The Google Rating Benchmark
We measured the real Google rating and review count of 797 businesses to answer one question: what does “good” actually look like?
Key findings
the average Google rating of an established business. The bar is higher than most owners think.
separate the highest-rated industry (Chiropractors, 4.93) from the lowest (Hotels, 3.91).
of businesses already sit at 4.5 stars or higher. A 4.5 is table stakes now, not a standout.
rarer: 27% of low-review businesses hold a perfect 5.0, but only 2% of those with 2,000+ reviews do. At scale, 5.0 is a mirage.
Average rating by industry
Personal-care and health businesses sit near the top; hospitality and high-volume businesses rate lowest, because more customers means more ways to fall short.
Review volume by industry
How many reviews the typical business has (median). Restaurants dwarf everyone, while trades and professional services run on a fraction of the volume.
The full data
| Industry | Businesses | Avg rating | Median reviews |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chiropractors | 40 | 4.93 | 308 |
| Electricians | 40 | 4.92 | 243 |
| HVAC | 40 | 4.89 | 316 |
| Plumbers | 37 | 4.88 | 491 |
| Barbershops | 40 | 4.87 | 877 |
| Hair salons | 40 | 4.86 | 799 |
| Real estate agencies | 40 | 4.86 | 259 |
| Dentists | 40 | 4.85 | 740 |
| Law firms | 40 | 4.84 | 780 |
| Nail salons | 40 | 4.77 | 891 |
| Florists | 40 | 4.77 | 611 |
| Auto repair | 40 | 4.73 | 438 |
| Gyms | 40 | 4.63 | 587 |
| Restaurants | 40 | 4.62 | 3,717 |
| Coffee shops | 40 | 4.59 | 1,483 |
| Doctors | 40 | 4.59 | 449 |
| Veterinarians | 40 | 4.58 | 571 |
| Bars | 40 | 4.55 | 2,462 |
| Pharmacies | 40 | 3.99 | 158 |
| Hotels | 40 | 3.91 | 1,555 |
Where ratings cluster
The distribution is lopsided. Most businesses live between 4.5 and 4.9, which is exactly why slipping below 4.5, or chasing an unnatural 5.0, both stand out.
Why a perfect 5.0 vanishes at scale
Group businesses by how many reviews they have, and the pattern is stark. The more reviews a business collects, the rarer a perfect 5.0 becomes, from 27% among businesses with under 100 reviews to just 2% among those with 2,000 or more. A flawless score is a small-sample illusion, not something any busy business can hold.
Share of businesses holding a perfect 5.0, by review count.
By country
| Country | Businesses | Avg rating | Median reviews |
|---|---|---|---|
| Canada | 100 | 4.73 | 739 |
| Australia | 98 | 4.69 | 595 |
| United States | 400 | 4.68 | 735 |
| United Kingdom | 199 | 4.66 | 500 |
What this means
The headline for owners: the bar is higher than it feels. With an average of 4.68 and 84% of businesses already at 4.5 or above, a 4.5 is no longer impressive, it is the floor. Falling below it makes you the outlier customers skip.
And a perfect 5.0 is the wrong target. Only 12% hold one, almost all with few reviews, because volume and authenticity pull ratings into the high 4s. The winning position is a strong, believable rating backed by lots of recent reviews and visible responses. The deeper picture is in our review statistics roundup, and you can see how your own profile compares with the free rating comparison tool.
Methodology
In June 2026, we sampled 797 real businesses across 20 industries and 8 cities in the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, and Australia, using the Google Places API. For each business we recorded its public Google star rating and total review count. To keep the sample to established businesses, we excluded any with fewer than 20 reviews. Averages are the mean star rating; review figures are medians, since review counts are highly skewed by a few very large businesses. This is a snapshot of established, reviewed businesses, not every business on Google.
Citation: Resparo (2026). The Google Rating Benchmark: Average Ratings and Review Volume by Industry. https://resparo.io/research/google-rating-benchmark
Frequently asked questions
What is the average Google rating for a business?
Across the 797 established businesses we analyzed, the average was 4.68 stars, and 84% sat at 4.5 or higher. Only 5% were below 4.0.
Which industries have the highest and lowest ratings?
Chiropractors rated highest at 4.93 stars on average, and Hotels lowest at 3.91, a gap of 1.02 points. Personal-care and health businesses cluster near the top; hospitality and high-volume businesses sit lower.
How common is a perfect 5.0 rating?
Only 12% of businesses in our sample held a perfect 5.0, and almost all of those had relatively few reviews. At scale, a perfect 5.0 is essentially impossible, which is why a believable high-4 rating outperforms it.
Can I cite or republish this research?
Yes, freely, with attribution and a link back to this page. Use the citation at the top.