Google Review Benchmarks by Industry (2026): How Do You Compare?

By Mike Hass · April 15, 2026 · Updated September 23, 2026

New: See our original Google review statistics study, with average ratings and review counts for 57,000+ US businesses by industry and state.

You know Google reviews matter. But how do you know if your review profile is actually good? A 4.3-star rating with 90 reviews might be exceptional in one industry and below average in another. Without benchmarks, you are flying blind, unable to tell whether your reputation is a competitive advantage or a liability hiding in plain sight.

The truth is that "good" looks different depending on your business type, and the gap between where you are and where you should be could be costing you customers every single day. Consumers do not evaluate your reviews in a vacuum. They compare you to the other options on their screen, and those other options are your direct competitors with their own star ratings and review counts.

This guide presents the most current Google review benchmarks for 2026, broken down by industry. You will see exactly where your business should stand in terms of star rating, review count, and review velocity, and you will learn what to do if you are falling short.

The Numbers That Define the Landscape

Before diving into industry-specific data, it helps to understand the overall picture. Our Google review statistics study analyzed public Google Business Profile data for 57,589 US local businesses across 1,461 cities in 36 states, collected between December 2024 and January 2025. Three numbers frame everything else:

• Median review count: 117 reviews. The typical US local business in our study had 117 Google reviews. The mean was 467, pulled up by restaurants, hotels and supermarkets with thousands of reviews each, so the median is the fairer yardstick.
• Average star rating: 4.56 stars (median 4.7). 70.4% of businesses were rated 4.5 or higher and only 9.6% were below 4.0. A 4.5 is typical, not exceptional, and a rating below 4.0 puts you in the bottom tenth of local businesses.
• Consumer expectations: 20 to 99 reviews. In BrightLocal's 2024 Local Consumer Review Survey, most consumers (59%) said they expect a business to have between 20 and 99 reviews. A perfect 5.0 with 8 reviews does not carry nearly the weight of a 4.7 with 150 reviews. Volume creates credibility.

These numbers provide a starting point, but they mask enormous variation between industries. A restaurant with 117 reviews is far below the 848 that is typical for its category, while an accounting firm with 117 reviews would be an outlier (the median in our data is 12). Let us break this down.

Google Review Benchmarks by Industry: Star Ratings and Review Counts

The following table shows the average star rating, median review count and share of businesses rated 4.5 or higher for twelve industries, taken from our Google review statistics study. The Google category each figure comes from is shown in brackets. Each category includes at least 300 reviewed businesses; industries we do not have enough data for, such as real estate, are not listed.

Source: Feedback Guru Google review statistics study, 57,589 US businesses, data collected December 2024 – January 2025.

Several patterns emerge from this data. Relationship-driven service businesses, like hair salons, law firms, contractors and dentists, have the highest average ratings, between 4.75 and 4.80 stars, and roughly nine in ten of them are rated 4.5 or higher. This makes sense because these businesses often develop personal connections with clients. In contrast, high-volume businesses like restaurants (4.51) and hotels and other lodging (4.11) see lower average ratings because the sheer number of transactions means more variability, more edge cases, and more opportunities for things to go wrong.

Notice the relationship between review count and star rating. Lodging businesses have a median of 804 reviews but average only 4.11 stars, while hair salons have a median of 115 reviews and average 4.80. Across all industries, businesses with 1,000 or more reviews averaged 4.45 stars and only 53.1% were rated 4.5 or higher, compared with 70% to 75% for businesses with fewer reviews. More reviews means you hear from a wider range of customers, and ratings settle toward a more realistic average.

What the Rating Thresholds Mean for Your Business

Your star rating is not just a number. Based on the distribution of ratings in our study, it falls into one of four zones, each with distinct implications for your visibility, consumer trust, and revenue.

The key insight is that the ideal target is not perfection. It is sustained quality at volume, measured against your own industry. A 4.4 is below average for a dentist or a hair salon but above average for a hotel or a car wash. The combination of a rating at or above your industry average and a review count at or above your industry median creates the trust signal that drives both search visibility and consumer conversion.

Review Velocity Benchmarks: How Many New Reviews Per Month

Star rating and review count are snapshots in time. Review velocity, the rate at which you acquire new reviews, is what determines whether your competitive position is improving or eroding. Google's algorithm heavily weights recency and momentum, so a business that stopped generating reviews six months ago is losing ground every day to competitors who maintain a steady flow.

Our study captured star ratings and review counts, not monthly review velocity, and we are not aware of a reliable public dataset of review velocity by industry. The good news is that the benchmark that matters most is local, and you can measure it yourself:

• Competitive velocity: count the Google reviews each of your top three local competitors received in the last 90 days and divide by three. Matching the average of that group is what it takes to hold your position.
• Leader velocity: beating the fastest competitor in that group is what puts you on track to pull away from the pack over the next 6 to 12 months.

High-volume categories like restaurants and hotels, where the median business has 800+ reviews, naturally need many more new reviews per month than professional services like accounting or law, where the median is 12 to 89 reviews in total.

The most important thing about velocity is consistency. Review recency is a local ranking signal, and a steady stream of reviews over time is worth more than irregular bursts. Ten reviews spread evenly across a month send a stronger signal than 30 reviews in a single week followed by two months of silence. Consistency also looks more natural to consumers browsing your reviews, which builds trust.

How to Figure Out Where You Stand

Knowing the benchmarks is only useful if you measure yourself against them. Here is a straightforward process to assess your current position:

• Check your Google Business Profile for your current star rating and total review count. Note the date of your most recent review.
• Count your reviews from the past 90 days by scrolling through your recent reviews and noting the dates. Divide by three to get your monthly velocity.
• Compare to the benchmark table above for your industry. Are you above or below the average star rating? Is your review count above or below the median? Is your velocity keeping pace with your local competitors?
• Audit your top three local competitors by searching your primary keywords in Google Maps and examining the review profiles of the businesses that appear. Note their ratings, counts, and recent review dates.
• Use our Google Reviews Calculator to model how many reviews you need to reach your target rating and how long it will take at different velocity levels.

This exercise takes about 15 minutes and gives you a clear, data-driven picture of your competitive position. Most business owners who go through this process discover that they are either further behind than they assumed or that a focused effort could put them ahead faster than they expected.

How to Close the Gap If You Are Behind

If the benchmark data shows you are trailing your industry averages, the good news is that reviews are one of the most actionable marketing metrics. Unlike domain authority or brand awareness, which take years to build, you can make meaningful progress on your review profile within 60 to 90 days. Here is how:

• Systematize your ask. The number one reason businesses have too few reviews is that they do not ask consistently. Build a review request into your standard workflow so that every customer interaction ends with an invitation to leave feedback. Do not rely on memory or good intentions.
• Reduce friction to zero. Send customers a direct link to your Google review page. Every extra step, every extra click, every moment of confusion reduces your completion rate. A link sent by text message works especially well because the customer can leave a review in under 60 seconds from their phone.
• Time your requests strategically. For service businesses, send the request within 24 hours of completing the work while the experience is fresh. For restaurants and retail, same-day is ideal. For healthcare and professional services, next-business-day follow-ups work best.
• Address negative reviews head-on. Do not ignore them. Respond professionally and promptly, acknowledge the customer's concern, and offer to resolve the issue offline. A thoughtful response to a negative review can actually improve your conversion rate because it shows prospective customers that you take feedback seriously.
• Ask every customer. Many customers are willing to leave a review but simply have not been asked. A direct, personal request, whether in person, by email, or by text, converts at a much higher rate than passive strategies like "find us on Google." Ask and you will receive.
• Do not chase perfection. The occasional 3-star or 4-star review is not a crisis. It is proof that your reviews are authentic. Focus on volume and velocity rather than trying to achieve a perfect 5.0 rating, which can actually hurt credibility.

How Feedback Guru Helps You Hit Your Benchmarks

The strategies above work, but executing them manually across every customer, every day, every month is where most businesses fall short. Consistency is the hardest part, and consistency is exactly what separates businesses that meet their benchmarks from those that do not.

Feedback Guru makes asking for reviews simple and repeatable, so every customer has an easy way to leave one without adding hours of work to your week:

• A Unique Feedback Link for Every Location: Share one short link in person, on receipts and invoices, or in your own texts and emails to customers.
• Printable QR Codes: Each location gets a QR code you can download as a printable PDF for counters, receipts, table tents and signage.
• One Simple Rating Step: Every customer gets the same link and rates their experience. Customers who rate 4 or 5 stars go straight to your Google review page.
• A Direct Line for Problems: Customers who rate lower can send you private feedback, and are then also invited to leave a Google review. You hear about problems directly so you can fix them and follow up.
• Instant Email Alerts: Get an email every time a customer submits a rating or feedback through Feedback Guru, so you can act while the experience is fresh.
• Simple Analytics: See visits to your link (including QR code scans), ratings and feedback over time, so you can tell whether your review habit is working.

The free plan collects up to 2 reviews per week with unlimited locations and no credit card, and the Pro plan removes the cap for $9.90 per month. Pair it with a habit of asking every customer, and use the benchmark table above to track your progress against your industry.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a good Google star rating for my industry?

It depends on your industry, but the bar is higher than most owners expect. In our study of 57,589 US local businesses, the average Google rating was 4.56 and the median was 4.7, and 70.4% of businesses were rated 4.5 or higher. Hair salons, law firms, general contractors and dentists averaged 4.79 to 4.80 stars, while restaurants averaged 4.51 and hotels and other lodging averaged 4.11. Only 9.6% of businesses were rated below 4.0, so a rating under 4.0 puts you in the bottom tenth of local businesses.

How many Google reviews does the average business have?

In our study of 57,589 US local businesses, the median business had 117 Google reviews. The mean was much higher, at 467, because restaurants, hotels and grocery stores collect hundreds or thousands of reviews each. The median restaurant had 848 reviews and the median lodging business 804, while the median law firm had 89 and the median accounting firm just 12. The number that matters most is not the overall average but how your review count compares to your direct local competitors.

How many Google reviews do I need before customers trust my rating?

There is no single magic number. BrightLocal's 2024 Local Consumer Review Survey found that most consumers (59%) expect a business to have between 20 and 99 reviews. With only a handful of reviews, many potential customers will see your rating as less reliable and may choose a competitor with more reviews even if their rating is slightly lower. A practical target is to reach at least the median review count for your industry, and then keep pace with your direct local competitors.

How many new Google reviews should I be getting per month?

The ideal number depends on your local competition rather than a universal figure, and our study measured ratings and review counts rather than monthly review velocity. The most reliable benchmark is to count how many reviews your top three local competitors received in the last 90 days, divide by three, and aim to match or beat that monthly rate. The most important factor is consistency. A steady flow of reviews each month shows Google and customers that your business is active and continually serving customers, which is more valuable than occasional bursts of reviews.

Is a 5.0-star Google rating better than a 4.5?

Not necessarily. In our study, 20.3% of US local businesses had a perfect 5.0 rating, but the typical 5.0-rated business had only 28 reviews, compared with 117 for businesses overall. A perfect score from a small number of reviews can trigger skepticism, with consumers suspecting that only friends and family have left feedback. Northwestern University's Spiegel Research Center found that, for products sold online, purchase likelihood peaks at ratings between 4.0 and 4.7 stars and then declines as ratings approach 5.0. A 4.7 rating with 200 reviews is generally more convincing than a 5.0 rating with 20.

Stop Guessing, Start Benchmarking

Your Google review profile is not just a vanity metric. It is a competitive asset that directly impacts your search visibility, consumer trust, and revenue. The benchmarks in this guide give you the data you need to stop guessing and start making informed decisions about where to invest your energy.

If you are below your industry benchmarks, every day you wait is a day your competitors pull further ahead. If you are at or above them, maintaining your velocity is what keeps you on top. Either way, a systematic approach to review generation is the most reliable path to sustained local market dominance.

Feedback Guru gives you that system. A unique review link and printable QR code for every location, a direct line for customer feedback, instant email alerts and simple analytics: everything you need to ask every customer consistently and track your progress.

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