

The businesses that maintain strong ratings are not the ones obsessing over their number. They are the ones consistently delivering good service, asking for reviews at the right moment, and responding to every piece of feedback. Those habits compound over time. For the complete picture on managing your reviews effectively, see our Google review management guide.

If staying on top of review responses feels like too much to manage, ReplyOnTheFly can help. We monitor your Google reviews around the clock and email you a personalized AI-written reply when a new review comes in. One tap to approve, no login needed. The Free plan is free forever and includes 5 one-click posts to Google a month. Start free.